Olfactory tract

Olfactory tract
Olfactory peduncle lying in olfactory sulcus and olfactory striae labelled (anterior at top)
Details
SystemOlfactory system
LocationBrain
Identifiers
Latintractus olfactorius
NeuroNames283
NeuroLex IDbirnlex_1663
TA98A14.1.09.431
TA25539
FMA77626
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy

The olfactory tract (olfactory peduncle or olfactory stalk) is a bilateral bundle of afferent nerve fibers from the mitral and tufted cells of the olfactory bulb that connects to several target regions in the brain, including the piriform cortex, amygdala, and entorhinal cortex. It is a narrow white band, triangular on coronal section, the apex being directed upward.

The term olfactory tract is a misnomer, as the olfactory peduncle is actually made up of the juxtaposition of two tracts, the medial olfactory tract (giving the medial and intermediate olfactory stria) and the lateral olfactory tract (giving the lateral and intermediate olfactory stria). However, the existence of the medial olfactory tract (and consequently the medial stria) is controversial in primates (including humans).