The Senses Flashcards
What type of receptor is involved in both smell and taste?
chemoreceptor
How do you know smell and taste are closely related?
when you have a cold, you cannot taste your food
The semicircular canals and the two tiny sacs behind them help to monitor what?
body position and balance
The fluid filled structure in the ear that sends information to the brain about sound is the
cochlea
What are the functions of rods?
to detect light (black and white)
What are the functions of cones?
to detect color
The part of the eye that contains the photoreceptor cells is called the?
retina
Where in your body are sensory receptors located?
found mostly in the skin and in some other areas
The main type of touch receptor is called?
mechanoreceptor
What can mechanoreceptors detect?
pressure, vibration, texture
Where would you find a higher density of mechanoreceoptors?
in more sensitive areas (hands, face)
What part of the brain is the incoming tactile information sent to?
primary somatosensory cortex (post central gyrus)
What is a homunculus?
picture depicting someones most sensitive areas
Which type of receptor detects temperature?
thermoreceptor
Where are thermoreceptors located?
skin and hypothalamus
What are the thermoreceptors in the hypothalamus detecting
blood temperature
Why are heat receptors located more superficial?
so that you recognize something hot fast
Which type of receptor detects pain?
nociceptors
What do nociceptors respond to?
pain from a physical injury or chemicals that are released as a result of inflammation or infection
Where are nociceptors located?
all over your body, EXCEPT your brain!
What do taste buds detect?
salt, sweet, sour, bitter, savory (unami)
What types of foods may be detected by the unami taste buds?
foods with MSG (chinese food, fast food), meat, cheese
What are the two main functions of the ear?
hearing and balance
Which receptors detect both hearing and position?
mechanoreceptors
What is sound?
vibrations moving through the air
What kind of vibrations can your ear distinguish?
pitch and loudness
What happens when sound waves enter your ear?
they vibrate your eardrum
What happens when your eardrum vibrates?
it vibrates the 3 small bones in your ear which then bump into your cochlea and cause pressure waves in the fluid of the cochlea
Name the 3 bones of your inner ear
malleus, incus, stapes
What happens when the fluid in the cochlea moves?
it moves tiny little cells in the cochlea which then generate an action potential that gets sent to the brain
What happens in your ear when you change position?
the fluid in the semi-circular canals moves, which in turn moves tiny hairs, which in turn send an action potential to your brain regarding your position
What are the basic structures of the eye from superficial to deep?
cornea, aqueous humor, iris, pupil, lens, vitreous humor, retina, optic nerve
