Sensory & Effector Systems Flashcards
Where do retinal ganglion cells output to
Project to the thalamus (lateral geniculate nucleus), then LGN neurons project to layer IV of the visual cortex in the occipital lobe
Occular dominance columns
LGN (lateral geniculate nucleus) neurons from both eyes project to layer IV of the visual cortex, forming a zebra stripe pattern (visible using 3H-proline labelling) postnatally.
types of mechanoreceptors in glabrous (hairless) skin
Close to the skin:
Meissner corpuscles (rapid)
Merkel complexes (slow)
Deeper:
Ruffini organs (slow)
Pacinian corpuscles (fast)
what are mechanoreceptors innervated by
Large myelinated axons with cell bodies in dorsal root ganglia
Slowly adapting mechanoreceptors
Merkel complexes (surface -> respond to indentation)
Ruffini endings (respond to skin movement)
Rapidly adapting mechanoreceptors
Meissner receptors (near surface)
Pacinian (respond to vibration)
mechanosensory pathway
Mechanosensory receptors -> dorsal root of lumbar (lower body) or cervical (upper body) spinal cord
Crosses side in dorsal column nuclei
Inputs to cerebrum and primary somatic sensory cortex
what inputs to the secondary somatosensory cortex
throat, tongue, teeth, jaw, gums
which cranial nerve is olfactory
1
how does signal transduction occur in olfactory receptors
Odorants active GPCRs which produces cyclic AMP, which opens cyclic nucleotide gated ion channel to allow Na and Ca influx for depolarisation
how do GPCRs bind to odorants
Odor binding proteins on membrane allow odorant to dissolve in mucus layer (we smell lipophilic molecules)
Once in mucus layer they can make contact with receptor
How does odor habituation occur
UGT (uridyl glucyronic transferase) and Cytochrome p450 enzymes
Make lipophilic molecules hydrophilic so that is is metabolised by cell
Then influx of Ca when cell is depolarised activates an enzyme cascade resulting in inhibition of cAMP production and therefore no further depolarisation can occur
Cells in the olfactory bulb
- mitral cells
- tufted cells
- granule cells
where are olfactory receptors located
on cilia in olfactory epithelium
layers of the olfactory bulb
- glomerular layer (where olfactory receptor axon terminals are)
- External plexiform layer
- mitral cell layer
- internal plexiform layer
- granule cell layer
olfactory bulb neural circuit
Receptor cells synapse with mitral cells
There are two lateral connections between mitral cells:
perimglomerular cells at synapse with receptor cells
granule cells between mitral cells
Allows for sharpening of response to stimulus
olfactory central pathway (CNS)
Olfactory receptors -> olfactory bulb via olfactory nerve (cranial nerve 1)
Initial targets in the CNS include:
Amygdala
Olfactory tubercle
Pyriform and entorhinal cortex
Then to:
Thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex
Location of taste receptor cells
Within tastebuds that line crevices of papillae
One tastebud has 10-150 TRCs
Shapes of papillae
Circumvalate: back of tongue, molecule must be dissolved in water to reach these tastebuds
Foliate: Back sides of tongue
Fungiform: Front of tongue
How is taste encoded
Two theories:
1. Labelled-line model (one receptor/neuron: one flavour)
Each TRC detects one flavour sensation
- Across-fibre model (one receptor/neuron: many flavours)
Either: each TRC detects one flavour but neurons connect to more than one TRC
Or: each TRC can discriminate multiple flavours and are tuned for different combinations/preferences