olfactory receptor
Acronym:
OLR
The term olfactory receptor (OLR) refers to a neuron with an oderant-sensitive apical dendrite embedded in the olfactory epithelium (OLE), an area of nasal mucosal epithelieum involved in olfaction. There are two types. The more numerous main olfactory receptors (OLRm} have dendritic fibers in the epithelium that underlies the cribriform plate, the roof of the nasal cavity. The less numerous ancillary olfactory receptors are located in the vomeronasal organ (VNO), which appears as a small depression of nasal mucosal epithelium on the nasal septum rostral and ventral to the OLRm's ( Barral-2009 )..OLR's are found in the human ( Buck-2013 ), macaque ( Price-1990 ), rat and mouse( Barral-2009 ).
The primary ;physiological function of olfactory receptors is to transduce the chemical signals of oderant stimuli into electrochemical signals for neural processing and transmission through the olfactory system (OLS). In the human, the total number of olfactory receptor neurons on the two sides of the nose is ~10,000,000 ( Wikipedia ).The number of variants of protein receptor molecules is approximately150 ( Purves-2001 ). The maximal number of possible combinations and permutations of 350 oderant variants (350-squared) is 122,500... more than enough to account for the human ability to detect ~5,000 to10,000 complex smells ( Buck-2013 ). Updated 2 Jul 2024.
Also known as: No other name for this structure has appeared in PubMed.NeuroNames ID : 5714
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