A better understanding of human smell is emerging as scientists interrogate its fundamental elements: the odor molecules that ...

For example, the olfactory nerve is essential for detecting smells. The functions of the cranial nerves are sensory, motor, or both. Sensory cranial nerves help a person see, smell, and hear.

These receptors send signals directly to the olfactory bulb, which is part of the limbic system—the area of the brain linked to memory and emotion.

For over a century, scientists believed that light, focus distance, and cognitive effort were the main forces behind changes in pupil size. But a new discovery adds breathing to that list ...

Kavoi, B.M. and Jameela, H. (2011) Comparative Morphometry of the Olfactory Bulb, Tract and Stria in the Human, Dog and Goat. International Journal of Morphology, 29, 939-946.

Olfactory bulb surroundings can help to distinguish Parkinson’s disease from non-parkinsonian olfactory dysfunction. NeuroImage Clin. 28:102457. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102457 ...

Microplastic bioaccumulation. Credit: Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41370-024-00709-3 ...

The olfactory bulbs are a critical component of people’s ability to smell. Researchers of this study note that the olfactory pathway from the neurons in the nose to the brain could allow certain ...

Many might remember last year’s research from URI showing that microplastics breached the blood barrier to the brain of lab mice after they ingested liquid with polystyrene. By Cheryl Auger The ...

Campen said it’s more likely that nanoplastics enter the brain through the bloodstream, which picks up plastic bits from the lungs or digestive tract, rather than the olfactory bulb.

Source Reference: Amato-Lourenço LF, et al "Microplastics in the olfactory bulb of the human brain" JAMA Netw Open 2024; DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.40018.