Francisco E. Olucha-Bordonau
Universitat de València

Olfactory pathway ......................................................................................................................... 1

Olfactory mucossa..................................................................................................................... 1

Olfactory processing.................................................................................................................. 2

Mechanisms of olfactory sensitivity are very different from those seen so far. Unlike the others,
olfactory information does not reach the thalamo-cortical system, all this sensitivity is being
analyzed in telencephalon.

 
 

The human species with other less developed olfactory system called microsmàtiques. The
olfactory sensitivity detects volatile compounds. Moreover, in most mammals (except humans
and some other primates) ther is an accessory olfactory system, the vomeronasal organ
responsible for detecting pheromones. The vomeronasal organ is in a cavity located in the nasal
septum.

The olfactory epithelium is located in the upper half to 1/3 of the nasal cavity, mainly in the
sphenoethmoidal recess. The olfactory epithelium is a cylindrical type pseudolayered epithelium
composed of three kinds of cells, supporting, bipolar hair and basal olfactory cells.

The hair bipolar olfactory cells are taller than the supporting cells and extend their immovile
ciliae in the mucus that is being secreted by the Bowman’s glands. The apical branch displays
features as a dendrite and at the tip it becomes enlarged and joins to each other by a closure
band. From this enlarged terminal end, a couple of immobile ciliae with end of these cells form
a band closure. Some cells have sustained some secretory cells that secrete mucus layer. This
layer of mucus is also produced by mucous glands found in the conjunctiva layer that lies
beneath the olfactory epithelium.

The basal cells are located in the deepest part of the olfactory epithelium and are responsible
for cell turnover because both cells ceiling as olfactory cells have a very short half-life of about
of 1 month.

The olfactory hair cells are evenly distributed, they are bipolar neurons displaying apical an
basal processes type with an extension of apical and basal. The extension is characteristic
apical dendritic and heads towards the surface of the epithelium. The apical end is thickened
and forms the olfactory vesicle containing 6 to 8 long cilia which are introduced into the mucous
layer. The cilae contain the olfactory receptor. The human olfactory organ is sensitive to a
variety of over several, thousands of compounds. However, each hair cell only express one
olfactory receptor.

Axons of olfactory hair cells meet in the conjunctive tissue to cross the lamina cribosa of the
ethmoid and get the olfactory bulb. Along this tract, axons are mylinated and a prticular kind of
glia, the ensheating olfactory glia guide the axons to arrive the olfactory bulb. As the olfactory
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epitheliem needs to be replaced constantly, the axons of the newly generated sensitive hair
cells need t be guided to the olfactory bulb.

  
 


The olfactory sensitivity of the olfactory epithelium begins in the roof of the nasal mucosa.
Among the epithelial cells are bipolar hair cells that are sensitive. The axon of these cells goes
deep and meets with others to form the nerve bundles that cross the ethmoid lamina cribosa to
reach the olfactory bulbs.

The primary olfactory information is being processed in the olfactory bulbs. The axons of
sensory ciliated cells finish in a particular structure called glomeruli. The glomeruli are s
spherical structures where epithelial cells axons contact the dendrites of mitral cells and tufted
cells. The glomeruli also contain thedendrites of the granular cells and processes of intyroben
dendrites and terminals of granule cells and interneurons.

Mitral and tufted cells give rise to efferent fibers that arise from the olfactory bulb. These fibers
makes up the olfactory peduncle. Along the olfactory peduncles it can be found the anterior
olfactory nuclei that project back to both ipsilateral and contralateral olfactory bulbs. When
arriving to the basal forebrain, the olfactory tracts becomes separated into three tracts, the
medial, the lateral and the intermediate olfactory tracts.

The medial olfactory tracts contain mainly fibers of the anterior olfactory nuclei and olfactory
bulbs and get into the anterior commissure to get the contralateral anterior olfactory nuclei and
olfactory bulbs. A part of the fibers of the medial olfactory tract reach the medial septal area and
diagonal band nuclei. The intermediate and medial olfactory tracts are not highly developed in
humans.

The lateral olfactory tract reaches olfactory areas of the temporal cortex. In the temporal region,
the olfactory axons target two projection areas: the cortex piriformis and the olfactory areas of
the amygdala complex. The pyriform cortex is actually the primary olfactory cortex where
olfactory sensation becomes conscious. Projections from the cortex piriformis end in the
olfactory amygdaloid areas and the enthorinal cortex which is considered the secondary
olfactory area.

The amygdaloid olfactory areas are mainly the nucleusof the olfactory tract and the olfactory
area of the medial amygdala. It is considered that the olfactory projections to the amygdala give
emotional value to the occurrence of chemically relevant compounds. The projections of the
olfactory amygdala are directed primarily to the hypothalamus where visceral responses to
olfactory sensation is performed. These projections are directed primarily through the bed
nucleus of the stria terminalis.

In most mammals, including some primates there is also an accessory olfactory system. This
system relates primarily to the recognition of co-specific and is mainly seen in the sexual
behavior of mating. The system consists of a sensitive system located in the Vomero-nasal
septum and an accessory olfactory bulb located behind the main olfactory bulb. The projections
of the accessory system are directed primarily to the amygdala.
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Scheme representing the location of the olfactory epithelium (area framed in A) and the layers
that make up this epithelium. A) nasal cavity and its innervation. a) olfactory bulb and olfactory
roots, b) area of the olfactory sphenoethmoidal recess. B) a section representing the olfactory
epithelium. a) basal cell, b) bipolar olfactory neuron, c) supporting cell d) Bowman’s gland, e)
basal lamina, f) surface of the epithelium with mucus, g) axonal bundles of the hair olfactory
cells.
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Diagram representing the flow of

information along the olfactory
pathway. a) mitral cells in the
olfactory bulb, b) anterior olfactory
nucleus, c) olfactory tubercle, d)
horizontal part of the nucleus of
diagonal band, e) cortex piriformis, f)
cortico medial amygdala, g)
entorhinal cortex
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