Nervous System Ms. Doshi

Sensory Division: The Chemical Senses The chemical senses are taste and smell. These senses transduce chemical changes in the environment, from the mouth and nose, to become gustatory and olfactory sensory impulses. These senses are then interpreted by the nervous system.

Taste Taste receptors, or taste buds are on the tongue, the soft palate, and the epiglottis. The receptor surfaces for taste are on the taste hairs. The taste buds stimulate the nerve fibers. These neurons transmit gustatory information to the brain using three cranial nerves.

Taste There are four kinds of taste: sour, salty, sweet, and bitter. Most taste buds will respond to all four stimuli, but they respond preferentially. For example, at a lower threshold, to one or two of them.

Questions 15

Smell Olfactory receptors are found in the upper part of the nostrils. The area is 5 cm². Olfactory hairs, or cilia come out of the receptors. The cilia form a dense mat in the nasal mucosa. When you smell, the smelly material enters the nasal cavity, then binds to receptors in the cilia, which depolarizes the olfactory receptors. Axons from the olfactory receptors join to form olfactory nerves. The olfactory nerves go directly to the olfactory bulb in the brain.

Questions 16

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