The Olfactory nerve & the special sense of smell (& flavour)

Once termed the forgotten sense, olfaction or the sense of smell has seen a rise in interest in recent years due to the COVID 19 pandemic and the subsequent increase in hyposmia that the virus has left behind. In today’s episode, we explore the anatomy of the special sense of smell by looking at some of the detail of cranial nerve 1, the olfactory nerve. What is? Where is it? And what happens when it breaks?

Terms covered this week; Olfaction, olfactory epithelium, olfactory sensory neurones, & olfactory filaments. The bony anatomy of the ethmoid bone & cribriform plate. Finally the clinical terms of hyposmia, anosmia & cacosmia.