Examination of Human Chemosensory Function.

OLFACTOMETRY; OLFACTORY nerve; SMELL; NEUROSCIENCES; MEDICAL sciences; NERVOUS system; NASAL cavity; CENTRAL nervous system; EMOTIONS

The article presents information related to the examination of human chemosensory function. Studies involving the olfactory system are often limited to the identification of olfactory bulbs in preserved sheep brains. Recently, an increased understanding of olfaction and gustation has underlined the critical importance of these senses in determining how humans respond to their environment. In particular, the olfactory system has yielded information about intracellular signaling via cyclic AMP formation, the evolution of large multigene families, and the processing of sensory information by the central nervous system. Humans can detect thousands of different odors in the environment. Most odor molecules are relatively small organic molecules that are carried as a vapor into the nasal cavity. These odors bind to specific receptor proteins located in the cilia of sensory neurons that reside in the upper recesses of the nasal cavity. In addition, the olfactory system forms connections with the limbic system of the brain that governs emotion and memory so that certain odors can trigger smell-associated emotions.