DEVELOPMENT OF THE OLFACTORY NERVE - ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE CRANIOFACIES

Although absence of the olfactory bulbs is a relatively common occurre nce seen in holoprosencephaly, in Kallman syndrome, and in a number of malformation syndromes, the extent to which it determines olfactory n erve development, as well as the part it plays in the morphogenesis of the nasal structures, is unknown, Cases of arhinencephaly ascertained at autopsy were studied in an effort to better understand the relatio nships between the olfactory nerve, bulb, and facies. Based on these s tudies, it is concluded that both olfactory receptor cells and olfacto ry nerves are present in arhinencephaly, that the olfactory nerves did not make contact with the brain in these cases, that the presence of olfactory nerves is independent of the severity of the central nervous system malformation, and that the shape of the nasal sturctures is no t dependent on the presence of the olfactory nerve. (C) 1995 Wiley-Lis s, Inc.