General Senses, Olfaction and Gustation lab requirements

A set of flashcards based on sensory receptors, olfaction, and gustation from the lecture notes.

Free nerve ending

A type of sensory receptor that detects pain and temperature.

Hair follicle receptor

A sensory structure that detects hair movement.

Tactile (Merkel) disc

Modified epithelial cells associated with nerve endings that respond to light touch.

Tactile (Meissner’s) corpuscle

A sensory receptor that responds to light touch and pressure.

Lamellar (Pacinian) corpuscle

A sensory receptor that responds to deep pressure and vibration.

Ruffini corpuscle

A sensory receptor that detects skin stretch and sustained pressure.

Olfactory epithelium

The sense of smell, involving olfactory receptor cells in the olfactory epithelium.

Olfactory receptor cells

Bipolar neurons in the olfactory epithelium responsible for detecting odorants.

Olfactory bulb

A structure in the brain where olfactory nerves synapse with neurons in the olfactory tract.

Gustation

The sense of taste, involving gustatory receptor cells in taste buds.

Taste buds

Structures containing gustatory receptor cells that detect taste.

Circumvallate papillae

Large papillae located at the back of the tongue, containing many taste buds.

Fungiform papillae

Mushroom-shaped papillae mostly located on the anterior part of the tongue, containing taste buds.

Foliate papillae

Papillae located on the sides of the tongue, containing taste buds.

Filiform papillae

Thread-like structures that cover most of the tongue; they do not contain taste buds.

CN VII Facial Nerve

Cranial nerve responsible for taste sensations from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue.

CN IX Glossopharyngeal Nerve

Cranial nerve responsible for taste sensations from the posterior one-third of the tongue.

CN X Vagus Nerve

Cranial nerve involved in taste sensations related to water receptors in the pharynx.

Trigeminal nerve

Cranial nerve that carries sensations of texture and temperature but not taste.

Anatomical and physiological basis of taste and smell interaction

Taste and smell work together because olfaction enhances flavor perception, as both senses activate at the same time.