Brann study finds matched olfactory receptor maps in mice

11 articles · Updated · Hackaday · May 10

Published in Cell, the research shows olfactory sensory neurons are not wired randomly but mirror nasal epithelium patterning in corresponding brain maps.
Using a new approach to the nose’s convoluted structure, researchers linked neuron location and gene expression and found basal stem cells preserve this organisation during regeneration.
The findings suggest smell may follow sensory mapping principles seen in hearing and could inform treatments for smell loss or miswiring, including disorders reported after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Now that the 'wiring diagram' for smell is revealed, can we finally reverse COVID-induced anosmia?

If our sense of smell is so precisely organized, why are odors so deeply personal and tied to memory?

Will this new 'smell map' allow us to digitally record and transmit scents like a text message?