The Olfaction Process

In the olfactory process, smells are handled by the olfactory bulb, a tiny structure in the front of the brain, located in the nasal cavity.

Here, fragrance molecules in the air attach to the cilia of olfactory receptors, which generate  electrical signals that are transmitted to the brain by olfactory sensory neurons, taking a direct route to the limbic system, including the amygdala and the hippocampus; regions of the brain   related to learning, emotion, intuition and memory.

Modern neuroscience attributes this connection between smell and memory to the brain’s anatomy, and the proximity of the olfactory nerve to its processing systems.

在嗅觉过程中，气味由嗅球处理，嗅球是位于鼻腔内大脑前部的一个微小结构。

空气中的芳香分子附着在嗅觉感受器的纤毛上，产生电信号，通过嗅觉感觉神经传递到大脑，直接到达边缘系统，包括杏仁核和海马；这些区域与学习、情感、直觉和记忆有关。

现代神经科学认为，气味和记忆之间的这种联系与大脑的解剖结构以及嗅觉神经与其处理系统的接近性有关。