olfactory bulb

noun

: a bulbous anterior projection of the olfactory lobe that is the place of termination of the olfactory nerves and is especially well developed in lower vertebrates (such as fishes)

Examples of olfactory bulb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The olfactory bulb transmits smell information from the nose to the brain, and is thus necessary for a proper sense of smell. Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2019 Smells are processed by the olfactory bulb, a structure located in the front of the brain, before being sent on a direct route to the limbic system — which includes the amygdala and the hippocampus, the regions that regulate emotion and memory. Alex Orlando, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2023 Linton sees a loose parallel with what seems to happen in the olfactory system: Humans have around 400 types of receptor proteins lining the membranes of the olfactory bulb in the nose, and these receptors can collectively discriminate vast numbers of odors. Quanta Magazine, 16 Sep. 2021 Because cannabis affects cannabinoid receptors in the olfactory bulb in the brain, food can smell and taste more intense. Amiah Taylor, Discover Magazine, 7 Dec. 2022 These pathways start at the olfactory bulb, involved in odor detection, and terminate at the limbic system, an area critical to basic reactions such as fear and arousal. Gustavo Arrizabalaga and Bill Sullivan, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2015 The researchers estimated from the skull left behind that the bear had a relatively small brain but a massive olfactory bulb sticking out the front of it, which would have processed smells. Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 22 June 2023 The barrier in the olfactory bulb, for example, acts differently and has a different protein composition than the barrier in the hippocampus, Rhea said. Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 20 June 2023 In experiments with rats in 2016 and 2018, the team showed that using electrodes to directly stimulate spots on the surface of the olfactory bulb generated patterns of neural activity deep in the bulb, in the neurons that passed messages on to other parts of the brain. IEEE Spectrum, 17 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'olfactory bulb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of olfactory bulb was in 1851

Dictionary Entries Near olfactory bulb

Cite this Entry

“Olfactory bulb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/olfactory%20bulb. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

olfactory bulb

noun
: either of two small round structures projecting from the lower surface of the brain above the nasal cavity that transmit stimuli from the olfactory nerves to other areas of the brain for processing

Medical Definition

olfactory bulb

noun
: a bulbous anterior projection of the olfactory lobe that is the place of termination of the olfactory nerves

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