The shortest of the twelve cranial nerves and only one of two cranial nerves that do not directly join up with the brainstem. The function of the olfactory nerve is to pass smell information from olfactory cells in the olfactory mucosa of the upper parts of the nasal cavity to the brain.
The olfactory nerve lies below the frontal lobe, and extends to cover the cribriform plate, where nerve fibres pierce through the ethmoid bone at the top of the nose.
Cranial nerves