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Understanding the Olfactory System: From Odor Detection to Behavioral Responses

This chapter delves into the intricate workings of the olfactory system, highlighting the anatomy and physiology of odor detection and its profound impact on behavior. It explores the pathways from the olfactory epithelium to brain regions like the pyriform cortex and amygdala, detailing how airborne odors are perceived differently based on concentration and age. Additionally, the chapter examines physiological and behavioral responses to various smells, including salivation from food odors and the synchronization of menstrual cycles among women. The role of pheromones and their connection to reproductive functions is also discussed.

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Understanding the Olfactory System: From Odor Detection to Behavioral Responses

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Chapter 14 The Chemical Senses

  2. Olfaction - many kinds of information • Taste (gustation) - food information • Trigeminal - noxious information

  3. Olfactory System • Anatomy • Olfactory epithelium--> olfactory bulb--> olfatory tract --> pyriform cortex and other forebrain structures, amygdala and hypothalamus.

  4. The map of olfactory processing in the brain • Not really understood

  5. What can we smell? • Airborne odours • Concentration: • e.g.(pizza odour) IBMP, 2 nM • similar chemical structures are perceived differently, e.g. spearmint and caraway seeds

  6. What can we smell? • Changes with age • E.g. Children smell crayons • Adults, oregano is pleasant

  7. Concentration differences • Floral in low dose is pleasant • Is putrid in high dose

  8. mixtures • Most odours are composed of very many chemicals. • E.g. stawberry odor has about 60 compounds

  9. Old age • Loose ability to correctly identify an odor. • The corresponding region of the brain is not active too.

  10. Physiological and behavioural responses to odours. • Visceral responses: Smell food--> salivation and gastric motility • Noxious smell-->gag

  11. Physiological and behavioural responses to odours. • Reproductive and endocrine functions • Women housed together synchronize menstral cycles • Smelling gauze pads from underarms of women also synchronizes menstral cycles.

  12. Physiological and behavioural responses to odours. • Infants recognize mothers by scent • Mothers can recognize the scent her baby.

  13. Pheromones Species specific odorants. Some pheromones stimulate the vomeronasal organ VNO--> accessory olfactory bulb-->hypothalamus. (Found in 8% of human adults), VNO receptors are pseudogenes in humans.

  14. Olfactory receptor (sensory) neuron • In the olfactory epithelium • Have cilia projecting into the nasal cavity mucus • These cells become damaged, and turnover.

  15. Transduction

  16. Two olfactory subsystems • Main • Vomeronasal

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