Sense Organs Flashcards
Cones
Photoreceptors in the retina that distinguish different colors
Cornea
Tough, clear covering that protects the eye and allows light to pass through
Humor
Fluids that maintain the shape of the eyeball
Iris
Colored part of the eye that controls how much light enters the eye
Lens
Focuses light onto the retina
Pupil
Small opening in the middle of the iris
Retina
Converts light into nerve impulses that are carried to the brain
Rods
Photoreceptors in the retina that are extremely sensitive, but do not distinguish different colors (black and white)
Important for night vision
Rhodopsin
Protein that receives visual signal
Optic nerves
transmit info to brain
Auditory canal
ear canal, where sound enters
Cochlea
fluid-filled part of inner ear, sends nerve impulses to brain
Ear bones
hammer, anvil, and stirrup; transmit vibrations from eardrum to oval window
Eustachian tube
equalizes pressure between environment and inner ear
Oval window
Sends waves of pressure to the cochlea
Semicircular canals
fluid filled, helps maintain balance
Tympanum
ear drum, vibrates as sound waves hit it
Olfactory receptors
chemical sensors found in the olfactory membrane, which lies in the upper part of the nostrils
Cerebral cortex
Controls all voluntary motor activity
Memory and creative thought
Left and right hemispheres
Olfactory lobe
center for reception of smell
Thalamus
Nervous impulses and sensory info are relayed to and from the cerebral cortex
Hypothalamus
Homeostasis
Hunger, thirst, pain, temp regulation, water balance
Medulla oblongata
breathing
Reticular Activating System
network of neurons in the brain stem that processes signals from sensory inputs
Spinal cord
route for axons to travel out of the brain
center for many reflex actions
Dorsal and ventral horns
Dorsal horn
entrance for sensory nerve fibers or afferent neurons
Ventral horn
contains cell bodies of motor or efferent neurons
afferent
sensory
efferent
motor
