AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -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-2: -Your thalamus is your body’s information relay station. All information from your body’s senses (except smell) must be processed through your thalamus before being sent to your brain’s cerebral cortex for interpretation.

Detailed explanation-3: -The amygdala, OFC and hippocampus are involved in the process of odor-elicited emotion and odor-associated emotional memory.

Detailed explanation-4: -The olfactory sense has a unique intimacy with emotion. Unlike other senses, olfactory neuroanatomy is intertwined, via extensive reciprocal axonal connections, with primary emotion areas including the amygdala, hippocampus, and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) (Carmichael et al., 1994; Haberly, 2001; Gottfried, 2010).