ArticleNeuron2020
Human Olfaction without Apparent Olfactory Bulbs.
Article in Neuron, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 42 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 64 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of olfactory-related brain structural changes in patients with congenital or acquired anosmia.Brain structure & function · 2022Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of the Neuropathologic Findings of Post-Viral Olfactory Dysfunction: Implications and Novel Insight for the COVID-19 Pandemic.American journal of rhinology & allergy · 2021Pooled it
- Olfactory Bulb Volume Reflects Olfactory Dysfunction and Network Organization: Insights From the Population-Based Rhineland Study.International forum of allergy & rhinology · 2026Article
- Olfactory dysfunction is associated with gait impairment in older adults: evidence for a shared amygdala substrate.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Partial Recovery of Anosmia Since Childhood With Acquired Parosmia: Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Implications-A Case Report.Case reports in otolaryngology · 2026Article
- Response: Commentary: "Clinical evaluation of pediatric olfactory disorders: a review from etiology to management".Frontiers in allergy · 2026Article
- Commentary: Clinical evaluation of pediatric olfactory disorders: a review from etiology to management.Frontiers in allergy · 2026Article
- Article
- Structural Brain Changes in Patients with Congenital Anosmia: MRI-Based Analysis of Gray- and White-Matter Volumes.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Mouthfeel of Food and Beverages: A Comprehensive Review of Physiology, Biochemistry, and Key Sensory Compounds.Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety · 2025Review
- Magnetic resonance imaging does not distinguish Kallmann syndrome from normosmic isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.Endocrine connections · 2025Article
- Article
- Characteristics of subjective olfactory dysfunction and imaging features in patients with traumatic olfactory disorders: a retrospective case-control study.Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery · 2024Article
- What Does the Human Olfactory System Do, and How Does It Do It?Annual review of psychology · 2024Review
- Lifelong olfactory deprivation-dependent cortical reorganization restricted to orbitofrontal cortex.Human brain mapping · 2023Article
- Adaptive olfactory circuitry restores function despite severe olfactory bulb degeneration.Current biology : CB · 2023Article
- Dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra is associated with olfactory dysfunction in mice models of Parkinson's disease.Cell death discovery · 2023Article
- Matters Arising: Is congenital anosmia protective for Parkinson's disease triggered by pathogenic entrance through the nose?NPJ Parkinson's disease · 2023Article
- Reply to Matters Arising: Is congenital anosmia protective for Parkinson's disease triggered by pathogenic entrance through the nose?NPJ Parkinson's disease · 2023Article
- Olfactory Function and Olfactory Disorders.Laryngo- rhino- otologie · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The olfactory bulbs (OBs) are the first site of odor representation in the mammalian brain, and their unique ultrastructure is considered a necessary substrate for spatiotemporal coding of smell. Given this, we were struck by the serendipitous observation at MRI of two otherwise healthy young left-handed women, yet with no apparent OBs. Standardized tests revealed normal odor awareness, detection, discrimination, identification, and representation. Functional MRI of these women's brains revealed that odorant-induced activity in piriform cortex, the primary OB target, was similar in its extent to that of intact controls. Finally, review of a public brain-MRI database with 1,113 participants (606 women) also tested for olfactory performance, uncovered olfaction without anatomically defined OBs in ∼0.6% of women and ∼4.25% of left-handed women. Thus, humans can perform the basic facets of olfaction without canonical OBs, implying extreme plasticity in the functional neuroanatomy of this sensory system.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.