Chapter 12: The Senses

allodynia

a painful response to a normally nonpainful stimulus

heatstroke

a considerable elevation in body temperature

hyperthermia

hyperesthesia

an increased response to a painful stimulus

perception

conscious interpretation of sensory information

sedative

a drug that depresses (makes it quieter) an animal and slows down body functions; no painkilling actions

sensation

awareness of stimuli from the environment

tranquilizer

a drug that makes the animal less anxious; no painkilling action

noci-

injury

pain

harm

propri/o

self

one’s own

-esthesia

esthesi/o

feeling

experience

sensation

-ile

-ity

capable of

pertaining to

tact-

touch

gust/o

taste

eu-

good

well

normal

rhin/o

nose

olfact/o

odor/o

osm/o

smell

ot/o

ear

tympan/o

myring/o

eardrum

acous/o

hearing

listening

audi/o

sound

ocul/o

opthalam/o

opt/o

eye

blephar/o

palpebr/o

eyelid

lacrim/o

dacry/o

tears

kerat/o

corne/o

cornea

irid/o

iris

cor/o

pupil of the eye

retin/o

retina

oss/o

bone

aque/o

aqua-

water

watery solution

amplify

increase in size, effect, volume, extent, or amount

amplitude

the loudness of sound

canthus

the corner of each eye formed by the junction of of the upper and lower eyelids

cochlea

snail shell

spiral organ in the inner ear that turns sound waves into sensory impulses

conjuctiva

the mucous membrane that lines the exposed portion of the eyeball and the inner surface of the eyelids

eustachian tube

also known as the auditory canal

a canal that runs from the middle ear to the pharyx

frequency

the pitch of a sound

humor

ab antiquated word meaning any one of the four cardinal fluids in the body: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile

matrix

a surrounding-substance in which something else is contained

miosis

myosis

prolonged constriction of the pupil of the eye

modulate

change, regulate, adjust

mydriasis

prolonged dilation of the pupil of the eye

neural transmission

passage of a nerve impulse across a synapse

nocturnal

active at night

papilla

plural: papillae

a small, round, or cone-shaped projection or peg on the top of the tongue that may contain taste buds

pheremone

a liquid substance released in very small quantities by an animal that causes a specific response if it is detected by another animal of the same species

pinna

ear flap

sensory receptor

a nerve ending that responds to a stimulus, found in the internal or external environment of an animal; sends an impulse to the brain

sensory transduction

conversion of a signal from one form (e.g., light ) to another (e.g., electrical impulse)

vitreous

resembling glass

PLR

pupillary light reflex