Mouth, Nose and Touch

Question 1

Describe taste pathway

Answer 1

taste buds inside papillae (aka bumps on tongue) –> brainstem –> taste center in thalamus –> higher order brain regions

Question 2

Describe olfactory pathway

Answer 2

nostril –> nasal cavity –> olfactory nerves on olfactory epithelium –> olfactory bulb –> olfactory tract –> higher order brain regions

Question 3

What and where are taste receptors?

Answer 3

taste buds = found in bumps of tongue called papillae

Question 4

What is physiological zero?

Answer 4

normal temp of skin; helps determine what’s hot and cold

Question 5

Law of Pragnanz

Answer 5

perceiving something simple, regular and symmetric as possible; Gestalt principle

Question 6

What is somatosensation? What are Meissner’s corpuscles vs Ruffini endings vs Pacinian corpuscles vs free nerve endings?

Answer 6

sensing pressure, vibrations, pain and temp. Sensory receptors responding to light touch vs stretch vs deep pressure and vibration vs pain and temp

Question 7

Transduction

Answer 7

Turning sensory signals into electrical signals in somatosensory cortex in parietal lobe

Question 8

2 point threshold

Answer 8

Minimum distance between 2 stimuli to be perceived as 2 distinct stimuli on skin

Question 9

Gate theory of pain

Answer 9

There’s a special gating mechanism to turn pain signals on or off whether we perceive the pain or not

Question 10

Pheromones vs standard odor molec bind to what?

Answer 10

GPCR odorant receptors in accessory olfactory epithelium, they elicit more behavioral responses vs GPCR odorant receptors in olfactory epithelium