Olfactory/trigeminal interactions in nasal chemoreception

For a long time, studies devoted to intranasal chemoreception have separately considered the different systems which coexist in the human nasal cavity, especially the olfactory and trigeminal systems. For the former, the findings have contributed to a better understanding of transduction, perception and the treatment of odors. For the latter, data have contributed to the knowledge of somatosensory innervation into the nose, especially in relation to nociception. During the last two decades, an increasing number of studies focused on interactions occurring between both systems. Indeed, most odorant molecules have the propensity to simultaneously stimulate olfactory and trigeminal systems in the nasal cavity. The interactions between both systems appear complex and take place at peripheral, central or perceptual levels. Studies in neurobiology, electrophysiology, psychophysics or functional imaging contribute to determine how both olfactory and trigeminal systems coexist and how one system could influence the other in the treatment of sensory information. However, several structural, functional and methodological questions remain unsolved in the field of olfactory/trigeminal interactions and deserve further research.