The First or Olfactory Nerve

The olfactory nerve (N. olfactorius) is peculiar in that its fibers are not aggregated to form a trunk, but are connected in small bundles with the olfactory bulb. They are non-medullated, and are the central processes of the olfactory cells which are situated in the olfactory region of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity. This region is distinguished by its brown color and comprises most of the lateral mass of the ethmoid, a small adjacent area of the superior turbinal, and the corresponding surface of the septum nasi. The nerve-bundles are inclosed in sheaths derived from the membranes of the brain and pass through the foramina of the cribriform plate to join the convex surface of the olfactory bulb. Some fibers come from the vomero-nasal organ of Jacobson.