Olfactory tract
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2008) |
| Olfactory tract | |
|---|---|
 Scheme of rhinencephalon. (Olfactory tract visible at left.) | |
| Details | |
| System | Olfactory system |
| Location | Brain |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | tractus olfactorius |
| NeuroNames | 283 |
| NeuroLex ID | birnlex_1663 |
| TA98 | A14.1.09.431 |
| TA2 | 5539 |
| FMA | 77626 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
The olfactory tract is a bilateral bundle of afferent nerve fibers from the mitral and tufted cells of the olfactory bulb that connects to several target regions in the brain, including the piriform cortex, amygdala, and entorhinal cortex. It is a narrow white band, triangular on coronal section, the apex being directed upward.
Structure
The olfactory tract lies in the olfactory sulcus on the inferior surface of the frontal lobe. Fibers of the olfactory tract appear to end in the antero-lateral part of the olfactory tubercle, the dorsal and external parts of the anterior olfactory nucleus, the frontal and temporal parts of the prepyriform area, the cortico-medial group of amygdala nuclei and the nucleus of the stria terminalis.[1]
The olfactory tract divides posteriorly into a medial and a lateral stria.
Medial olfactory stria
The medial olfactory stria turns medially behind the parolfactory area and ends in the subcallosal gyrus; in some cases a small intermediate stria is seen running backward to the anterior perforated substance.
Lateral olfactory stria
The lateral olfactory stria is directed across the lateral part of the anterior perforated substance and then bends abruptly medially toward the uncus of the parahippocampal gyrus.
Clinical significance
Destruction to the olfactory tract results in ipsilateral anosmia (loss of the ability to smell). Anosmia either total or partial is a symptom of Kallmann syndrome a genetic disorder.[2]
Additional images
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Base of brain. -
Plan of olfactory neurons. -
Human brainstem anterior view -
Olfactory nerve -
Cerebrum.Inferior view.Deep dissection -
Spinal cord. Brachial plexus. Cerebrum.Inferior view.Deep dissection. -
Cerebrum. Optic and olfactory nerves.Inferior view. Deep dissection. -
Cerebrum. Inferior view.Deep dissection
References
- ^ Allison, A. C. (1954). "The secondary olfactory areas in the human brain". Journal of Anatomy, 88 (Pt 4), 481–488.2.
- ^ "Kallmann syndrome". Genetics Home Reference. US Library of Medicine. National Institutes for Health. Genetic and Rare Diseases Information. June 26, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 826 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
External links
- "1-4". Cranial Nerves. Yale School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
