Ch 15 pt 2) Special Senses Flashcards
Functional Anatomy of Photoreceptors
Photoreceptors are modified nuerons with a cell body, synaptic terminal, and two segents
- Outer Segment) Light Reciving Area
- Has visual pigments (photopigments) which change chape as they absorb light
- Inner Segment) Joins the Cell body
- cilium) connects inner segment to outer segment
- Outer Fiber) connects cell body to inner segemnt
- Inner fiber) connects cell body to synaptic terminal of bipolar cells.
Comparing Rod and Cone vision
- Rods) Very senative to Light
- Only has a single pigment so vision is in grey tones only
- Pathways of rods converge into one ganglion which causes fuzy, indisticnt images
- as many as 100 rods can synapse with one ganglion cell
- Cones) Require bright light to activate
- Have three pigments (red, green, blue) which allows for colored sight
- Detailed, high-resolution vision
- cones synapse with fewer ganglion than rods
Color Blindess
- Cones lack one or more cone pigments
- Inhereted on X chromosome which makes it more common in males
- Most common type is red-green whrere red or green cones are absent
- red could appear green or vise versa.
How do photoreceptors translate incoming light into electrical signals
- Retinal) Light absorbing molecule
- combines with one of four protiens (opsin) to form visual pigments
- Depending on type of oposin bound, the retinol will aborb diffrent wavlengths of light
- Opsins (four types)
- Rods) Rhodopsin
- Cones) Red, green and blue oposin,
- Cone wavlengths overlap allowing us to precieve color.
- Retinal Isomers (Retinal is bent until it absorbs light)
- Bent) 11-cis-retinal
- Straight) All-trans-retinal
Phototransduction
- Process by which pigment captures of photon energy is converted into a graded receptor potential
- Capturing light
- Job of Deep Purple pigment Rhodopsin
- Three stepts of Rhodopsin formation and breakdown
- Pigment Synthesis) Opsin and 11-cis retinal combine to form rhodopsin in the dark
- Pigment Bleaching)When Rhodopsin absorbs light, 11-cis retinal strightens to All-Trans-retinal. retinal and opsin seperate
- Pigment Regenration) All-trans Retinal is converted back to 11-cis. Rhodopsin is regenrated,
Light Transduction Reaction
- When Light Changes Oposin’s shape
- Light-Activated rhodopsin activated G-protien transudcin
- Transducin Activates PDE, which breaks down cyclic
GMP (cGMP)
- In dark
- cGMP holds cation channels of outer segment open: Na+ and Ca2+ enter and depolarize cell
- In light
- cGMP breaks down, channels close, cell hyperpolarizes;
- Hyperpolarization is signal for vision!
Information Processing In the Retina
- Information is recived by photoreceptors.
- Photoreceptor cell will genereate a graded potentional
- Not an AP
- Light Hyperpolarizes photoreceptors which causes them to Stop releasing the inhibitor Glutamate to the Bipolar cells
- Bipolar cells depolarize (no inhibitior) which releases nuertoransmiter to ganglion cell
- Ganglion cells Generate and Transmit AP to optic nerve (II) to brain
Light Adaption
- Moving from darkness to bright Light we see Glare
- Both rods and cones are stimulated at the time
- Pigments are broken down and Pupils constrict
- Visual activity improves over 5-10 mins
- Rods are turned off
- Retinal Sensitivity Decreases
- Cones and Nuerons rapidy adapt
Dark Adaptation
- When moving from bright light to darkness we see blackeness
- Cones do not funciton in low light
- Bright light turns off Rod pigments and they need time to adjust
- Pupils dilate
- Rhodopsin will begin to accumilate so Rod sentivity increaes
- takes 20-30 mins
Night Blindness
- Nyctalopia (night blindess) is a condition where rod funtion is seriouly hampered.
- Caused by vitiman A difiency
- Retinitis Pigmentosa) disiese that destroys rods
Visual Pathways in the Brain
- Axons of Retinal Ganlion cells form the Optic Nerve
- Medial fibers of optic nerce cross over at Optic Chaisma
- Continue as Optic Tracts
- Each Optic Tract
- Contains Fibers from both lateral (temporal) and medial (nasal) aspects of the oppisit eye
- Each ceriries information from same half of visual field.
- Fibers of Optic Tracts continue on to Thalamus
- From the thalamus, thalamic nuerons project to the promary visual cortex in the occipital lobe
- Perception of images occurs here
Depth Perception
Both eyes view images from slightly diffrent angles: visual cortex fuses images into a 3D image which leads to depth percetion
- Loss/Destruction of one eye elimanates depth perception.
Visual Processing
- Retinal Cells split into input chnnels that include info about
- Color and brightess
- Angle, Direction, and speed of movment (of edges)
- Sudden chenges in brightness or color
- Ganglions pass info to the thalamus to be processed for depth perception.
- cone Imput is emphesized
- Primary Visual Cortex)
- Forms visual association areas
- Infor is also passed to other lobes where objects are identified and position in space is deteremined.
Chemical Senes
- Senses of Smell (olfaction) and taste (gustation)
- Chemoreceptors) respond to chemicals in aqueous solutions
Sense of Smell
- Olfactory Epithelium) Organ of Smell
- located in roof of nasal cavity
- Contains Olfactory Sensory Nuerons
- Supporting Cells) Support olfactory receptor cells
- Olfactory Stem Cells) Diffrentiate to replace sensory nuerons
- replace every 30-60 days
- Bundles of axons of olfacory receptor cells form olfacotry nerve (I)
Specificity of Olfacotry Receptors
- Smells can contains hundreds of diffrent odorants
- Humans have 350 diffrent oforant receptors
- Each receptor can respond to one or more odorants
- Pain and Temp receptors are also in the nasal cavity
- In order to smell a substance
- It must be in a gasseous state
- be able to dissolve in epitheliam nuerons
- Dissolves oderants bind to receptor proteins in olfactory nuerons which generates a AP
- AP is conducted to the olfactory bulb
Olfacotry Pathway
- Olfacotry nerves synapse with mitral cells when entering the olfacotry bulb
- Mitral cells are second-order nuerons.
- Amplify, refine, and relay singals
- Smell (mitral) impules travel on olfactory tracts to olfactory cortex in brain
- Info is sent to the frontal lobe/ thalamus
- smell is conscioulsy interreted and identified
- Info is also sent to hypothalamus, amygdala, and other limbic regions
- emotional repsonse is elicited
Location and Structure of Taste Buds
- Taste Buds) Sensory organs for taste
- most of our 10,000 taste bude are located on the tounge papillae (peglike projections of tounge mucosa)
- Types of Papillae
- Fungiform) Tops of mushroom shaped structures house most taste buds; scattered across tounge
- Foliate papillae: on side walls of tongue
- Vallate papillae: largest taste buds with 8–12 forming “V” at back of tongue
- Few on soft palate, cheeks, phaynx and epiglottis
- Taste Bud consists of 50-100 epithelial cells of two types
- Gustatory epithelial cells) taste receptor cells
- Basal Epithelial Cells) stem cells that divide every 7-10 days
Five Basic Taste Sensations
- Sweet—sugars, saccharin, alcohol, some amino acids
- Sour—taste is produced by acids (hydrogen ions in solution)
- Salty—metal ions (inorganic salts); sodium chloride tastes saltiest
- Bitter—alkaloids such as quinine and nicotine, caffeine, and nonalkaloids such as aspirin
- Umami—amino acids glutamate and aspartate
- example: like beef taste
- Tastes likes/Dislikes have hometatic value
- Indicates potentially harmful substance
Physooligy of Taste
- To be able to taste a chemical, it must
- be dissolved in saliva
- Diffuse into taste pore
- Contact Gustatory cell hairs
- Diffrent Gustatory cells have diffrent thresholds for activation
- Bitter most sensitive
Gustatory Pathway
- Two main cranial Nerve Pairs carry taste impules from tounge to the brain
- Facial (VII), Glosopharyngeal (IX) and Vagus (X)
- Receptors →Afferent fibers via cranial nerves→Medulla oblongata→ 2nd neuron to → Thalamus→ 3rd neuron to→ Gustatory Cortex in Insula
- Hypothalamus and Lymboc system are involved
- allow us to appreciate taste
Role of Taste
- Triggering Reflexes of digestion
- Increased saliva in mouth
- Increased gastric juice in stomach
- Protective reflexes (gagging, vomiting)
- Taste is 80% smell
External Ear
- Auricle (pinna) External ear structure that funnels sound waves into auditory canal
- Helix) Rim
- Lobule) Earlobe
- External Acoustic Meatus) Auditory canal
- short curved tube lined hairs, sebacous glands, and ceruminous (earwax) glands
- Transmits sound waves
- Tympanic Membrane) Eardrum
- Boundary between external and middle ear
- Thin connective tissue membrane
- vibrates in response to sound. Tranfers energy to bones of middle ear
Middle Ear (Tympanic Cavity)
Small, Air-filled, mucosa-lined cavity in temporal bone
- Flanked latterally by eardrum and medially by bony wall with oval and round windows
- Epitympanic recess) roof of middle eat cavity
- Mastoid Antrum) Canal for communication with mastoid air cells in mastoid process
- Pharyngotympanic (auditory) tube
- Connects middle ear to nasopharynx
- Usually flattened, but can be opened by yawning or swallowing to equalize pressure in middle ear cavity
Otitis Media
- Middle ear infection commonly seen in children with sore throats
- Acute infections form and causes eardrum to buldge and become inflamed
- can be defeaning
Ear Ossicles
- Auditory Ossicles) three bones in tympanic cavity
- Malleus) the hammer, secured to eardrum
- Incus) the Anvil
- Stapes) “stirrup”, base fits into oval window
- Synovial joints allow maleus to articulates with incus which articulates with stapes
- Suspened by ligaments; transmit vabration of eardrum to the oval window
- Tendor tympani and stapedius
- contract in response to loud sounds to protect ears.