Module 4.4 - Touch and the Chemical Senses Flashcards

1
Q

what are the 6 independent senses of touch?

A

1) pressure
2) warmth and cold
3) pain
4) vibration
5) movement
6) stretch of skin

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2
Q

what do the sensations of touch depend on?

A

these sensations depend on several different kinds of receptors

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3
Q

what are the 4 steps “from touch to brain”

A

1) A skin (or internal organ) receptor is stimulated
2) A signal travels up the spinal cord
3) Initial signals are processed by the thalamus
4) Signals are sent to the somatosensory cortex

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4
Q

true or false: sensitivity to touch varies across different regions of the body

A

true

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5
Q

more sensitive areas are allotted more _____ in the parietal cortex

A

more tissue

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6
Q

true or false: touch is not sensitive to change

A

FALSE: touch is very sensitive to change

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7
Q

Haptics

A

the active, exploratory aspect of touch sensation and perception

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8
Q

Kinesthesis

A

the sense of bodily motion and position

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9
Q

where are receptors for kinesthesis?

A

muscles, joints and tendons

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10
Q

what is kinesthesis involved in?

A

balance, movement and handling objects

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11
Q

nociception

A

the activity of nerve pathways that respond to uncomfortable stimulation

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12
Q

where are nociceptors found?

A

in our skin, teeth, corneas, and internal organs

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13
Q

what are the 2 types of nerve fibers that transmit pain messages?

A

1) Fast Fibers

2) Slow Fibers

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14
Q

Fast Fibers

A

register sharp immediate pain (e.g., the pain of cutting yourself)

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15
Q

Slow Fibers

A

register chronic, dull pain (e.g., the lingering feelings after stubbing your toe)

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16
Q

Gate-Control Theory

A

our experience of pain is an interaction between nerves that transmit pain messages and those that inhibit these messages

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17
Q

where does the interaction between nerves that transmit pain messages and those that inhibit these messages occur?

A

occurs in the spinal cord

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18
Q

_____ nerve fibers conduct pain messages

A

small nerve fibers conduct pain messages

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19
Q

_____ nerve fibers conduct other sensory signals (e.g., rubbing)

A

large nerve fibers conduct other sensory signals

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20
Q

what is the result of stimulation of the small pain fibers?

A

results in pain

21
Q

what is the result of the large fibers?

A

inhibit pain signals

22
Q

true or false: pain involves physical perception (somatosensory cortex) and an emotional response (anterior cingulate cortex)

23
Q

phantom limb sensations

A

some amputees report pain and other sensations (itching, muscle contractions) coming from the absent limb

24
Q

what does amputation do to stimulation of the region of the somatosensory cortex associated with that limb?

A

amputation reduces stimulation

25
amputation makes the cells become ________
hypersensitive
26
mirror box therapy
a treatment used to trick the brain into reducing phantom limb sensations
27
true or false: taste is not an essential sensation
FALSE: taste was essential for our species survival
28
what are 2 reasons that make taste essential to our survival?
1) it (usually) leads us to prefer nutrient-rich foods | 2) we avoided bad tasting foods (potential toxins)
29
gustatory system
a sensory system involved in the sensation and perception of taste
30
what is the main sensory organ of the gustatory system?
the tongue
31
how many taste buds are on the tongue?
~9000 taste buds
32
true or false: most neurons are sensitive to a particular type of taste
True
33
what are the 5 primary tastes?
salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and umami
34
the bumps on the tongue are called?
papillae
35
the papillae are lined with?
taste buds
36
what are found within the taste buds...how many on each taste bud?
there are 15-50 taste receptors per taste bud
37
how many taste buds does a non taster have?
<15
38
how many taste buds does a normal taster have?
15-35
39
how many taste buds does a super taster have?
>35
40
population coding
perception of a flavour will involve assessment of the firing patterns of many input channels, not one specific channel
41
the taste receptors send the signal through the thalamus and on to the ________ in the insula
gustatory cortex
42
olfactory system
a sensory system involved in smell - the detection of airborne particles with specialized receptors located in the nose
43
olfactory epithelium
a thin layer of cells that are lined by sensory receptors called cilia, which contain specialized proteins that bind with the airborne molecules that enter the nasal cavity
44
humans have ~_____ different odour receptors
1000
45
the patterns of firing allow us to detect ~_______ different odours
10,000
46
olfactory bulb
a structure on the bottom surface of the frontal lobes that serves as the brains central region for processing smell
47
multimodal integration
the ability to combine sensation from different modalities such as vision and hearing into a single integrated perception
48
synaesthesia
a condition involving blended multimodal associations (e.g., chicken that tastes 'pointy')