How smell gets recognized so fast: Mouse brains appear to decide in the first 50 milliseconds

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Mice make use of rapid nerve cell interactions in the brain's smell center to distinguish one odor from another, a new study shows. Both mice and humans can rapidly identify odors, researchers say, in a small fraction of a second. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the study shows that the key steps involved in identifying smells happen in the mouse olfactory bulb, a part of the brain located behind the nose. The function was previously thought to occur in the cerebral cortex, a larger part of the brain known for its role in perception, awareness, and thought.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04- ... conds.html
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