Week 6 Flashcards
What is olfaction?
The sense of smell.
Where are the olfactory organs?
In the nasal cavity.
What is the olfactory epithelium?
Specialised epithelial tissue inside the roof of the nasal cavity.
What are olfactory receptors?
Specialised neurons found in the olfactory epithelium whose cilia extend into the mucus of the olfactory epithelium.
What is the series of events for smell sensation?
- Inhale air.
- Chemicals dissolve in olfactory epithelium mucus
- Chemicals interact with olfactory receptor proteins
- Produces action potential that leads to olfactory bulb in the cerebrum.
- Axons leaving olfactory bulb travel along olfactory tract to the olfactory cortex, hypothalamus and limbic system.
What is the cribriform plate?
A section of bone on the roof of the nasal cavity that is penetrated by the olfactory nerves.
What is gustation and why is it important?
Sense of taste, gathers information about the chemical composition of ingested material.
What are the five primarily taste sensations?
- Saltiness - Sodium ions.
- Sourness - Acidity.
- Bitterness - Better chemicals.
- Sweetness - Sugars.
- Umami - Taste of amino acids and nucleotides.
What are lingual papillae?
Epithelial projections on the tongue, various types have varying amounts of taste buds.
What are taste buds?
Gustatory receptor cells sites.
What are the two types of gustatory receptor cells?
- Ion channel - Salty and sour.
2. G-protein mediated - Bitter, sweet and umami.
What is the visible electromagnetic radiation wavelength spectrum for human eyesight?
400-700nm.
What are the main structures of the eye?
- Cornea - Outer portion, refracts light.
- Pupil - Regulates flow of light into retina.
- Iris - Regulates flow of light into retina.
- Lens - Focus light rays onto retina.
- Retina - Thin layer of sensory nerves lining the back of the eye.
- Optic nerve - Transmits signals between eye and CNS.
- Fovea - Centre of the macula, consists only of cones.
What are photoreceptors?
Light detecting cells, that contain visual pigments.
What are the two types of photoreceptors?
- Rods - Detect light indiscriminate of colour.
2. Cones - Detect colour.
What are the accessory structures of the eye?
- Sclera - White of the eye, collagen with some elastin.
- Choroid - Vascular layer between sclera and retina.
- Tarsal glands - Exocrine glands, releases oily substance to prevent tear film evaporation.
What are visual pigments?
Photoreceptor proteins that change confirmation as well as releasing the molecule retinal in response to photons (light), this causes change in membrane permeability which leads to transduction.
What are the three main structures of the ear?
- External.
- Middle.
- Internal.