Final answer:
Within the olfactory bulb, olfactory fibers synapse with mitral cells and tufted cells within glomeruli, being part of the pathway for olfactory stimulation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Within the olfactory bulb, olfactory fibers synapse with the dendrites of two types of neurons: mitral cells and tufted cells. These neurons are situated within structures known as glomeruli. Each glomerulus is dedicated to receiving signals from olfactory sensory neurons, which contain receptors that are sensitive to specific odorants. When odorant molecules bind to these receptors, a signal is generated and sent to the olfactory bulb, where it synapses with either a mitral or tufted cell. Thus, the olfactory bulb is a crucial structure in the processing of olfactory stimulation, which is the only sensory information that reaches the cerebral cortex directly, bypassing the thalamus.