"The sense of smell, or olfaction, is the special sense through which smells (or odors) are perceived."
Smell refers to the sensory experience and perception of odors and scents through the detection of airborne chemical substances by the olfactory system.
Olfactory Receptors: A detailed understanding of the function and structure of olfactory receptors, their distribution, and how they respond to differing stimuli.
Olfactory Perception: The physiological and neurological process through which we perceive odorants.
Olfactory Adaptation: The physiological and psychological phenomenon of becoming accustomed to a specific odorant's scent over time.
Olfactory Hallucination: An experience in which an individual perceives a smell or odour when no scent is present.
Anosmia: The loss of the ability to perceive odours, which can occur due to a range of factors such as head trauma, infection or ageing.
Phantosmia: An unusual condition characterized by the perception of an odour when no odour is present.
Olfactory Aversion: The avoidance of or aversion to certain smells or odours, which can be caused by underlying medical or psychological conditions.
Hedonic Tone: The subjective pleasantness or unpleasantness of an olfactory stimulus.
Perception of Odor Quality: How our brain perceives and categorizes different odours and smells.
Chemoreception: Understanding what chemoreceptors are; how they work in the detection of odour and taste.
Perception and the Environment: Examining how environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and air movement affect olfaction.
Cross-modal interactions: How other senses such as taste, vision, and touch interact with smell perception.
Genetic Basis of Olfactory Perception: How genetic differences can alter olfactory perception.
Clinical applications: How the sense of smell and odour perception can be used in the diagnosis and treatment of specific conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Olfactory memory: How odours can be linked to specific memories and the role of the olfactory pathway in memory formation.
Floral: A smell that is often associated with flowers and blooms; it can be sweet, fresh, or musky.
Fruity: A smell that has a pronounced odor of fruits such as berries, citrus, apple, or pear.
Spicy: A pungent, slightly spicy scent that gives off a tingling sensation in the nose; it can come across as hot or warm.
Herbal: A smell derived from the leaves, stems, and flowers of herbs like lavender, rosemary, or thyme; it is often used for its therapeutic properties.
Woody: A fragrance that smells of fresh-cut wood, pine trees, or oak trees; it gives a feeling of outdoors.
Musky: A rich scent that reminds of animal sweat or urine.
Chemical: A smell that is often associated with cleaning products or solvents; it tends to be harsh and artificial.
Earthy: A natural fragrance that comes from soil, clay, or trees, often referred to as "muddy" or "fungal.".
Burnt: This smell is usually associated with charred or burnt objects; it can be sweet, smoky, or acrid.
Sour/Tangy: A scent that is sour, acidic, or citrusy; it can give a feeling of freshness or tartness.
Rotten: A smell that is foul, unpleasant, or stale; it often has a moldy or rotten odor.
Musty: A damp, earthy smell caused by air trapped in a confined space; it is often associated with old books, basements, or damp clothes.
Metallic: A scent that is often associated with metal, like iron or copper; it has a sharp, clean smell.
Perfumed: A strong, pleasant fragrance, often used in perfumes, colognes, or air fresheners.
Putrid: A strong, noxious smell that is commonly associated with decaying matter, like rotting flesh or spoiled food.
Smoky: A scent that is often associated with burnt or charred objects, like wood or tobacco; it gives off a smoky odor.
Bland/Neutral: This refers to the absence of aroma.
"The sense of smell has many functions, including detecting desirable foods, hazards, and pheromones, and plays a role in taste."
"In humans, it occurs when an odor binds to a receptor within the nasal cavity, transmitting a signal through the olfactory system."
"Transmitting a signal through the olfactory system."
"Glomeruli aggregate signals from these receptors and transmit them to the olfactory bulb."
"Parts of the brain responsible for smell identification, memory, and emotion."
"There are many different causes for alteration, lack, or disturbance to a normal sense of smell, and can include damage to the nose or smell receptors, or central problems affecting the brain."
"Upper respiratory infections."
"Traumatic brain injury."
"Neurodegenerative disease."
"The sense of smell [...] detects desirable foods."
"[...] detecting hazards."
"The sense of smell [...] plays a role in taste."
"Signals from these receptors."
"The sensory input will start to interact with parts of the brain responsible for smell identification, memory, and emotion."
"Anosmia."
"Hyposmia."
"Olfaction."
"Detecting pheromones."
"Damage to the nose or smell receptors."