Final answer:
Olfactory receptor cells are specialized bipolar neurons with cilia containing specific receptors for detecting odors, which send signals directly to the cerebral cortex.
Step-by-step explanation:
Olfactory receptor cells are bipolar neurons with cilia at the distal ends of their dendrites. These neurons have a unique structure featuring a single dendrite submerged in the olfactory epithelium, from which 5 to 20 cilia protrude. The cilia house special receptors that detect various odorants. Each olfactory sensory neuron is equipped with cilia that contain only one type of receptor, which are tuned to certain smells. The detection of an odor molecule by a compatible receptor triggers the neuron. Notably, olfactory signals are directly transmitted to the cerebral cortex without going through the thalamus, unlike other sensory information.
Olfactory receptor cells are bipolar neurons with cilia at the distal ends of their dendrites. These cells are located in the olfactory epithelium of the nasal cavity, and they are specialized to detect specific odorants. When an odorant binds with a receptor that recognizes it, the sensory neuron associated with the receptor is stimulated.
Each olfactory sensory neuron has only one type of receptor on its cilia, and the receptors are specialized to detect specific odorants. The cilia on the dendrites of the receptor cells trap odorant molecules, and the variations in the amino acid chains of the receptor proteins make them sensitive to different odorants.