Human Anatomy: Senses - Receptors, Gustation, and Olfaction

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the key concepts related to senses, receptors, gustation, and olfaction.

Sensation

The conscious awareness of stimuli detected by sensory receptors.

General Senses

Sensory modalities such as temperature, pain, touch, stretch, and pressure.

Special Senses

Sensory modalities such as gustation, olfaction, vision, equilibrium, and hearing.

Receptor Types

Classified based on their location and type of stimuli they detect, including general and special sense receptors.

Chemoreceptors

Receptors that detect specific molecules dissolved in fluid.

Thermoreceptors

Receptors that detect changes in temperature.

Photoreceptors

Receptors that detect changes in intensity, color, and position of light.

Mechanoreceptors

Receptors that detect touch, pressure, vibration, and stretch.

Nociceptors

Receptors that detect painful stimuli.

Phantom Pain

Sensation perceived from a part of the body that has been removed.

Referred Pain

Pain perceived at a location other than the site of the painful stimulus.

Gustation

The sense of taste.

Gustatory Cells

Taste receptors housed in specialized organs called taste buds.

Taste Buds

Structures on the tongue that contain gustatory cells.

Papillae

Elevations on the dorsal surface of the tongue where taste buds are located.

Taste Sensations

The five basic taste sensations: Sweet, Salt, Sour, Bitter, and Umami.

Olfaction

The sense of smell.

Olfactory Epithelium

The tissue lining the nasal cavity that contains olfactory receptor cells.

Olfactory Pathways

Pathways that convey the sense of smell from the olfactory receptors to the olfactory cortex.

Gustatory Pathways

Pathways that convey taste information from taste buds to the central nervous system through cranial nerves.

Insula

Brain region where taste is interpreted.