Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Chuah, Meng Inn
• Zheng, Da Ren

Titel

The human primary olfactory pathway: Fine structural and cytochemical aspects during development and in adults

Ist Teil von

• Microscopy research and technique, 1992-10, Vol.23 (1), p.76-85

Ort / Verlag

Hoboken: Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company

Erscheinungsjahr

1992

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Despite increasing knowledge about the biophysiology of the human olfactory system, understanding of the development of this pathway in humans lags considerably behind that of other vertebrates. Development studies have largely concentradted on the generation of cell types in the olfactory epithelium during the first trimester, while detailed ultrastructural observations usually describe the adult morphologh. In this review, we have shown that contrary to what has been generally assumed, the surface of the human olfactory epithelium is heterogeneous and that its olfactory nerves differ ultrastructurally from those of other vertebrates studied. The development of the human primary olfactory pathwayis discussed in terms of the appearance of olfactory bulb laminae, synaptogenesis and the expression of specific cell markers, such as the S‐100 protein and olfactory marker protein (OMP). Positive immunohistochemical staining for N‐cadherin in human fetuses suggests that growth ofolfactory axons to their target may be mediated by cell adhesion molecules. The overall data presented here indicate that this pathway develops more precociously in humans than in rodents. Whether this translates also to earlier functional maturity remains to be elecidated. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.