Special Senses and Sensory Receptors

Flashcards to reinforce understanding of the special senses, sensory receptors, and related anatomical structures.

What are the five special senses?

Smell (Olfactory), Taste (Gustation), Vision, Hearing (Audition), Vestibular Sensation (Balance)

What is the difference between general senses and special senses?

General senses detect touch, pain, and temperature; special senses detect light, sound waves, head movements, and chemicals for taste and smell.

What is transduction in sensory processing?

The conversion of a physical or chemical stimulus into an action potential that can be interpreted by the brain.

Which two senses do not process through the thalamus?

Olfaction (smell) is the sense that does not go through the thalamus.

What are the three types of cells found in the olfactory epithelium?

Olfactory Neurons, Basal Cells, Supporting Cells.

What is the role of olfactory neurons?

Olfactory neurons have chemoreceptors and olfactory cilia that detect odorants and send signals to the olfactory bulb.

What are the four types of taste sensations?

Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, and Umami (Savory).

What is Umami also known as?

Savory.

What is required for the activation of taste receptors?

Liquid, usually saliva, must reach the taste buds.

What are the functions of the eyelids?

To support, protect, and move the eyeball.

What is the role of the ciliary body in the eye?

It controls the shape of the lens and produces aqueous humor.

What substance does the ciliary body produce?

Aqueous humor.

Which function of the ciliary body relates to the lens?

It controls the shape of the lens.

What part of the eye contains photoreceptors?

The retina (neural layer).

What are rods responsible for?

Black and white vision in low light levels and peripheral vision.

What is the fovea centralis?

A yellowish area with a high concentration of photoreceptors, primarily cones.

What structures control the diameter of the pupil?

Pupillary Sphincter Muscle constricts the pupil; Pupillary Dilator Muscle dilates the pupil.

What is the action of the Pupillary Sphincter Muscle?

It constricts the pupil.

What is the action of the Pupillary Dilator Muscle?

It dilates the pupil.

What is the difference between rods and cones?

Rods are for low-light vision; Cones are for color vision in bright light.

What does the optic disc represent in the eye?

The blind spot where the optic nerve leaves the eye and has no photoreceptors.

What do we need for smell and taste to be sensed properly?

Mucus for smell and saliva for taste.

What is the purpose of cerebrospinal fluid?

It cushions the brain and spinal cord and helps to maintain stable pressure in the cranial cavity.

What are the two main divisions of the Autonomic Nervous System?

Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

What part of the brain is responsible for balance and coordination?

The cerebellum.

What happens to the pupil in response to sympathetic stimulation?

The pupil dilates to increase the amount of light entering the eye.

What are the three divisions of the ear?

Outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear.

What is the main function of the outer ear?

To collect sound waves and direct them towards the tympanic membrane.

What are the ossicles?

Three small bones in the middle ear: malleus, incus, and stapes.

What is the function of the ossicles?

They transmit and amplify sound vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear.

What structure of the inner ear is responsible for hearing?

The cochlea.

What structures are primarily involved in vestibular sensation (balance) in the inner ear?

The semicircular canals and the vestibule (utricle and saccule).

What do the semicircular canals detect?

Rotational movements of the head.

What does the vestibule (utricle and saccule) detect?

Liner acceleration (changes in horizontal and vertical movement) and head position relative to gravity.