Sense Organs Flashcards
What are the 2 groups sense organs are divided into?
general sense and special sense
What do general senses include?
touch, pressure, pain, temperature (heat and cold), proprioception, visceral sensations
What do special senses include?
eye (vision), ear (hearing), equilibrium (balance and head position), smell (odors), taste, electromagnetic/light, mechanical, chemical
What is a sensory receptor?
a specialized cell or cell processes
What are the simplest sensory receptors?
free nerve endings (branching tips of dendrites)
What is receptor function?
receptor specificity
development of receptor potentials
translates a stimulus into an action potential that can be quickly conducted to the CNS (transduction)
the intensity of the stimulus is indicated by the frequency and pattern of action potentials
What is the classification of general sense receptors?
nociceptors, thermoreceptors, chemoreceptors
What do nociceptors recieve?
pain and local anesthetics
What do thermoreceptors recieve?
temperature
What are the three types of mechanoreceptors?
tactile receptors (touch, pressure, and vibration), baroreceptors (pressure in blood vessels), proprioceptors (positions of joints and muscle)
What do chemoreceptors recieve?
chemical concentration
What is smell provided by?
paired olfactory organs
Where is olfaction located?
in the nasal cavity on either side of the nasal septum
What are the two parts of olfaction called?
vomeronasal organ and olfactory mucose/bulb
What are the steps of olfactory reception?
odorants –> bind to odorant binding proteins –> opens sodium channels –> graded potentials –> action potentials
What are the steps of the olfactory pathways?
receptor potential –> olfactory nerves (cranial nerve I) in the olfactory bulb –> olfactory tract –> thalamus –> olfactory centers (temporal lobe) of the brain
What is the olfactory organ made up of?
olfactory epithelium and lamina propria
What are olfactory receptor cells and where are they located?
they are olfactory cilia that contain receptor proteins sensitive to chemicals dissolved in overlying mucus in the olfactory epithelium
What kind of cells are in olfactory epithelium
supporting cells
What are the surfaces of the olfactory epithelium coated with>
secretions of the olfactory glands