Olfactory nerve - wikipedia Olfactory nerve Olfactory nerve Head bisection showing location of olfactory mucosa and cribriform plate. Olfactory nerves are too small to be seen in a gross section. ( Suarez, C.A. and Vilensky, J., All - in - One Anatomy Exam Review. Vol. 1 Back and Upper Limb ) The Olfactory Nerve Details Identifiers Latin nervus olfactorius MeSH A08. 800.800. 120.640 TA A14. 2.01. 004 A14. 2.01. 005 FMA 46787 Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy ( edit on Wikidata ) Cranial nerves CN 0 -- Terminal CN I -- Olfactory CN II -- Optic CN III -- Oculomotor CN IV -- Trochlear CN V -- Trigeminal CN VI -- Abducens CN VII -- Facial CN VIII -- Vestibulocochlear CN IX -- Glossopharyngeal CN X -- Vagus CN XI -- Accessory CN XII -- Hypoglossal Overview Table The olfactory nerve is typically considered the first cranial nerve, or simply CN I, that contains sensory nerve fibers relating to smell. The afferent nerve fibers of the olfactory receptor neurons, transmit nerve impulses about odors to the central nervous system, where they are perceived by the sense of smell ( olfaction ). Derived from the embryonic nasal placode, the olfactory nerve is somewhat unusual among cranial nerves because it is capable of some regeneration if damaged. The olfactory nerve is sensory in nature and originates on the olfactory mucosa in the upper part of the nasal cavity. From the olfactory mucosa, the nerve ( actually many small nerve fascicles ) travels up through the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone to reach the surface of the brain. Here the fascicles enter the olfactory bulb and synapse there ; from the bulbs ( one on each side ) the olfactory information is transmitted into the brain via the olfactory tract. The fascicles of the olfactory nerve are not visible on a cadaver brain because they are severed upon removal. Contents 1 Structure 2 Function 3 Clinical significance 3.1 Examination 3.2 Lesions 3.3 Aging and smell 4 Additional images 5 See also 6 Notes 7 External links Structure The specialized olfactory receptor neurons of the olfactory nerve are located in the olfactory mucosa of the upper parts of the nasal cavity. The olfactory nerves consist of a collection of many sensory nerve fibers that extend from the olfactory epithelium to the olfactory bulb, passing through the many openings of the cribriform plate, a sieve - like structure of the ethmoid bone. The sense of smell arises from the stimulation of receptors by small molecules in inspired air of varying spatial, chemical, and electrical properties that reach the nasal epithelium in the nasal cavity during inhalation. These stimulants are transduced into electrical activity in the olfactory neurons, which then transmit these impulses to the olfactory bulb and from there to the rest of the central nervous system via the olfactory tract. The olfactory nerve is the shortest of the twelve cranial nerves and, similar to the optic nerve, does not emanate from the brainstem. Function The afferent nerve fibers of the olfactory receptor neurons, transmit nerve impulses about odors to the central nervous system, where they are perceived by the sense of smell ( olfaction ). The functional components of the olfactory nerve include SVA, special visceral afferent, which carries the modality of smell. Clinical significance Examination Damage to this nerve impairs the sense of smell. To simply test the function of the olfactory nerve, each nostril is tested with a pungent odor. If the odor is smelt, the olfactory nerve is likely functioning. On the other hand, the nerve is only one of several reasons that could explain if the odor is not smelt There are olfactory testing packets in which strong odors are embedded into cards and the responses of the patient to each odor can be determined. Lesions Lesions to the olfactory nerve can occur because of `` blunt trauma '', such as coup - contra - coup damage, meningitis, and tumors of the frontal lobe of the brain. These injuries often lead to a reduced ability to taste and smell. Lesions of the olfactory nerve do not lead to a reduced ability to sense pain from the nasal epithelium. This is because pain from the nasal epithelium is not carried to the central nervous system by the olfactory nerve - it is carried to the central nervous system by the trigeminal nerve. Aging and smell Decreases in the ability to smell is a normal consequence of human aging, and usually is more pronounced in men than in women. It is often unrecognized in patients except that they may note a decreased ability to taste ( much of taste is actually based on reception of food odor ). Some of this decrease results from repeated damage to the olfactory nerve receptors due likely to repeated upper respiratory infections. Patients with Alzheimer 's disease almost always have an abnormal sense of smell when tested. Additional images Olfactory nerve. Deep dissection. Inferior view. See also Wikimedia Commons has media related to Olfactory nerve. This article uses anatomical terminology ; for an overview, see Anatomical terminology. Phantosmia Anterior olfactory nucleus Notes Jump up ^ Mcgraw Hill 's Anatomy and Physiology Revealed ^ Jump up to : Vilensky, Joel ; Robertson, Wendy ; Suarez - Quian, Carlos ( 2015 ). The Clinical Anatomy of the Cranial Nerves : The Nerves of `` On Old Olympus Towering Top ''. Ames, Iowa : Wiley - Blackwell. ISBN 978 - 1118492017. Jump up ^ Saladin, Kenneth. `` The Cranial Nerves. '' Anatomy and Physiology : The Unity of Form and Function. 6th ed. New York City : Mcgraw - Hill, 2012. 548. External links `` 1 - 1 ''. Cranial Nerves. Yale School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 2016 - 03 - 03. cranialnerves at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman ( Georgetown University ) ( I ) Notes on Olfactory Nerve Anatomy of smell Microanatomy Epithelium glands mucosa Sustentacular cell Tufted cell Olfactory nerve : 1 ° neuron Olfactory receptor neurons ( Olfactory receptor ) → Olfactory bulb ( Glomeruli ) Olfactory nerve : 2 ° neuron Mitral cells → Olfactory tract → Olfactory trigone Lateral olfactory stria / Primary olfactory cortex Piriform cortex EC - hippocampus system Entorhinal cortex Hippocampal formation Prepyriform area Periamygdaloid cortex Stria medullaris → Habenular nuclei Amygdala → Stria terminalis → Hypothalamus Medial forebrain bundle → Hypothalamus Medial olfactory stria Anterior olfactory nucleus The cranial nerves terminal Nuclei Septal nuclei Course no significant branches olfactory Nuclei Anterior olfactory nucleus Course olfactory bulb olfactory tract optic Nuclei Lateral geniculate nucleus Course optic chiasm optic tract oculomotor Nuclei Oculomotor nucleus Edinger -- Westphal nucleus Branches superior parasympathetic root of ciliary ganglion / ciliary ganglion inferior trochlear Nucleus Branches no significant branches trigeminal Nuclei PSN Spinal trigeminal nucleus MN TMN Course trigeminal ganglion Branches ophthalmic maxillary mandibular abducens Nucleus Branches no significant branches facial near origin intermediate nerve geniculate inside facial canal greater petrosal pterygopalatine ganglion nerve to the stapedius chorda tympani lingual nerve submandibular ganglion at stylomastoid foramen posterior auricular suprahyoid digastric stylohyoid parotid plexus temporal zygomatic buccal mandibular cervical Nuclei Facial motor nucleus Solitary nucleus Superior salivary nucleus vestibulocochlear Nuclei Vestibular nuclei Cochlear nuclei cochlear nerve striae medullares lateral lemniscus vestibular Scarpa 's ganglion glossopharyngeal before jugular fossa ganglia superior inferior after jugular fossa tympanic tympanic plexus lesser petrosal otic ganglion stylopharyngeal branch pharyngeal branches tonsillar branches lingual branches carotid sinus Nuclei Nucleus ambiguus Inferior salivatory nucleus Solitary nucleus vagus before jugular fossa ganglia superior inferior after jugular fossa meningeal branch auricular branch neck pharyngeal branch pharyngeal plexus superior laryngeal external internal recurrent laryngeal ( inferior ) superior cervical cardiac thorax inferior cardiac pulmonary vagal trunks anterior posterior abdomen celiac renal hepatic anterior gastric posterior gastric Nuclei Nucleus ambiguus Dorsal nucleus of vagus nerve Solitary nucleus accessory Nuclei Nucleus ambiguus Spinal accessory nucleus cranial spinal hypoglossal Nucleus Branches lingual Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Olfactory_nerve&oldid=801404441 '' Categories : Olfactory system Cranial nerves Hidden categories : Medicine infobox template using GraySubject or GrayPage Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Bân - lâm - gú Български Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Latina Lietuvių Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska తెలుగు ไทย Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 19 September 2017, at 13 : 25. 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Question: where does the olfactory nerve attached to the brain
Answer: the olfactory bulb and synapse