olfactory bulb

American  

noun

Anatomy.

1. the enlarged terminal part of each olfactory lobe from which the olfactory nerve originates.

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olfactory bulb British  

noun

1. the anterior and slightly enlarged end of the olfactory tract, from which the cranial nerves concerned with the sense of smell originate

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Etymology

Origin of olfactory bulb

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

olfactory bulb

According to the researchers, smell-related problems arise when immune cells in the brain, known as "microglia," begin removing connections between two important regions: the olfactory bulb and the locus coeruleus.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 11, 2026

The olfactory bulb, located in the forebrain, processes signals from scent receptors in the nose.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 11, 2026

Spraying insulin up the nose — where brain tissue reaches outside the brain, making up the olfactory bulb — improves cognition in people with early Alzheimer’s dementia and with mild cognitive impairment.

From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2025

A study published last year in the Journal of Neuroscience revealed that canines’ brain has a direct connection between their olfactory bulb, which processes smell, and their occipital lobe, which processes vision.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 4, 2023

We like to regard the olfactory bulb as a sort of archeologic find, and we speak of the ancient olfactory parts of the brain as though they were elderly, dotty relatives in need of hobbies.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas