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Early olfactory system schematic including the olfactory epithelium and bulb

Each olfactory receptor neuron expresses one olfactory receptor, which responds to different odorants. Odorant molecules bind to olfactory receptors on cilia. Olfactory receptors activate olfactory receptor neurons, which transduce the input signal into action potentials. Glomeruli generally receive input from olfactory receptors of one specific type and connect to the principal neurons of the olfactory bulb and mitral and tufted cells. Legend: (MT) mitral/tufted. (OB) Olfactory bulb. (OR) Olfactory receptors. (ORN) Olfactory receptor neuron (also called OSN, olfactory sensory neuron). (Source: Wikimedia Commons, derived from: Auffarth B, Kaplan B, Lansner A. Map formation in the olfactory bulb by axon guidance of olfactory neurons. Front Syst Neurosci 2011;5:84. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported [CC BY 3.0] license, creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en.)

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