Final answer:
Olfactory sensory neurons experience a turnover as they are regularly replaced due to their limited lifespan and vulnerability to damage, with their ability to regenerate diminishing as people age, potentially leading to age-related anosmia.
Step-by-step explanation:
True. Olfactory sensory neurons do undergo noticeable turnover throughout adult life. These neurons are bipolar neurons with the ability to regenerate regularly. Their axons regrow and make appropriate connections in the olfactory bulb, a necessary process given the neurons' limited lifespan of about one to four months and their vulnerability to damage by airborne chemicals.
However, as people age, the capacity for these neurons to be replaced diminishes, which often leads to age-related anosmia - the loss of the sense of smell. This characteristic turnover is part of what makes the olfactory system unique compared to other nerve cells that do not regenerate as readily after injury or in aging. Add to that, it is one of the few examples of axonal growth in the mature nervous system.Olfactory sensory neurons experience a turnover as they are regularly replaced due to their limited lifespan and vulnerability to damage, with their ability to regenerate diminishing as people age, potentially leading to age-related anosmia.