cribriform plate

Nasal nerve passage

The cribriform plate is a thin, perforated bone forming part of the skull floor, separating the nasal cavity from the brain.

Its tiny holes allow olfactory nerve fibers to pass through, connecting smell receptors in the nose to the brain.

The term comes from Latin for sieve-shaped, describing its riddled appearance.

olfaction

olfactory nerve

Nerve conveying smell signals

odor · aroma · chemosensory · sniff · pheromones · fragrance · sensory neurons

anatomy

skull base

Bottom of the cranium

frontal bone · vomer · maxilla · foramina · lamina · nasal septum · cranium · osteology

clinical

skull fracture

Break in head bone

trauma · head injury · neurosurgery · anosmia

structure

sievelike

Full of tiny holes

apertures · mesh · lattice · permeable · holes · openings · filtration · passage · channels · microscopic pores

neuroanatomy

meninges

Brain and cord coverings

central nervous system · brain · glomeruli

Categories
Opposites
structural thickness/density

cribriform platefrontal bone

Skull plate above eyes

calvaria

Family

plate, perforated

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G