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Anatomy & Physiology: Special Senses Review

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  • What are olfactory receptors?

    Olfactory receptors are sensory receptors in the nose that detect odorants and initiate the sense of smell.

  • Which receptors are involved in taste, vision, equilibrium, and hearing?

    Taste receptors detect chemicals; vision receptors (photoreceptors) detect light; equilibrium receptors detect head movement and position; hearing receptors detect sound waves.

  • How do salt and sour taste receptors signal compared to sweet, bitter, and umami receptors?

    Salt and sour receptors use ion channels to signal, while sweet, bitter, and umami receptors use G-protein coupled receptors activating second messenger pathways.

  • Name the different kinds of papillae for taste buds and which provide friction but not taste.

    Types: fungiform, foliate, circumvallate (all contain taste buds). Filiform papillae provide friction but do not contain taste buds.

  • List the main taste sensations and which are we most sensitive to.

    Main tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami. We are most sensitive to bitter to detect toxins.

  • What are the components of taste bud structures?

    Taste buds contain gustatory cells, supporting cells, and basal cells.

  • Which 3 cranial nerves provide gustatory signals and what parts of the mouth do they monitor?

    Facial nerve (anterior 2/3 tongue), glossopharyngeal nerve (posterior 1/3 tongue), and vagus nerve (throat and epiglottis).

  • Describe the gustatory pathway from receptors to primary sensory cortex.

    Signals travel via cranial nerves to the medulla, then to the thalamus, and finally to the gustatory cortex in the insula.

  • Describe the olfactory pathway to the cerebrum.

    Olfactory receptors send signals through the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb, then to the olfactory cortex in the temporal lobe.

  • What are the components of the olfactory epithelium?

    Olfactory epithelium contains olfactory receptor cells, supporting cells, and basal cells.

  • How do odorants trigger a signal in olfactory receptors?

    Odorants bind receptors, activating G-proteins that increase cyclic AMP, opening ion channels and generating nerve impulses.

  • What is anosmia?

    Anosmia is the loss or impairment of the sense of smell.

  • Which receptors are protected from the external environment and sensitive to movement?

    Equilibrium receptors in the inner ear are protected and respond to head movement.

  • List the main structures of the external, middle, and inner ear and their functions.

    External ear: collects sound; middle ear: transmits vibrations; inner ear: detects sound and balance.

  • Describe the bony and membranous labyrinths.

    Bony labyrinth is a rigid outer structure; membranous labyrinth is a fluid-filled tube inside that contains sensory receptors.

  • How are sound waves detected in the inner ear?

    Sound waves vibrate the cochlear fluid, moving hair cells in the cochlear duct to generate nerve signals.

  • What is the frequency range of human hearing?

    Humans hear frequencies from about 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

  • What determines pitch and volume of hearing?

    Pitch is determined by frequency; volume is determined by amplitude of sound waves.

  • What are the receptors for the sense of equilibrium?

    Hair cells in the vestibule and semicircular ducts detect head position and movement.

  • What is the function of the utricle and saccule?

    They detect linear acceleration and head position relative to gravity using otoliths on maculae.

  • Define otolith and maculae.

    Otoliths are calcium carbonate crystals; maculae are sensory patches containing hair cells in the utricle and saccule.

  • How are equilibrium sensations detected?

    Movement shifts otoliths or fluid, bending hair cells and generating nerve signals about head position or motion.

  • What is the function of the semicircular ducts?

    They detect rotational head movements via hair cells in the ampullae.

  • Describe the pathway of transmitting hearing information.

    Signals travel from cochlear hair cells to cochlear nerve, then to brainstem, thalamus, and auditory cortex.

  • What is the function of the vestibular nucleus?

    It processes equilibrium information and coordinates balance and eye movements.

  • How is sound localization achieved?

    By comparing timing and intensity differences of sound between both ears.

  • List the functions of eyelids, conjunctiva, eyelashes, eyebrows, lacrimal apparatus, and tears.

    Eyelids protect eyes; conjunctiva lubricates; eyelashes and eyebrows protect from debris; lacrimal apparatus produces tears to clean and moisten.

  • Define optic disc, rods, cones, visual acuity, bipolar cells, and ganglion neurons.

    Optic disc: blind spot; rods: detect light/dark; cones: detect color; visual acuity: sharpness; bipolar cells: relay signals; ganglion neurons: send signals to brain.

  • What is accommodation in vision?

    Accommodation is the eye's ability to change lens shape to focus on near or far objects.

  • Define myopia, presbyopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism.

    Myopia: nearsightedness; presbyopia: age-related focus loss; hyperopia: farsightedness; astigmatism: irregular cornea curvature causing blurred vision.