Senses

What are somatic senses?

Senses associated with receptors in the skin, muscles, joints, and organs, including touch, pressure, temperature, and pain.

What are examples of sensory receptors?

Eyes, ears, taste buds, olfactory epithelium

What are special senses?

More complex senses that include smell, taste, vision, hearing, and equilibrium (balance).

What type of receptor responds to touch?

Mesinner’s corpsucle

What is the function of sensory receptors?

They detect environmental changes and trigger nerve impulses.

What type of receptor responds to deep pressure?

Pacinian Corpuscle

What do chemoreceptors detect?

Chemical changes.

What type of receptor responds to pain?

Free nerve endings

What do pain receptors detect?

Pain.

What temperature do heat receptors respond to?

29–45°C

What do thermoreceptors detect?

Temperature.

When do heat receptors have their strongest response?

45°C

What do mechanoreceptors detect?

Touch and pressure

What is the threshold for response of cold receptors?

5-40°C

What do photoreceptors detect?

Light.

What is the strongest response for cold receptors?

25°C

What type of receptor responds to cold?

Krause's end bulbs.

What type of receptor responds to warmth?

Ruffini's end organs.

What is visceral pain?

Pain that occurs in internal organs, such as the heart, lungs, or intestines.

What is referred pain?

Pain felt in a different location from where it originates, e.g., arm pain during a heart attack.

What is phantom limb pain?

Pain felt in a body part that has been amputated, caused by brain and spinal cord activity.

What are enkephalins?

Chemicals that suppress acute and chronic pain.

What is the role of serotonin in pain regulation?

It stimulates the release of enkephalins.

What are the five basic tastes?

Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (savory)

What is umami?

A pleasant savory taste that enhances other tastes.

How does aging affect taste and smell?

After age 50, smell and taste buds decrease, leading to more bitter or bland food experiences.

What is the function of olfactory receptors?

They detect odors and are located in the nasal cavity.

What are the three sections of the ear?

External ear, middle ear, and inner ear.

What is the function of the cochlea?

It is responsible for hearing.

What is static equilibrium?

Maintains head position relative to gravity, organized by the vestibule.

What is dynamic equilibrium?

Maintains balance during movement and rotation, organized by semicircular canals.

What is the role of rods in vision?

They are sensitive to dim light and provide black and white vision.

What is the role of cones in vision?

They detect bright light and provide color vision and sharp images.

What is a cataract?

Clouding of the lens in the eye.

What is color blindness?

A defect in photopigments in cones, affecting color perception.