What organ is responsible for smell?

Author: Ima Durgan  |  Last update: Saturday, September 27, 2025

The olfactory system is at the roof of the nasal cavity at the cribriform plate - a perforated portion of the ethmoid bone separating the frontal lobe of the cerebrum from the nasal cavity. Odorant molecules within the nasal passages first encounter receptors on the primary cilia of olfactory sensory neurons.

What gland controls smell?

Function. The olfactory glands are tubuloalveolar glands surrounded by olfactory receptors and sustentacular cells in the olfactory epithelium. These glands produce mucus to lubricate the olfactory epithelium and dissolve odorant-containing gases.

What organ is responsible for body odor?

Sweating and body odor are caused by sweat glands in your body. The two main types of sweat glands are eccrine glands and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands occur over most of your body and open directly onto the surface of the skin.

What controls the sense of smell?

Your ability to smell comes from specialized sensory cells, called olfactory sensory neurons, which are found in a small patch of tissue high inside the nose. These cells connect directly to the brain. Each olfactory neuron has one odor receptor.

What part of the brain controls body odor?

Body odors activate four main areas: the posterior cingulate cortex, the occipital gyrus, the angular gyrus, and the anterior cingulate cortex (see Fig. 1.1).

Olfactory System: Anatomy and Physiology, Pathways, Animation.

What gland controls body odor?

There are two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine. Apocrine glands are responsible for producing body odor.

Why do I smell bad even with good hygiene?

Still, it's possible that things like diet, medical conditions or a bacterial buildup on the skin could be causing odor, Kopelman says. Hyperhidrosis, the medical term for excessive sweating, could also contribute, because bacteria thrives in moist environments.

What illness can make you smell bad?

A person with kidney failure may have breath that smells like ammonia or urine. Serious liver disease can make breath smell musty or like garlic and rotten eggs. Compounds that are transported through the blood can also be released through your sweat glands. That can make your armpits and skin smell bad.

How can I restore my sense of smell?

In most cases, treating the underlying condition improves your sense of smell. For example, if you have sinusitis, antibiotics can help clear up the infection. If certain medications affect your sense of smell, switching medications may help ease your anosmia symptoms.

What blocks the sense of smell?

Any problem along the way can affect the sense of smell. Problems can include a stuffy nose; something that blocks the nose; swelling, called inflammation; nerve damage; or an issue with how the brain works.

What organ is associated with smell?

The olfactory system is at the roof of the nasal cavity at the cribriform plate - a perforated portion of the ethmoid bone separating the frontal lobe of the cerebrum from the nasal cavity. Odorant molecules within the nasal passages first encounter receptors on the primary cilia of olfactory sensory neurons.

What vitamin deficiency causes body odor?

A zinc deficiency may occur due to underactive thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) that produces few thyroid hormones and affect the detoxification process, resulting in body odour.

Can liver problems cause bad body odor?

When the liver is unable to properly filter toxins from the blood, these substances can be excreted through the body, causing a distinctive smell known as fetor hepaticus. Kidney disease: An ammonia smell to your breath (sometimes described as fishy or like urine) can indicate kidney disease.

What organ controls body odor?

Eccrine sweat glands are present from birth, while the latter two become activated during puberty. Among the different types of human skin glands, body odor is primarily the result of the apocrine sweat glands, which secrete the majority of chemical compounds that the skin flora metabolize into odorant substances.

What hormone affects smell?

Other changes in estrogen are also associated with altered olfactory sensitivity. Pathologically low levels of estrogen caused by hypogonadism and ovariectomy are often followed by a loss of the sense of smell, which then may recover after estrogen therapy (LeMagnen, 1950; Schneider et al., 1958).

What vitamin deficiency causes loss of smell?

This study hypothesizes that there are significant associations between Vitamin D deficiency and smell and taste impairments, being higher among older people.

Why is my sense of smell gone?

Anosmia is the partial or full loss of smell. Anosmia can be a temporary or permanent condition. You can partially or completely lose your sense of smell when the mucus membranes in your nose are irritated or obstructed such as when you have a severe cold or a sinus infection, for example.

How to train your brain to smell again?

For standard olfactory training, the patients sniff each of the four scents separately for at least 20 to 30 seconds twice daily (preferably once in the morning before breakfast and once in the evening before going to bed). Patients should constantly sniff for 20 to 30 seconds on each odor without a break.

What does kidney disease body odor smell like?

A change in body odor can be a sign of kidney disease. In kidney disease, the kidneys may not be able to break down urea, which the body excretes through urine or sweat. This can have a vinegar-like smell. According to The National Kidney Foundation, over 37 million American adults have kidney disease.

Can thyroid problems make you smell?

While thyroid disorders don't directly cause sour-smelling sweat at night, a change in thyroid hormone production can impact the rate of sweating. In turn, more sweat can result in body odor.

What autoimmune disease causes body odor?

Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is a rare disorder in which the body is not able to metabolize the chemical trimethylamine, and this causes body odor.

Why does it smell when I open my legs?

Sweat is a combination of water, salt, and other chemicals. When it comes into contact with bacteria on the skin, it produces an odor. fungal infections: Fungal infections thrive in warm, moist areas, such as the groin area and inner thighs. They can cause a red, itchy rash and produce an unpleasant odor.

What does estrogen smell like?

Estrogen doesn't have a scent, but hormonal changes during menopause can alter body odor.

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