Synonyms
Main olfactory bulb, as opposed to “accessory olfactory bulb”
Definition
The olfactory bulb is the first relay station in the olfactory pathway, situated at the rostral end of the brain. It receives sensory input from olfactory receptor neurons located in the nasal cavity and sends output fibers to a group of hemispheric regions collectively termed the olfactory cortex.
Characteristics
The olfactory bulbs develop from the ventral surface of the cerebral hemispheres and in the large majority of vertebrates they represent the most rostral extension of the neural axis. In apes and humans, however, the olfactory bulbs lie on the ventral surface of the frontal lobes, just above the nasal cavities, from which they are separated by the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone (Fig. 1).
The olfactory bulb is a small ovoid structure that lies on the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone. It receives input from olfactory sensory neurons located in the nasal cavity...
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References
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Sassoè-Pognetto, M. (2009). Olfactory Bulb. In: Binder, M.D., Hirokawa, N., Windhorst, U. (eds) Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_4169
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_4169
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