Olfactory System

Nasal Placodes
As covered in Chapter 17,
the nasal placodes form at
the end of the fourth week.
Very early, some cells in the
nasal placode differentiate
to form the primary
neurosensory cells of the
future olfactory epithelium.
At the end of the fifth week,
these cells sprout axons that
cross the short distance to
penetrate the most cranial
end of the telencephalon.
Subsequent ossification of
the ethmoid bone around
these axons creates the
perforated cribriform plates.
In the sixth week, as the
nasal pits differentiate to
form the epithelium of the
nasal passages, the area at
the tip of each cerebral
hemisphere (where the
axons of the primary
neurosensory cells synapse)
begins to form an outgrowth
called the olfactory bulb.
The cells in the olfactory
bulb that synapse with the
axons of the primary
sensory neurons
differentiate to become the
secondary sensory neurons
(mitral cells) of the olfactory
pathways. The axons of
these cells synapse in the
olfactory centers of the
cerebral hemispheres. As
the changing proportions of
the face and brain lengthen
the distance between the
olfactory bulbs and their
point of origin on the
hemispheres, the axons of
the secondary olfactory
neurons lengthen to form
stalk-like CNS olfactory
tracts. Traditionally, the
olfactory tract and bulb
together are referred to as
the olfactory nerve.
Three sensory organs are
innervated by cranial nerves:
F. The olfactory nerve
(cranial nerve I;
originates from the nasal
placodes and is
associated with the
telencephalon)
innervates the olfactory
epithelium of the
developing nasal
cavities;
G. The optic nerve
(cranial nerve II;
originates from the
sensory layer of the
optic cup and is
associated with the
diencephalone)
 innervates the
developing retina of the
eye; and
L. The vestibulocochlear
nerve (cranial nerve VIII;
originates from the otic
placode and is
associated with the
hindbrain) innervates
the developing inner ear.