The Chemical Senses: Smell and Taste Flashcards
Smell and taste together are called the _____ because they involve responses to particular chemicals
Chemical senses
Olfactory senses
Our sense of smell
Gustatory senses
Our sense of taste
Airborne chemicals that are detected as chemicals
Odorants. They are converted to neural signals at sensory receptors located in the nasal mucosa
Olfactory nasal neurons
Sensory receptor cells that convert chemical signals from odorants into neural impulses to the brain
bumps on the tongue that contains taste buds
Papillae
clusters of sensory receptor cells that convert chemical signals from food into neural impulses that travel to the brain
Taste buds
Taste buds contain __ to ___ sensory receptor cells
60 to 100
Cilia
contains the actual receptors
What are the 5 major taste receptors
sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami (a savoury taste associated with glutamate)
A chemical called ___, from chilli peppers activates pain receptors located in the tongue
Capsaicin
Olfactory bulb
the first region where olfactory information enters the brain on its way from the nose
The olfactory bulb sends olfactory information to the ___ (responsible for emotions and fear) as well as the ___ (responsible for memory and learning) E.g. the smell of cookies remind you of your grandma’s house
Amygdala and hippocampus
Thalamus
A relay system for incoming sensory of many kinds
Insula
Associated with the emotion of disgust
Newborns show an innate preference for __ and aversion to __ tastes
sweet, sour
P.s. high number of taste buds might explain why they’re picky eaters
What are the three categories with respect to taste sensitivity
Non-tasters, medium-tasters (not sensitive to bitter taste), and superstars (sensitive to bitter tastes)
Ageusia
inability to taste
Anosmia
Inability to smell
Tactile
touch
__ located mostly near the surface of the skin and function to detect touch, pain, pressure, and temperature
Free nerve endings
