AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -There are two olfactory bulbs on the bottom side of the brain, one above each nasal cavity. The olfactory bulbs receive information about smells from the nose and send it to the brain by way of the olfactory tracts.

Detailed explanation-2: -Scents bypass the thalamus and go straight to the brain’s smell center, known as the olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb is directly connected to the amygdala and hippocampus, which might explain why the smell of something can so immediately trigger a detailed memory or even intense emotion.

Detailed explanation-3: -Because of the specific organization of the olfactory pathway (i.e., no direct thalamic relay between sensory neurons and primary cortex), relatively little attention has been directed toward the thalamus in olfaction.

Detailed explanation-4: -Because scent skips the thalamus, smells can enter our brains and attach to memories without us consciously registering or processing them. Research shows smell is the only sense that is active even while we sleep, or are in a coma.