Study demonstrates sodium’s importance in odor detection

Olfactory perception and sensitivity depend on the presence of sodium, say
neurophysiologists at Ruhr-University Bochum. The study found that bathing
the olfactory mucus with a sodium-free buffer resulted in decreased odor
detection ability. Odor detection returned within a few hours, as mucus was
produced. The new, non-invasive technique for inducing anosmia in opens up new possibilities for looking at olfactory communication in animals. For more about this see Chemical Senses