Olfactory and limbic system Flashcards
Where are the olfactory bulbs?
They are on the interior surface of the frontal lobes
Where are the primary olfactory neurones?
In the mucosa at the top of the nose
Where is the olfactory epithelium found?
In the upper part of the nose
What are the different cells involved in olfaction?
- Primary olfactory neurones are bipolar in structure
- Sustentacular cells support these olfactory neurones
- Basal cells exist in the nasal mucosa – we can produce new olfactory cells during life
What may loss of smell be associated with?
May be more insidious than just age
- dementia or alzheimers
What is the cribriform plate part of?
What passes through it?
The ethmoid bone - it is a very fine layer with small holes
Projecting through the holes are olfactory receptor cells
Describe the pathway of the olfactory neurones
olfactory receptor neurones project into olfactory bulb forming glomerular like like structures where they interact with the second order olfactory neurones in the bulb. The cells in the olfactory bulbs are called mitral cells. The second order cells then pass to the brain.
What do the secondary order neurones split into?
- Mitral cells project back to the olfactory tract, and they split into medial and lateral olfactory stria
Where do the medial and lateral stria project to?
Two cortical olfactory processing areas:
- Piriform cortex of the temporal lobe
- Orbitofrontal cortex
Where do the olfactory neurones going to the brainstem do?
Evoke autonomic responses e.g. if you smell something you start salivating
What is anosmia?
complete loss of smell
What is a prodormal aura?
- In temporal lobe epilepsy, the electrical activity before a seizure may provoke it
- This is a smell which they experience before a seizure
Do Parkison’s and Alzheimer’s have genetic forms?
Both of these diseases have genetic forms (<5% are autosomal dominant inherited diseases – 95% are sporadic)
What are the two routes of potential environmental triggers in Parkison’s?
- Up the nose
- Through the gut
Where is some of the earliest pathology seen in Parkison’s?
In the medulla, in the motor nucleus of the vagus
What is the limbic system?
- The limbic system: rim or limbus of the cortex, adjacent to the corpus callosum and diencephalon
- These are structurally and functionally interrelated areas considered as a single functional complex
What are the roles of the limbic system?
- Maintenance of homeostasis (hypothalamic function) via activation of visceral effector mechanisms, modulation of pituitary hormone release and initiation of feeding and drinking
- Agonistic (defence & attack) behaviour (fight or flight)
- Sexual & reproductive behaviour
- Memory – vital in terms of emotional response to stimuli in the environment
What is the cortical atrophy seen in Alzheimer’s?
- The temporal lobe atrophy
- The gyri have got thinner and the sulci has got wider – there is less brain substance
- In later stages of Alzheimer’s, the frontal lobe also starts to undergo atrophy
- The primary motor cortex, primary sensory cortex and occipital lobe are largely unaffected
How is the hypothalamus connected to the thalamus?
Via the mamillo-thalamic tract
What is the Papez circuit?
- A neural circuit for the control of emotional expression
- The circuit connecting the hypothalamus to the limbic lobe was the basis for emotional experiences