Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Olfactory nerve fibres run from the nose straight to the bulb and on to cortex. The figure is taken from NIH, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a human body fact?

Yes. It sits on the Human Body shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Smell reaches the cortex without a thalamic stop

Olfactory nerve fibres run from the nose straight to the bulb and on to cortex Odour molecules bind receptors on neurons in the nasal lining, whose axons pass through the skull's cribriform plate. They synapse in the olfactory bulb, and the bulb projects to the piriform cortex and amygdala. This direct route may explain why smells evoke memories so vividly. It sits in Mondo's human body collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

NIH

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More facts like this

Nearly all sensory signals pass through the thalamusThis paired egg-shaped structure sits at the centre of the brain and routes input onward A dog has around 300 million scent receptorsHumans carry closer to six million, and dogs dedicate far more brain to smell Nostrils alternate main airflow in a natural cycleErectile tissue congests and decongests nostrils every few hours continuously Taste buds replace their sensory receptor cells every two weeksGustatory cells undergo rapid turnover to maintain keen taste perception Proprioception gives the brain awareness of body position in spaceReceptors in muscles tendons and joints communicate limb location continuously The human nose can distinguish thousands of distinct scentsOlfactory sensory neurons send direct chemical signals to the brain

Tags: smell, brain, senses

Smell reaches the cortex without a thalamic stop: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Olfactory nerve fibres run from the nose straight to the bulb and on to cortex. The figure is taken from NIH, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a human body fact?: Yes. It sits on the Human Body shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.