The Special Senses

Question 1

What are the special senses?

Answer 1

olfaction (smell),

vision (sight), gustation (taste),

equilibrium (balance), and hearing

Question 2

What does the vitreous body of the eye do?

Answer 2

Maintain the shape of the eye

Question 3

What are the muscles around the iris? And their innervation?

Answer 3

Pupillary constrictor muscles - concentric. These are closest to the pupil

Pupillary dilator muscles - radial

Work out the autonomics….

Question 4

Which cranial nerve does the parasympathetic motor nerves hitch hike to reach the iris?

And the ganglion?

Answer 4

Oculomotor nerve

Ciliary ganglion (just behind the eye)

Question 5

What happens when the ciliary muscle contracts during accommodation?

Answer 5

The ciliary body moves towards the lens, causing the lens to more more spherical as the tension is taken off.

Question 6

What innervates the ciliary muscle of the eye?

Answer 6

Mostly parasympathetic innervation from the postganglionic fibres coming from the ciliary ganglion. (Sympathetic fibres are sparce)

Question 7

What does the neural tunic, or retina consist of?

Answer 7

A thin outer layer - the pigmented part

A thicker inner layer - the neural part

Question 8

What do rods and cones synapse with?

Answer 8

Bipolar cells

Question 9

What separates the bipolar cells from the ganglion cells?

Answer 9

A network of horizontal cells and amacrine cells.

(help eye’s adjustment to dim or brightly lit environments)