smelling

Information, Symptoms, Treatments and Resources

As a person inhales, air and scent molecules move past the smell receptors in the nose. In turn, the smell receptors relay a signal to the brain. Smells can trigger memories and emotional responses.

This animation depicts the inhalation of air and scent molecules from a rose into an enlarged sagittal view of the nasal cavity. The smell receptors are magnified further to show their action of relaying a neural message of “scent” to the brain.
Illustrations and Images (1)
Review date: December 04, 2006
Reviewed by: Joseph V. Campellone, MD, Division of Neurology, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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