SMELLING AND TASTING

If you can't smell, you probably can't taste very well either. They are closely related functions.Receptor cells for taste and smell are located in the mouth and nose, respectively.As the receptor cells are stimulated, they send impulses from these organs to the brain's smelling and tasting centers, the cortices.

For taste, impulses stimulated by the chemical compounds in food are sent to the gustatory cortex.For smells impulses stimulated by the chemical compounds in odors are sent to the olfactory cortex.As new compounds stimulate the receptors, the brain forms an odor memory bank so that it can recall the odors the next time they are present.