Senses Flashcards
(52 cards)
receptive field
area monitored by a specific receptor
general senses
temperature, pain, touch, pressure, vibration, proprioception (body position)
pain receptors
skin, joints, periosteum, around blood vessels
sensitive to: extreme temperature, mechanical damage, dissolved chemicals
types of pain
fast - prickling pain (deep cut, infection)
slow - burning or aching
referred - parts that aren’t injured but are an indicator of something else
special senses
olfaction (smell), gustation (taste), equilibrium (balance), hearing, vision
smell
2 olfactory organs found in superior portion of nasal cavity contain olfactory epithelium and olfactory receptor cells
how do you interpret smells?
take in air
molecules diffuse into mucus
molecules interact with odorant binding proteins found on cilia
binding sends a message to olfactory lobes via special nerve bundles
pattern of receptor activity is smell you receive
taste
gustatory receptors are found over the surface of the tongue, pharynx and larynx in the form of tastebuds
taste hairs
actually microvilli, contain receptors that bind dissolved food molecules. the rest is similar to olfaction
primary taste sensations
sweet, salty, sour, bitter
2 additional tastes
umami- characteristic of beef broth, chicken broth, and parmesan cheese
water- receptors in pharynx
taste sensitivity
we are more sensitive to things that tastes bad: survival tactic - bitter and sour things are generally toxic
taste perception
usually correlated with other sensory data
texture of food
taste sensations (hot, spicy, peppery)
you are 1000x to taste if your olfactory organs are working
2 aspects of equilibrium
dynamic - maintains balance when the head/body is moved suddenly
static - maintains posture and stability when the body is motionless
equilibrium
provided by inner ear
informs the body of position in space by monitoring gravity, linear acceleration and rotation
all protected by and fused to temporal bone
filled with fluid called endolymph
lots of receptors occur within inner ear
vestibule
receptors sense gravity and linear acceleration
uses otolith
otolith
crystals shift according to acceleration and gravity
they are relatively dense and heavy
shifting and pressure allow sensations
semicircular canal
stimulated by the rotation of the head (no, yes, and tilt side to side)
dynamic
outer ear
collects and directs sound waves toward the middle ear through the external acoustic canal
otoscope
used to see external ear
middle ear
collect and amplify sound waves
transmits waves to appropriate part of inner ear
includes ear drum (tympanic membrane) and ossicles (bones)
ossicles
malleus (hammer)
incus (anvil m)
stairs (stirrup) attaches to oval window of vestibule
sound vibrations are turned into mechanical vibrations
inner ear
cochlear duct provides us with the sense of hearing
pressure causes the perilymph of cochlea to pulse
this stimulates hair fibers
frequency
pitch, determined by which part of the cochlea is stimulated (hertz)
