Special Senses Lecture Notes

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to special senses as detailed in the lecture notes.

Olfaction

The sense of smell, involving olfactory receptors that detect dissolved chemicals.

Gustation

The sense of taste, involving taste receptors located on taste buds.

Taste Buds

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

Olfactory Epithelium

The layer containing olfactory receptors in the nasal cavity responsible for the sense of smell.

Regenerative Basal Epithelial Cells

Stem cells in the olfactory system that divide to replace worn-out olfactory sensory neurons.

Generator Potential

The change in membrane potential that initiates action potentials in sensory neurons.

Action Potential

An electrical impulse that travels along neurons, triggered by generator potential.

Olfactory Pathways

Routes taken by sensory information from olfactory receptors to the brain.

Fungiform Papillae

Mushroom-shaped structures on the tongue containing taste buds.

Foliate Papillae

Folds along the sides of the tongue where taste buds are embedded.

Vallate Papillae

Large papillae forming an inverted 'V' on the tongue, each containing about 100 taste buds.

Filiform Papillae

Structures on the tongue that provide friction but do not contain taste buds.

Gustatory Epithelial Cells

Taste receptor cells with microvilli that detect taste stimuli.

Cranial Nerves

Nerves that transmit taste information from the tongue to the brain.

Visual Acuity

Clarity of vision measured by a standard test, often expressed as a fraction (e.g., 20/20).

Photoreceptors

Specialized cells in the retina that convert light into electrical signals.

Rods and Cones

Two types of photoreceptors: rods for low light and cones for color vision.

Rhodopsin

The visual pigment in rods that absorbs light photons.

Astigmatism

A condition where light rays are not focused properly on the retina, causing blurred vision.

Accommodation

The process of changing the lens shape to focus on near or distant objects.

Equilibrium Sensation

The sense of balance provided by the vestibular complex in the inner ear.

Auditory Ossicles

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

Cochlea

The spiral-shaped organ in the inner ear responsible for hearing.

Eustachian Tube

The tube that connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx and helps equalize ear pressure.

Sound Waves

Pressure waves that travel through a medium and are perceived as sound.

Frequency/Pitch

The number of sound wave cycles that pass a point in one second, measured in hertz (Hz).