smell Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

transduction

A

sensory cells translating chemical, electromagnetic, mechanical stimuli into action potentials that our nervous system can make sense of

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

receptors needed for touch and hearing

A

mechanoreceptors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

receptors needed for taste and smell

A

chemoreceptors in nasal passages and taste buds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

when are chemical senses sharpest?

A

at birth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

hyperosmia

A

an overwhelming sensitivity to smells
(and taste since they are connected by the olfactory system)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

causes of hyperosmia

A
  • pregnancy
  • migraines
  • neurological conditions
  • autoimmune diseases
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

petrichor

A
  • the earthy smell when rain falls on dry soil
  • stems from streptomycete bacteria in the soil
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

compound produced by streptomycete bacteria in the soil

A

geosmin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what is the requirement to be able to smell something?

A

the odorant must be volatile, or in a gaseous state so it can be absorbed by the nostrils

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

journey of molecules smelled

A

majority of molecules are filtered out before reaching the nasal cavity by protective nose hairs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what is the destination of molecules in the nose?

A

olfactory epithelium

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

olfactory epithelium

A
  • main organ of the olfactory system
  • located on the roof of the nasal cavity
  • small, yellowish patch of tissue
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what’s inside the olfactory epithelium

A
  • contain millions of olfactory sensory neurons surround by insulating columnar supporting cells
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

the pathway of electrical signal out the nose

A
  • airborne molecules dissolve in the mucus coating the olfactory epithelium
  • once dissolved, molecules can bind to receptors on the olfactory sensory neurons
  • if molecules hit their binding threshold, olfactory sensory neurons are activated, firing action potentials
  • action potentials travel up the neurons’ long axons, pass through the ethmoid bone, then reach the olfactory bulb in the brain
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

specificity of olfactory neurons

A

each olfactory neuron has receptors for a specific smell

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

glomerulus

A

a complex of tangled fibers that transforms nose information into brain information

  • where axons from smell-specific neurons converge
17
Q
A