Sense Organs Flashcards
There are several receptors in the body that have specific responsibilities related to the senses. What sensory receptor is responsible for detecting light from a pen light?
Photoreceptors are located in the eye; specifically on the retina and are responsible for detecting light. The retina has several other photoreceptors that help decipher the difference between white, black, and color. The rods are responsible for differentiating between white and black; while the cones are responsible for deciphering color.
Which sensory receptor is responsible for detecting a cool breeze?
Thermoreceptors are responsible for detecting temperature.
Which cranial nerve is responsible for the sense of smell?
The olfactory nerve (I) is located in the inferior concha region of the nasal membranes and is responsible for detecting odor.
What are the accessory visual organs and what are their functions?
Accessory visual organs include the eyelids, which help keep the globe moist and help protect it from foreign bodies. The lacrimal apparatus (consisting of the lacrimal gland and lacrimal duct) produce tears and promote drainage into the nasopharynx. The lacrimal gland is located in the superior lateral aspect of the eye orbit; the lacrimal duct is located in the inferior medial aspect of the eye orbit. Extrinsic muscles are responsible for globe movement in order to allow visual focal point. Other accessory organs of the eye include eye lashes and eye brows. The lashes help protect against foreign bodies from entering the globe. Eye brows do the like; however, they also help with portraying body language through movement (facial expressions).
Name the auditory ossicles of the ear from the outer to the inner.
The ossicles are bones located in the middle ear. They are the malleus, incus, and stapes. These bones are in contact with each other and begin to vibrate only after the tympanic membrane vibrates. They allow this vibration to transfer to the oval window located between the middle ear and inner ear.
There are 2 organs in the inner ear. Name these organs and what their function(s) is.
The semicircular canals are responsible for detecting and maintaining equilibrium. They are laid out in 3 planes so that equilibrium can be interpreted in all directions. The nerve that innervates the semicircular canals is the vestibular nerve.
The cochlea is the organ responsible for converting vibrations into chemical information. This organ is “snail” shaped and is innervated by the cochlear nerve. Located inside the fluid filled cochlea is the organ of Corti. The organ of Corti contain hairlike structures that respond to different frequencies (pitch) of sound vibrations. The response of these hairs is how we can decipher different pitches and volumes.
