Overview of Special and General Senses

Special Senses

Five senses excluding vision: taste, smell, hearing, equilibrium.

Taste

Special sense involving chemoreceptors on the tongue.

Smell

Special sense using chemoreceptors in the nasal cavity.

Hearing

Special sense involving mechanoreceptors in the ear.

Equilibrium

Sense of balance, detected by mechanoreceptors.

Photoreceptor

Receptor type for vision, sensitive to light.

Chemoreceptor

Receptor type for taste and smell stimuli.

Mechanoreceptor

Receptor type for hearing and equilibrium.

Nociceptor

Receptor for pain sensation.

Thermoreceptor

Receptor for temperature sensation.

Proprioceptor

Receptor for body position awareness.

Olfactory Epithelium

Location of smell receptors in the nasal cavity.

Primary Olfactory Cortex

Brain area for conscious awareness of odors.

Taste Receptors

Located in taste buds on the tongue.

Cranial Nerve I

Olfactory nerve responsible for smell sensation.

Cranial Nerve VII

Facial nerve, innervates anterior tongue taste.

Cranial Nerve IX

Glossopharyngeal nerve, innervates posterior tongue taste.

Cranial Nerve V

Trigeminal nerve, general sensory for tongue.

Extrinsic Muscles of the Tongue

Muscles controlling tongue movement, innervated by CN XII.

Genioglossus Muscle

Extrinsic muscle that protrudes the tongue.

Hyoglossus Muscle

Extrinsic muscle that depresses the tongue.

Styloglossus Muscle

Extrinsic muscle that retracts the tongue.

Auditory Ossicles

Malleus, incus, stapes amplify sound waves.

Cochlea

Internal ear structure for hearing.

Semicircular Canals

Internal ear structures for balance and equilibrium.

Tympanic Membrane

Separates external and middle ear.

Round Window

Structure that dissipates pressure in the inner ear.