Chapter 4: Sensory Systems and Perceptions: Auditory, Mechanical and Chemical Senses Flashcards
resonance
tendency of any physical object to vibrate maximally at a certain frequency
tone
sound heard in response to a particular frequency of vibration or combination of vibrations that are strongly periodic
noise
sound stimulus that is aperiodic
sound wave
periodic compression and rarefaction of air molecules underlying a sound stimulus
harmonic series
series of vibratory modes evident in the spectra produced by resonating objects
sound spectrum
analysis of a sound stimulus showing the distribution of power as a function of frequency
fundamental frequency
first vibratory mode in the harmonic series evident in the sound spectra generated by a vibrating string or column of air
external ear
cartilaginous elements of the visible ear (the pinna and concha)
middle ear
portion of the ear between the eardrum and the oval window; contains the three small bones that amplify sound stimuli mechanically
tympanic membrane
eardrum
oval window
site where the middle-ear bones transfer vibrational energy to the cochlea
cochlea
portion of the inner ear specialized for transducing sound energy into neural signals
basilar membrane
membranous sheet in the cochlea of the inner ear that contains the receptor cells (hair cells) that initiate audition
hair cells
receptor cell in the inner ear for transducing sound stimuli (or other mechanical stimuli in the case of vestibular hair cells) into neural signals
tonotopic organization
central arrangement of tone analysis in the auditory system that roughly corresponds to the peripheral responsiveness of the basilar membrane
inferior colliculus
Paired structures on the dorsal surface of the midbrain; concerned with auditory processing
superior olivary complex
complex of brainstem nuclei in the primary auditory pathway
nucleus of the lateral lemniscus
brainstem nucleus in the primary auditory pathway
medial geniculate nucleus
thalamic nucleus in the primary auditory pathway
primary auditory cortex/ A1/
cortical target of the neurons in the medial geniculate nucleus; the terminus of the primary auditory pathway
primary auditory pathway
pathway from the inner ear to the primary auditory cortex in the temporal lobe
secondary auditory cortex/ A2/ belt areas
cortical region surrounding the primary auditory cortex
loudness
sensory quality elicited by the intensity of sound stimuli
pitch
ordered perception of higher or lower tones along a continuum that is related to, but not strictly defined by, the frequencies of sine wave stimuli and the more complex periodicities in natural sound stimuli
timbre
quality of sound by which stimuli that elicit the same pitch and loudness are distinguished; often taken to arise from the distribution of power in the waveform, as opposed to its periodicity
auditory scene
overall perception of the auditory environment at any point in time. Analogous to the perception of a visual scene
interaural time difference
difference in the time of arrival of a sound stimulus at the two ears; contributes to sound localization
interaural intensity difference
difference in the intensity of a sound stimulus at the two ears; contributes to sound localization
coincidence detector
neuron that detects simultaneous events, as in sound localization
delay line
time delay generated by axons of different lengths; a mechanism important in coincidence detection
pain/ nociceptive and temperature system
system for warning an animal about potentially harmful stimuli. While largely responsive to mechanical stimuli, it is also closely related to responses to temperature and noxious chemicals
ventral posterior nuclear complex
group of thalamic nuclei that receives the somatosensory projections from the dorsal column nuclei and the trigeminal nuclear complex
primary somatosensory cortex/ S1
cortex of the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe that receives mechanosensory input from the thalamus
somatotopic map
corresponding anatomical arrangement of the sensory periphery and its central representation
secondary somatosensory cortex/ S2
higher-order somatosensory map in the parietal lobe adjacent to S1
pain
highly unpleasant percepts generated by stimuli that are potentially damaging
nociceptor
cell that responds specifically to potentially harmful stimuli
olfactory system
sensory system that includes the olfactory epithelium of the nasal cavity, the olfactory tract, and olfactory bulbs; mediates the perception of odors
taste/ gustatory system
peripheral and central components of the nervous system dedicated to processing and perceiving taste stimuli
trigeminal chemosensory system
chemosensory system that responds to irritating chemicals that enter the nose or mouth
odor
perception elicited by a soluble chemical that interacts with olfactory receptors
taste
sensory modality comprising the perception of substances placed in the mouth
olfactory epithelium
pseudostratified epithelium that contains olfactory receptor cells, supporting cells, and mucus-secreting glands in the nasal cavity
glomerulus (pl. glomeruli)
any of the characteristic collections of neurons in the olfactory bulb that are formed by dendrites of mitral cells and terminals of olfactory receptor cells, as well as the axons and dendrites of local interneurons
olfactory bulb
olfactory relay station that receives axons from the olfactory cranial nerve and transmits this information via the olfactory tract to higher centers
olfactory tract
projection from the olfactory bulbs to higher olfactory centers
pyriform cortex
component of the cerebral cortex in the temporal lobe pertinent to olfaction; so named because of its pearlike shape
pheromone
chemical signal produced by an animal such as a rodent, typically from glands, that mediates aspects of social communication
taste bud
onion-shaped structure in the mouth or pharynx that contains taste cells
nucleus of the solitary tract
brainstem nucleus that integrates gustatory and other information relevant to the autonomic control of the gut and other autonomic target organs
insula
portion of the cerebral cortex that is buried within the depths of the Sylvian fissure (lateral sulcus)
