Anatomic enigmas of the olfactory neuronal system structures in man. Implications in psychopathology

G. SDrăgoi, E. Pătrașcu, I. Marinescu

Abstract: The anatomic enigmas of the olfactory neuronal system have blocked the real denominations and their systemic integration for a long time. They were finally understood as a result of anatomic and physiological studies on the dynamics of their ontogenesis and phylogeny. In the present paper we aim at bringing to light the issues associated with the anatomic enigmas of the olfactory neuronal structures in man. The object of the present paper is to report an ample anatomic study on extracerebral olfactory neuronal structures in man. The anatomic evaluation was carried out on 18 human encephala free of acute or chronic lesions taken from 8 adults (between 40 and 62 years of age), 6 feti (aged between 3 and 7 months antepartum life), and 4 embryos (30 to 36 mm long from vertex to coccigis). Prelevation, conservation and processing of the encephala was carried out on the basis of protocols worked out by the authors. Three olfactory neuronal structures in man were anatomically analyzed: the olfactory bulb, the olfactory peduncle and the olfactory tubercle. The morphogenesis of these structures was microanatomically evaluated on serial sections of embryo encephala, as well as macroanatomically on fetal samples. We encountered difficulties in denomination criteria, classification of topographic locations of chain stations and interconnective pathways. The elucidation of these issues opens up new integrative potentials of olfactory neuronal structures within the neuronal system of behavior and cognition with further implications in psychopathology
Keywords: olfactory neuronal structures, olfactory bulb, olfactory peduncle and olfactory tubercle