Sensory Physiology Flashcards

1
Q

What are sensory systems?

A

they have the means to sense a physical or chemical condition and translate that into a signal that is detected prior to response.

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2
Q

Where is the signal for sensory stuff usually sent to?

A

the CNS

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3
Q

What does the CNS do once it receives a signal?

A

use the info to mount an appropriate response

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4
Q

What is a neuronal receptor?

A

the cell sensing the stimulus is also a neuron

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5
Q

What is the alternative when the cell sensing the stimulus is not a neuron?

A

-most work in this manner
-still communicate with the CNS
-includes the various systems that detect electromagnetic radiation at various wavelengths
-detect chemical or physical changes (ex. touch, chemicals)

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6
Q

What is the receptor that senses chemicals?

A

chemoreceptors

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7
Q

How does a neuron communicate?

A

through action potentials

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8
Q

What happens when a cell detects a change?

A

the channels are opened are closed, and this change alters the membrane potential

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9
Q

What happens when a neuron is responding to a physical change?

A

physical change pulls on the cell membrane, which opens channels that are otherwise closed. if there is a sufficient signal, this could trigger an action potential

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10
Q

What is “coding”?

A

expresses how different stimuli are encoded by different neural activity patterns.

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11
Q

How does the CNS interpret the intensity of a stimulus?

A

the number of action potentials in a given time period

as well will determine how many receptors are sending a similar signal to determine what sort of response is needed

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12
Q

What is a non neuronal receptor?

A

sensory cell is separate from their neuron

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13
Q

Describe what happens when a cell that is a non neuronal receptor senses the environment.

A

-senses the environment and responds by triggering the release of signalling factors
-these factors are sensed by the dendrites of neurons through their receptor proteins
-this triggers a change in membrane potential
-the cell body of the neuron interprets the incoming info, and if needed sends the a signal to the CNS
-this is sent in the form of an action potential

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14
Q

what are hair cells?

A

sensory cell that is found in many sensory systems of animals, including our own ears

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15
Q

Describe how hair cells sense.

A

-detect the movement of fluids (air and water)
-called a hair cell bc of its hair like extensions on the apical surface
-the hair tips are connected by a fiber
-when the hairs (of diff lengths) bend in the directions the fibre connecting their tips change in length
-toward shortest hair means they get closer together
-longest hair get further apart
-tension airising ffrom this fibre is what cells detect
-when hair cells in regular position: there is a pattern of regular action potentials that are always arising from the neuron
-fluid movement changes the direction the hairs bend, the signal from the tips alter the membrane potential of the receptor, which changes frequency of action potentials

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16
Q

What is the apical surface?

A

features that are located opposite to the base of the organism or structure

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17
Q

Where are pheromones released from?

A

exocrine glands

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18
Q

How are pheromones sent?

A

from one animal to another individual of the same species

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19
Q

What form can pheromones be sent in?

A

smells, specific chemicals that binds a specific receptor to trigger a specific response

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20
Q

Give some examples of pheromones being sent and their processes.

A

-antennae of the male silkworm moth. covered with sensory hairs that have chemoreceptors that are very sensitive to the sex pheromone released by the female. can sense this chemical, follow the trail, find the female and mate

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21
Q

How can pest managers manipulate pheromones to their advantage?

A

-use pheromone traps
-can use it to study the density of insect pests
-could be used for monitoring programs, or attract them to their death for control programs

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22
Q

What are taste and smell an example of?

A

chemosensing

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23
Q

Describe what happens for taste and smell.

A

specific type of chemical dissolves in a fluid and binds to a receptor on a sensory cell.

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24
Q

What is the sensory cell for smell?

A

neuron

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25
Q

What is the sensory cell for taste?

A

non neuronal receptor

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26
Q

Describe why “taste zones” on the tongue are a myth.

A

each cell is specialized to product only one type of receptor, and each taste bud has sensory cells for all of the ligands

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27
Q

What do humans produce but can’t sense them?

A

electrical field

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28
Q

What is bioelectricity a consequence of?

A

having excitable tissues, such as muscles and nerves

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29
Q

How do electrical fish use their electrical field? What happens when it is disrupted?

A

-to monitor its regularity
-when disrupted, it can sense how the object affects the field which enables the animals to determine its nature and direction

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30
Q

What is the purpose of having electrical sensors in their “front bits”?

A

move around in the environment looking for food

31
Q

What happens when a bee lands on a flower?

A

the discharge of the build up of static alters the flower’s electrical field. the bee can also detect the electrical field around the flower, and it can ignore the flowers that show altered electrical properties arising from a recent visit of another bee.

32
Q

what components does the earth’s magnetic field have?

A

horizontal and vertical, run north to south, up and down

33
Q

What do animals use to navigate the globe?

A

the geomagnetic field of the earth

34
Q

what is magnetite?

A

they are magnetic particles that are associated with their CNS. This is found in some animals such as migratory birds.

35
Q

How does magnetite work?

A

change orientation in relation to the magnetic field, and that movement can be detected by neurons.

36
Q

What is an advantage of using the Earths’ geometric field?

A

helps these large animals with their ability to move directionally over long distances.

37
Q

Give an example of how worms to guide movements.

A

-use the geomagnetic field to determine which way is down
-they can’t feel gravity the way we do, because they are so small
-they detect the geomagnetic field to guide their movements
-their direction of movement depends on their dietary status and their origin
-fed animals move in the direction to “up”
-and starved animals move in the direction corresponding to “down”

38
Q

What is magnetosensing?

A

the ability to detect radiation at very long wavelengths

39
Q

What is the visible spectrum?

A

the range of energies that we can detect, which corresponds to wavelengths that can be absorbed by specific proteins.

40
Q

What do our eyes do to view the visible spectrum?

A

we hook these proteins up to neurons that permit us to be able to respond to this particular light signals when the proteins are exposed to them

41
Q

What is one way animals respond to light?

A

moving directionally

42
Q

How are light levels used in direction?

A

could be used to move to areas where predation risk is lowest, and/or food is abundant

43
Q

What is one field light direction is used?

A

in navigation, where the sun can be used as a compass

44
Q

What is photoperiod?

A

informs animals about the seasons, which allows them to anticipate season changes in weather (ex. when is winter coming)

45
Q

What is the photoperiod integrated into which pathway?

A

circadian rhythm, including pathways that control daily processes

46
Q

What is the circadian rhythm?

A

our “internal clock”. it is the natural cycle of physical, mental, and behaviour changes that the body goes through in a 24 hour cycle.

47
Q

What is sensing light a process of?

A

molecule excitation, and followed by processing in the nervous system

48
Q

Describe how planaria use visible light to their advantage.

A

-have high spots with very simple photo detectors consisting of just a few cells
-use input from each eye to guide direction
-if both eyes have low light, means moving toward the dark
-light is greater in right eye: tells them to move left
-

49
Q

what is ommatidium?

A

-photodetectors in insects
-consists of cells that capture the light, and those that signal to the nervous system
-insects with complex eyes have thousands of these

50
Q

What are rods and cones?

A

photoreceptor cells that absorb specific types of light

rods: very sensitive to light, but don’t distinguish wavelengths. use a pigment called “rhodopsin” to detect light.

cones: provide colour vision. these are 3 types of cones, each with a pigment or photopsin that binds a specific wavelength or colour to light.

51
Q

How can animals produce their own light?

A

bioluminescence

52
Q

Describe how fireflies can produce light.

A

-have an enzyme that uses ATP to modify a compound called luciferin
-produce light as a byproduct

53
Q

How do fireflies use light for mating?

A

-females wait on the ground
-signal from a pontential mate would be them flashing, and advertising themselves in the air
-when a female sees a signal, she flashes them to come down

54
Q

Where do most bioluminescent animals reside?

A

purple range of the waters

55
Q

How have dragonfish evolved their signals to hide them?

A

-make the same purple blue light
-but they run it through a filter that turns the light red
-this colour can only be detected by other dragon fish, but not other species
-allows for them to communicate with each other, and not be seen by a predator

56
Q

what is thermosensing?

A

the ability to detect heat

57
Q

How can animals use thermosensing to their advantage?

A

to find prey or avoid predators or danger

58
Q

How is some of the heat radiated as a result from our metabolic processes?

A

in the form of light, that is not seen by us on the wavelength light

59
Q

What is a pit organ?

A

has wiring like our visual system, but is specializing for detecting infrared light. can be found in pit vipers. this can allow them to hunt for prey at night.

60
Q

What happens when you warm or cool a protein?

A

changes shape

61
Q

What is one way thermosensing systems have been able to manipulate proteins?

A

been able to link changes in protein shape to the nervous system. a group of players here can open and close in response to temperature

62
Q

What are TRP channels? (transient receptor potential)

A

they are the proteins that open and close in response to proteins, and they are ion channels.

63
Q

What does the activation of TRP cause?

A

depolarization, typically via a Ca 2+ current (this is carried through the nervous system to initiate a response)

64
Q

What are thermally sensitive TRPs able to do?

A

bind ligands. when you taste mint the chemicals in mint bind to cold-TRPs that are also able to bind ligands, and when you taste the mint, it binds to cold TRPs causing them to open which our nervous system interprets as cold.

65
Q

Why does someone break into a sweat when eating chilis?

A

chemicals bind to warm activated TRPs which gives the perception of heat. you break into a sweat, because those receptors have convinced your hypothalamus that you are overheating

66
Q

What are mechanoreceptors responsible for?

A

sense of touch

67
Q

what do mechanoreceptors do? how do they work?

A

-detect some sort of mechanical change arising from connections between the extracellular matrix in the cytoskeleton connected via transmembrane receptors
-the skin arranges these receptors at different depths, to get a sense of strength of the signal
-this info is sent to the CNS to determine what to do and how to respond

68
Q

What do some animals use mechanoreceptors for?

A

to sense changes in orientation

69
Q

what are statocysts?

A

multicellular structures that are a collection of ciliated receptor cells, hair like structures to detect movement.

70
Q

what are statolith?

A

located within the inner sphere of a statocyst, and is a solid particle. sits on the bottom of the chamber, and remains in contact with the cilia of the cells at the bottom.

71
Q

what do statolith do when the animal changes its orientation?

A

the particles move to their new bottom, and send signals to their sensory neurons, the pattern of activation of the neurons of the sensory nerve tell the animal which way is down.

72
Q

What do the hair cells of the mammalian ear do?

A

sense vibrations as the movements of hair cells, which is a type of mechanosensing

73
Q

What do lateral lines do? in fish.

A

uses the same hair cell arrangement to detect movement in the surrounding water, either as a disturbance or a direction of flow during movement