MEDICAL PHYSIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Substances that smell give off tiny molecules. Inhaling moves these molecules into your nose. There, special cells (olfactory receptors) detect these molecules. The receptors relay this information to your brain through your olfactory nerve and allow you to perceive smell.

Detailed explanation-2: -Past studies have shown that airborne molecules linked to scents trigger receptor cells lining the nose to send electric signals to nerve-ending bundles in the bulb called glomeruli, and then to brain cells (neurons).

Detailed explanation-3: -Sensation of the nose comes from the ophthalmic (V1) and maxillary (V2) divisions of the trigeminal nerve.

Detailed explanation-4: -Olfactory cells in the mucous membranes lining each nostril react to chemicals you breathe in and send messages along specific nerves to the brain.

Detailed explanation-5: -Smells are detected by sensory neurons housed in the olfactory epithelium within the nasal cavity (left.). These neurons send information about the presence of smells through processes called axons that cross the cribriform plate at the base of the skull, and enter the olfactory bulb of the brain (middle).