Chapter 10: Sensory Physiology

Taste

Also known as gustation, it refers to the ability to perceive flavors through taste buds in the mouth.

Olfaction

The process of smell, involving the detection of chemical molecules in the air.

Chemoreceptors

Sensory receptors that respond to chemical stimuli, such as those involved in taste and smell.

Taste Buds

Structures on the tongue containing specialized epithelial cells that detect taste.

Gustation categories

The five flavors that can be sensed: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami.

Olfactory receptors

Bipolar sensory neurons in the nasal cavity that detect odorant molecules.

Vestibular apparatus

A structure in the inner ear responsible for providing the sense of equilibrium.

Semicircular canals

Part of the vestibular apparatus that detects rotational acceleration.

Auditory ossicles

Three small bones in the middle ear (malleus, incus, stapes) that transmit sound vibrations.

Cochlea

The hearing part of the inner ear, which converts sound vibrations into nerve impulses.

Accommodation

The ability of the lens to change shape to focus on objects at varying distances.

Myopia

Nearsightedness, where distant images come into focus in front of the retina.

Hyperopia

Farsightedness, where distant images come into focus behind the retina.

Rhodopsin

A photopigment in rods that absorbs light and allows vision in low-light conditions.

Trichromatic vision

The ability to perceive color through three types of cones sensitive to different wavelengths (blue, green, red).

Fovea centralis

The area of the retina where visual acuity is highest due to a high concentration of cones.

Dark current

The steady depolarization of photoreceptors in the absence of light.

Phototransduction

The process by which light is converted into electrical signals in the photoreceptors.