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Intranasal Trigeminal Perception

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Nasal Physiology and Pathophysiology of Nasal Disorders

Abstract

The intranasal trigeminal system interacts with the olfactory system to provide a complete chemosensory perception of the odorant stimuli. The perception of nasal patency and nasal airflow is also mediated by trigeminal afferents. The trigeminal system is therefore mandatory for both the chemosensory and the somatosensory perception and nasal mucosa with trigeminal nerve endings needs to be preserved in order to assume these two functions.

Psychophysical testing of intranasal trigeminal function has not yet been established in clinical routine. However, in some specialized centers for research purposes, electrophysiological recordings (negative mucosal potential and trigeminal event-related potentials) and functional imaging may be obtained.

Finally, the intranasal trigeminal system is also capable of inducing neurogenic inflammation mainly through an axon reflex located in the subepithelial level of the nasal mucosa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Clinique Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium

    Philippe Rombaux & Caroline Huart

  2. Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

    Philippe Rombaux & Caroline Huart

  3. Rhinology-Olfactology Unit, Department of Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland

    Basile Landis

  4. The Inner Ear and Olfaction Lab, University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland

    Basile Landis

  5. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, University of Dresden Medical School, Dresden, Germany

    Thomas Hummel

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  1. Philippe Rombaux
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  2. Caroline Huart
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  3. Basile Landis
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  4. Thomas Hummel
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Correspondence to Philippe Rombaux .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otoloaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    Özlem Önerci Celebi

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

    T. Metin Önerci

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Rombaux, P., Huart, C., Landis, B., Hummel, T. (2023). Intranasal Trigeminal Perception. In: Celebi, Ö.Ö., Önerci, T.M. (eds) Nasal Physiology and Pathophysiology of Nasal Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12386-3_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12386-3_17

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