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Olfactory bulb

Recommended video: Olfactory nerve [16:16]
Course of the olfactory nerve viewed from the left side of a parasagittal section.

The olfactory bulb is the main relay structure of the olfactory pathway. It contains the axons of the olfactory receptor cells which synapse with mitral cells in the olfactory bulb. The axons of these secondary neurons form the olfactory tract

The olfactory bulb is a paired structure, situated in the anterior cranial fossa, directly inferior to the orbital aspect of the frontal lobe. It lies lateral to the crista gali and superior to the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone

Each olfactory tract divides into two distinct fiber bands: the lateral olfactory stria and the medial olfactory stria. The lateral olfactory stria is connected with the piriform cortex, a phylogenetically older part of the temporal lobe located near the amygdala and hippocampus. The medial olfactory stria projects through the anterior commissure to contralateral olfactory structures. 

Terminology Engish: Olfactory bulb
Latin: Bulbus olfactorius
Main parts Medial olfactory stria, lateral olfactory stria
Function Main relay structure of the olfactory pathway.

Learn everything about the olfactory nerve and olfactory pathway with the following study unit: 

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