Touch Smell Taste Flashcards
system that provides information about the body senses, including touch, movement, pain, and temperature.
Somatosensory System:
sensory system that
provides information about the position and movement of the head.
Vestibular System:
Movement receptors
- otolith organ
- semicircular canal
- saccule
- linear acceleration
- otolith
structure in the inner ear vestibular system that provides information
about the angle of the head relative to the
ground and about linear acceleration.
Otolith Organ:
one of three looping chambers found in inner ear that provide information regarding the rotation of the head.
Semicircular Canal
one of structures of otolith organs.
Saccule
: one of the structures of the otolith
organs.
Utricle
: force perceived when our rate of movement changes.
Linear Acceleration
: stone made of calcium carbonate that is attached to the hair cells in the otolith
organs
Otolith
Central pathways
- Ventral posterior (VP) Nucleus
- primary somatosensory cortex
- Glabrous Skin
- epidermis
- dermis
- subcutaneous Tissue
nucleus of
the thalamus that receives information regarding pain, touch, and the position and movement of the head.
.
Ventral Posterior (VP) Nucleus:
cortex located in the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe that is responsible for the initial
cortical processing of somatosensory input.
Primary Somatosensory Cortex:
: hairless skin.
Glabrous Skin
: outermost layer of the skin.
Epidermis
: layer of skin lying below the outermost epidermis.
Dermis
layer of tissue lying
below the dermis
Subcutaneous Tissue:
Touch Receptors
- mechanoreceptors
- encapsulated receptor
- Meissner’s corpuscle
- Pacinian corpuscle
- Merkel’s disk
- Ruffini’s ending
: skin receptor that senses touch, pressure, or vibration.
Mechanoreceptor
mechanoreceptor in which the axon fibers are surrounded by a
fluid-filled capsule formed of connective tissue
Encapsulated Receptor:
: encapsulated, fast-
adapting mechanoreceptor with small receptive field that responds primarily to pressure.
Meissner’s Corpuscle
encapsulated, rapidly
adapting mechanoreceptor with large receptive field that provides information about pressure and vibration.
Pacinian Corpuscle:
nonencapsulated, slow-
adapting mechanoreceptor with small receptive field that provides information primarily about pressure.
Merkel’s Disk:
non encapsulated, slow-
adapting mechanoreceptor with large
receptive field that provides information
regarding stretch.
Ruffini’s Ending:
myelinated fiber that
carries information about cold and sharp pain to the central nervous system.
Aδ (alpha-delta) Fiber
small, unmyelinated fiber that carries information about temperature, itch,
and dull, aching pain to the central nervous
system.
C Fiber:
: area of the skin surface served by the dorsal roots of one spinal segment.
Dermatome
spinal pathway that carries information about touch and position to the medulla.
Dorsal Column:
pathway originating in the dorsal column nuclei and synapsing in the ventral posterior (VP) nucleus of the
thalamus that is responsible for carrying
information about touch and position.
Medial Lemniscus:
nerve
that carries Sensation from
mechanoreceptors, temperature receptors,
and pain receptors in the skin of the face,
mouth, tongue, & the dura mater of the brain.
Trigeminal Nerve (cranial nerve V):
areas
in the parietal lobe adjacent to primary
somatosensory cortex that process a wide variety of complex somatosensory inputs.
Secondary Somatosensory Cortex:
: nerve ending in the skin that responds to surface temperature.
Thermoreceptor
nerve ending in the skin that
responds to heat.
Warm Fiber:
nerve ending in the skin that responds to cold.
Cold Fiber:
: nerve ending that responds to painful stimuli.
Nociceptor
a: group of cells in the
outer gray matter of the dorsal horn that
receive synapses from pain fibers.
Substantia Gelatinos
neurotransmitter substance
associated with the sense of pain that also serves as a stimulus at some nociceptors.
Substance P:
: fibers that carry
pain and temperature information from the substantia gelatinosa to the thalamus.
Spinothalamic Pathway
nucleus in the brainstem that receives pain and
temperature information from the head and neck.
Spinal Trigeminal Nucleus:
pathway carrying
pain and temperature information from the
spinal trigeminal nucleus to the thalamus.
Trigeminal Lemniscus:
one of many nuclei in the thalamus that receive some pain and
temperature input.
Intralaminar Nucleus:
: the sense of smell.
Olfaction
layer in the nasal
cavity containing olfactory receptors.
Olfactory Epithelium:
: structures found within the olfactory bulbs.
Glomeruli
fiber pathway connecting the olfactory bulbs to the olfactory cortex.
Olfactory Tract:
: cortex in the frontal lobe that responds to the sense of smell.
Olfactory Cortex
: one of the five basic taste groups, characteristic of tastes found in seaweed
and other “meaty or savory” elements of
Asian cuisine.
Umami
: bumps on the tongue containing taste buds and taste receptors.
Papillae
: small fibers extending from taste receptors.
Microvilli
nucleus of the thalamus that receives information regarding taste.
Ventral Posterior Medial (VPM) nucleus of
the thalamus:
