Explaining permanent loss of smell as a result of an automobile accident was simplified for the jury by using this courtroom animation. When an odor is detected, impulses are transmitted to the brain from the smell receptors in the mucous membrane of the nose. A rear impact collision results in violent movements of the brain within the skull. This can cause the olfactory nerves to be sheared off or torn at the top of the cribiform plate. The network of olfactory nerves has been sheared or torn at the top of the cribiform plate resulting in lost sense of smell (anosmia).
