Structure and Location
- The AON is located behind the olfactory bulb and in front of the piriform cortex and olfactory tubercle.
- It is part of the olfactory peduncle or retrobulbar area.
- The AON is accompanied by two smaller regions, the taenia tecta and dorsal peduncular cortex.
- The peduncle contains the AON and these additional regions.
- The AON is positioned to regulate information flow between various regions involved in odor processing.
Function
- The AON plays a crucial but poorly understood role in odor information processing.
- Odors interact with the cilia of olfactory receptor neurons in the nose.
- The olfactory nerve transmits the information to the olfactory bulb.
- Signal processing occurs in the bulb, and the signal is then transmitted through the lateral olfactory tract.
- The AON distributes the information to the contralateral olfactory bulb and piriform cortex, as well as engaging in reciprocal interactions with the ipsilateral bulb and cortex.
Components
- The AON consists of two distinct structures: the pars externa and pars principalis.
- The pars externa is a thin ring of cells encircling the rostral end of the olfactory peduncle.
- The pars principalis is a two-layered structure seen in coronal sections of mammalian brains.
- Layer II of the pars principalis is a thick ring of pyramidal and other-shaped cells surrounding the anterior limb of the anterior commissure.
- Layer Ia and Layer Ib make up the outer layer of the pars principalis.
References
- Saiz-Sanchez et al. (2009) studied somatostatin, tau, and beta-amyloid in the anterior olfactory nucleus in Alzheimer's disease.
- Brunjes et al. (2005) published a field guide and review on the anterior olfactory nucleus/cortex.
- BrainInfo provides information on the anterior olfactory nucleus.
- Cranial Nerves, a resource from Yale School of Medicine, contains archived information on the topic.
External Links
- Cranial Nerves is a resource from Yale School of Medicine.
- The original source for Cranial Nerves is archived.
- The BrainInfo website provides information on the anterior olfactory nucleus.
- Saiz-Sanchez et al. (2009) published a study on the anterior olfactory nucleus in Alzheimer's disease.
- Brunjes et al. (2005) published a field guide and review on the anterior olfactory nucleus/cortex.
The anterior olfactory nucleus (AON; also called the anterior olfactory cortex) is a portion of the forebrain of vertebrates.
| Anterior olfactory nucleus | |
|---|---|
 Human brainstem anterior view (Anterior olfactory nucleus is not labeled, but region is visible at center top, approximately between the "2" and the "3".) | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | nucleus olfactorius anterior |
| NeuroNames | 280 |
| NeuroLex ID | birnlex_1085 |
| TA98 | A14.1.09.416 |
| TA2 | 5543 |
| FMA | 77628 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
It is involved in olfaction and has supposedly strong influence on other olfactory areas like the olfactory bulb and the piriform cortex.
