Perfumes take us to enchanting worlds, especially those linked to memory. Thanks to this wonderful sense, we not only evoke memories, but also make important decisions in our daily lives. In this article we want to highlight an essential part of this meaning: the olfactory bulb.
To understand this structure, we will define it and talk about each of its parts and functions, in addition, we will share different curious data associated with the smell.
- Smell is a very neglected sense.
- However.
- On several occasions it is thanks to him that we can identify what is toxic to us.
- Think.
- For example.
- Of a smoke-filled place; through smell.
- We could identify something that is happening and check the environment.
In addition to raising awareness of potential dangers, smell influences the choices we make in our day-to-day life, for example when choosing the clothes we can continue to wear, choose the places and people we like, the meals we love, etc.
Perfumes can also influence our emotions. There are some that we find so pleasant that they bring us well-being, smells are so important to increase our sense of pleasure that they are even studied in the field of marketing to attract consumers.
According to Bear, Connors
In addition, we have two bulbs, although it is more common to talk about them, however, where is the olfactory bulb?All in one hemisphere of our brains. In addition, it connects to the inside of the nostrils.
Before you know the functions of the olfactory bulb, it should be noted that, although it is responsible for capturing the aromas, this function does not start thanks to it.
The aromas enter through the nostrils and the nasal lining absorbs them, where several neurons translate the information. It then passes through the olfactory nerve until it reaches the olfactory bulb.
In the olfactory bulb, neurons perform synapses with mitral cells in the glomerous, a group of neurons in the olfactory bulb that have different activation patterns and help us distinguish different molecules from odors.
Once the information is processed by the bulb glomeruli, it is transmitted to different regions of the brain, for example, for the primary and secondary olfactory cortex, for the orbitofrontal cortex, for the hippocampus and for the amygdala.
The olfactory bulb consists of layers, which can be distinguished according to the cell type. They are considered five layers, although it is possible to find up to seven. Let’s see what they are:
The olfactory bulb is the main processing center for olfactory information, allowing us to:
Did you know that our olfactory bulbs are responsible for all this?It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? They are so essential in our lives that when one of them is removed there is an anosmia (lack of olfactory perception).
Now that you know each of its functions, you will have a different perspective on smell, a meaning as important as others for our survival, for decision-making, as well as for our emotions, behaviors and memories.