Chemoreception and Sensory Systems

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and definitions related to chemoreception and sensory systems, including gustation and olfaction.

The sense of taste.

Gustation

The sense of smell.

Olfaction

Salty, Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Umami.

Five basic taste qualities

A taste described as meaty or savory, associated with monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Umami

Sensory organs on the tongue that contain taste receptor cells.

Taste Buds

Mushroom-shaped structures on the sides and tip of the tongue.

Fungiform papillae

Flat mounds located at the back of the tongue.

Circumvallate papillae

A G-protein involved in sweet taste transduction.

Gustducin

An enzyme activated in bitter taste transduction.

Phospholipase C (PLC)

A mechanism where odors are coded by combinations of olfactory receptors.

Combinational Code

The pathway through which odor stimuli from food in the mouth reach the olfactory mucosa.

Retronasal route

Arrangement of auditory structures in a gradient from low to high frequencies.

Tonotopic representation

Structure in the cochlea that vibrates in response to sound, helping to distinguish pitch.

Basilar membrane

Cells in the retina that detect light, including rods and cones.

Photoreceptors

A photopigment found in rod cells, consisting of retinal and opsin.

Rhodopsin

A condition where a person cannot distinguish certain colors due to missing or abnormal cone cells.

Color blindness

Sensory receptors in the inner ear that detect sound through mechanical displacement.

Hair cells