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Septal organ of Grüneberg is part of the olfactory system
Author(s) -
Storan Melonie Joanne,
Key Brian
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.20858
Subject(s) - vomeronasal organ , olfactory bulb , biology , olfactory system , olfactory marker protein , sensory system , neuroscience , anatomy , population , olfaction , neuroepithelial cell , neuroanatomy , central nervous system , microbiology and biotechnology , demography , stem cell , neural stem cell , sociology
The olfactory system in rodents and many other mammals is classically divided into two anatomically separate, and morphologically distinct, sensory systems: the main olfactory system and the accessory olfactory system. We have now identified a novel third population of olfactory marker protein‐expressing sensory neurons that is located in a discrete pocket of the rostral nasal septum, which we refer to as the septal organ of Grüneberg (SOG). Neurons in this region of the septum are located in the submucosa, in small grape‐like clusters, rather than in a pseudostratified neuroepithelium, as seen in both the olfactory and vomeronasal neuroepithelia. Despite their unusual location, axons projecting from the SOG neurons fasciculate into several discrete bundles and terminate in a subset of main olfactory bulb glomeruli. These glomeruli most likely represent a subset of atypical glomeruli that are spatially restricted to the caudal main olfactory bulb. The unique rostral position of the SOG suggests that the SOG may be functionally specialized for the early detection of biologically relevant odorants. J. Comp. Neurol. 494:834–844, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.