W9 Nervous System Flashcards
What type of stimuli do smell and taste detect?
Smell and taste are chemical senses, they arise due to the interaction of odorants and tastants (chemicals) with specialised receptors
List the 5 primary taste sensations
Bitter
Sour
Salty
Sweet
Umami (meat or savoury)
Describe the receptors for taste
Located in taste buds, mainly located on tongue, they are also present on the soft palate, pharynx(throat), and epiglottis (cartilage lid over the voice box)
What is the function of the Olfactory gland?
Produce mucus that is secreted onto the olfactory epithelium, the mucus moistens the epithelium and dissolves odorants
What is the effect of an odorant binding to an olfactory receptor?
The binding of an odorant to the olfactory receptors leads to the generation of a depolarising graded potential. If depolarisation is large enough, action potentials are generated & nerve impulses are sent to the CNS
PICWhat is the pathway of olfactory information to the CNS?
The axons of the olfactory bulb neurons exit the olfactory bulb and move into the olfactory tract.
Axons travelling in the olfactory tract project to the primary olfactory area of the cerebral cortex.
Other axons of the olfactory tract project to the hypo thalamus and other brain regions involved in memory & emotion
What are the 5 primary tastes?
Bitter Sour Salty Sweet Umami
PICWhat is the structure of a taste bud?
Consists of three types of epithelial cells:
- Supporting cells
- Gustatory receptor cells
- Basal cells
Define a supporting cell
Surround the gustatory cells and provide chemical and structural support
Define the Gustatory receptor cell
Responsible for detecting chemicals, long microvillus called a gustatory hair that projects into the external surface of the taste pore
Define Basal cells
Stem cells that produce supporting cells, they have a lifespan of about 10 days
What is the effect of the binding of a tastant to a taste receptor?
A tastant is any chemical that stimulates taste receptor cells, they have to be dissolved into the saliva before they can make contact with gustatory. The result of tastant binding to a receptor is the generation of depolarisng and release a neurotransmitter -> stimulates sensory neurons that project to the CNS
What is the pathway of gustatory infomation to the CNS?
Gustatory information is carried by 3 cranial nerves Nerve impulses travel down these nerves to the medulla oblongata Neural impulses are then sent to either the limbic regions, the hypothalamus, or the thalamus -> Info from the thalamus is then sent to the cerebral cortex
What are the accessory structures of the eye?
Eyelids (palpebrae) Eyelashes Eyebrows Lacrimal apparatus Extrinsic eye muscles
What is the lacrimal fluid?
The lacrimal fluid (tears) is produced in the lacrimal glands and secreted by the lacrimal apparatus, then drains into the lacrimal ducts
PICWhat is the function of the lacrimal fluid?
Lacrimal fluid (tears) are a water solution containing salts, mucus, and lysozyme ( a material enzyme).
LF protects, cleans, lubricates, and moistens the eye ball
PICWhat is the function of the lacrimal fluid?
Lacrimal fluid (tears) are a water solution containing salts, mucus, and lysozyme ( a material enzyme). LF protects, cleans, lubricates, and moistens the eye ball
What is the function of the extrinsic eye muscle?
There are 6: Superior rectus Inferior rectus Lateral rectus Medial rectus Superior oblique Inferior oblique The extrinsic eyeball moves laterally, medially, superiorly and inferiorly
What are the 3 layers of the eyeball?
- The fibrous tunic 2. The vascular tunic 3. The retina
What is the outmost later of the eye ball and describe it
The fibrous tunic is the superficial layer of the eye consisting of the sclera & cornea: clear coating that covers the iris, curved and helps to focus light onto the retina Sclera: White outer layer of eyeball, made up of dense connective tissue, gives shape, and rigidity to eyeball, also acts as attachment point;
What are the three components of the vascular tunic?
The vascular tunic is the middle layer of the eyeball. Consists of 3 components 1. The Choriod 2. The cillary body 3. The iris
What is the function of the choroid?
Is the most posterior portion of the vascular tunic and lines most of the internal surface of the sclera
PICWhat is the function of the ciliary body?
Consists of the cilary processes: contains capilaries that secrete aqueous humor (provides nutrients for the lens and cornea)
The cilary muscle - alters the shapes of the lens for near or far vision
What is the function of the Iris?
Is the coloured potion of the eyeball, suspended between the cornea and the lens, it regulates the amount of light entering the eye through the pupil
What is the function of the choriod,the cillary body, and the iris? (during light)
In bright light the PNS causes circular muscles to contract - decreasing pupil size In dim light: the SNS activates constrition of muscles that radiate from the eye (radial muscles) - increasing pupil size (dilation)
What are the two layers of the retina?
The retina is the innermost layer of the eye ball, composed of: The Pigmented layer Neural layer
PICDefine the pigmented layer? (in the retina)
Sheet on melanin - containing cells between the choriod and the neural layer, this layer prevents reflection and scattering of light within the eyeball
PIC Define the neural layer of the retina
An outgrowth of the brain. This layer processes visual info before sending it down to the optic nerve
PICWhat are the three cell types of the neural layer?
The photoreceptors
The bipolar cell layer
The ganglion cell layer
How are the three cell types of the neural layer arranged?
The neural layer is arranged such that light passes through the ganglion adn the bipolar layers before reaching the photoreceptors