Bilateral and Unilateral Olfactory Sensitivity: Relationship to Handedness and Gender

Unlike most major sensory systems, the majority of olfactory projections are ipsilateral. Both hemispheres can process olfactory information in a manner analogous to what is seen in other sensory systems, although, as noted below, they may do so differently. Gordon and Sperry (1969) found that patients whose corpus callosum and other forebrain commissures were surgically sectioned could only names odors presented to the left nostril; odors presented to the right nostril could be identified by pointing to an object associated with the smell.