An exception to this is the region of cortex found in ventral forebrain, known as olfactory cortex, that receives direct synaptic input from the olfactory bulb.
Olfactory cortex is a phylogenetically old region of cortex.
For this reason, perhaps, olfactory cortex has a much simpler laminar organization than other cortical regions, and contains fewer different cell types. For these reasons, olfactory cortex is an attractive model system for understanding cortical function in general. The work will mainly use acute slices to make recordings from the somata and dendrites of visualized neurons. Similar approaches have been used in this and other labs to study other regions of the brain. By applying odorants to the nose, the physiologically relevant response properties of the neurons can be measured in vivo .