Sensory Structures

These flashcards cover key concepts related to sensory structures, focusing on the anatomy and physiology of the touch, smell, taste, vision, and hearing systems.

What are the primary functions covered in Chapter 19 regarding sensory structures?

Touch, smell (olfaction), taste (gustation), vision, and hearing.

What is the cranial nerve associated with the sense of smell?

Olfactory nerve (CN I).

Where is the olfactory nerve embedded?

In the olfactory epithelium of the superior nasal cavity.

Which cranial nerves are involved in taste sensation?

Facial nerve (CN VII) and Glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX).

What are taste buds?

Groups of taste-sensitive cells located in papillae on the tongue.

What is the lacrimal apparatus?

The structure that produces, collects, and drains lacrimal fluid (tears) from the eye.

What type of epithelium lines the conjunctiva?

Stratified columnar epithelium.

What is conjunctivitis?

An inflammation of the conjunctiva, commonly known as 'pink eye,' which can be viral, bacterial, allergic, or caused by chemical irritants.

Which muscles move the eyeball around?

The six extrinsic eye muscles, including superior rectus, inferior rectus, lateral rectus, medial rectus, superior oblique, and inferior oblique.

What are the three layers of the eyeball?

Fibrous tunic, vascular tunic, and retina.

What does the fibrous tunic of the eye consist of?

Sclera and cornea.

What is the role of the ciliary body?

It contains ciliary muscles that are connected to the lens, helping to adjust its shape for focusing.

What is the significance of the fovea centralis?

It is the area of the retina with the highest concentration of cone photoreceptors, responsible for sharp central vision.

What structures are involved in hearing?

Outer ear, middle ear (including auditory ossicles), and inner ear (including the cochlea and vestibular structures).

What are the two types of labyrinths in the ear?

Bony labyrinth and membranous labyrinth.

What types of fluid are found in the cochlear duct?

Endolymph and perilymph.

What is the function of the cochlea?

To convert sound vibrations into neural signals for hearing.

How does sound information travel to the brain?

Via the vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII) to the brainstem, thalamus, and temporal lobe cortex.

What is the pupil?

The opening in the center of the iris that regulates the amount of light entering the eye.

What is a key structural feature of the retina?

It contains a pigmented layer that absorbs light and a neural layer with photoreceptors.

What is the condition associated with increased pressure in the eye, affecting the optic nerve?

Glaucoma.