(Bear et al., 1996). In order for the axons of the receptor cell to form the olfactory nerve, they must pass through the cribiform plate, a thin sheet of bone. The olfactory bulb lies on the cribiform plate, and the once the axons have reached it, they make their first synapse in the glomeruli, within the bulb.Bear et al., 1996). In order for the axons of the receptor cell to form the olfactory nerve, they must pass through the cribiform plate, a thin sheet of bone. The olfactory bulb lies on the cribiform plate, and the once the axons have reached it, they make their first synapse in the glomeruli, within the bulb.