BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE Olfactory mucosa is a readily accessible source of olfactory ensheathing and stem-like progenitor cells for neural repair. To determine the safety and feasibility of transplanting olfactory mucosa autografts into patients with traumatically injured spinal cords, a human pilot clinical study was conducted. METHODS Seven patients ranging from 18 to 32 years of age (American...

Following intranasal administration of radioactive (86)Rb(+) and (201)Tl(+) in mice, we observed this direct transport via the olfactory nerve pathway. The (86)RbCl and (201)TlCl solutions were administered to two groups of mice, the unilateral intranasal and intravenous administration groups. After sacrifice, their heads were divided into the right and left side, which were then subdivided int...

Viral upper respiratory infections are the most common cause of clinical olfactory dysfunction, but the pathogenesis of dysosmia after viral infection is poorly understood. Biopsies of the olfactory mucosa in patients that complain of dysosmia after viral infection fall into two categories: one in which no olfactory epithelium is seen and another in which the epithelium is disordered and popula...

The role of environmental olfactory information in pigeon navigation has been extensively studied by analysing vanishing bearing distributions and homing performances of homing pigeons subjected to manipulation of their olfactory perception and/or the olfactory information they were exposed to during transportation and at the release site. However, their behaviour during the homing flight remai...

In olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) of aquatic animals amino acids have been shown to be potent stimuli. Here we report on calcium imaging experiments in slices of the olfactory mucosa of Xenopus laevis tadpoles. We were able to determine the response profiles of 283 ORNs to 19 amino acids, where one profile comprises the responses of one ORN to 19 amino acids. 204 out of the 283 response prof...

There is worldwide enthusiasm for the prospect of some kind of cellular transplant therapy for repair of failing organs. The olfactory mucosa of a patient's nose is easily biopsied to provide a ready source of multipotent cells. In this article we address practical issues pertinent to using olfactory neural stem cells for tissue repair. These cells are emerging as potentially most significant ...

The nervous cells in the brain and the peripheral nerves are isolated from the external environment by the blood-brain, blood-cerebrospinal fluid and blood-nerve barriers. The glucose transporter GLUT1 mediates the specific transfer of glucose across these barriers. The olfactory system is unique in that its sensory cells, olfactory receptor neurons, are embedded in the nasal olfactory epitheli...

The olfactory neuroepithelium of the mammalian nervous system manifests continuous neurogenesis throughout life. Recent studies suggest that neurotrophic factors and their receptors may play a role in the regulation of development and regeneration in the olfactory system. However, there have been very few in vivo studies investigating the effect of exogenous neurotrophic factors in the olfactor...

OBJECTIVE To improve the success of culturing olfactory neurons from human nasal mucosa by investigating the intranasal distribution of the olfactory epithelium and devising new techniques for growing human olfactory epithelium in vitro. DESIGN Ninety-seven biopsy specimens were obtained from 33 individuals, aged 21 to 74 years, collected from 6 regions of the nasal cavity. Each biopsy specim...

Olfactory dysfunctions in patients with schizophrenia are becoming the aim of an increased number of studies. Smell identification deficits are well known but also other olfactory processes are examined, eg. sensitivity, discrimination, familiarity and edibility. Smell identification deficits are present in patients with schizophrenia and also in their non-psychotic siblings. Moreover, this dys...