| Olfactory nerve | |
|---|---|
 The olfactory nerve | |
| Details | |
| Innervates | Smell |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | nervus olfactorius |
| MeSH | D009832 |
| NeuroNames | 32 |
| TA98 | A14.2.01.004 A14.2.01.005 |
| TA2 | 6181 |
| FMA | 46787 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
| Cranial nerves |
|---|
|
The olfactory nerve, also known as the first cranial nerve, cranial nerve I, or simply CN I, is a cranial nerve that contains sensory nerve fibers relating to the sense of smell.
The afferent nerve fibers of the olfactory receptor neurons transmit nerve impulses about odors to the central nervous system (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.[1] 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.[2] The fascicles of the olfactory nerve are not visible on a cadaver brain because they are severed upon removal.[3] : 548
- ^ Mcgraw Hill's Anatomy and Physiology Revealed
- ^ Vilensky J, Robertson W, Suarez-Quian C (2015). The Clinical Anatomy of the Cranial Nerves: The Nerves of "On Old Olympus Towering Top". Ames, Iowa: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1118492017.
- ^ Saladin K (2012). "The Cranial Nerves". Anatomy and Physiology: The Unity of Form and Function (6th ed.). New York City: Mcgraw-Hill. p. 548. ISBN 978-1-61906-437-9.