Directions:
After reviewing and studying this module’s content, answer the following 5 questions. Be sure to complete all lab activities and attend/watch all live lectures before completing this assignment. All of your answers should be written in your own words, using full sentences, correct terminology, and proper spelling and grammar.
- Explain the anatomical concepts associated with the special senses. Summarize this module’s key points in 5-6 sentences.
- Explain the physiological concepts associated with the special senses. Summarize this module’s key points in 5-6 sentences.
- How will you apply the concepts you have learned about the special senses in real life and in your future career?
- Which topic within this module has been the most valuable to your learning experience and why?
- Which topic(s) within this module did you struggle to understand and why?
- (Optional) Do you have any suggestions for your instructor on how they could help you connect with the difficult topics you’ve noted?
USEFUL NOTES FOR:
Explain the anatomical concepts associated with the special senses.
Introduction
The special senses are a group of sensory perceptions that allow an organism to perceive things in its environment. The term special sense refers to the fact that they have unique properties compared to other types of sensory perception.
Olfactory Sensation
The olfactory epithelium is located in the roof of the nasal cavity. It is covered by mucus, which protects it from being damaged by airborne chemicals. The olfactory nerve enters this region through a hole called the cribiform plate and passes through several small holes (called glomeruli) before reaching receptor cells at different heights along its way. These receptors react to odors by sending signals to neurons that carry them to higher brain centers for further processing.
Odor molecules bind with specific receptors on these receptor cells; when they bind strongly enough, they cause calcium ions inside these cells to enter into action potentials called action potentials (AP). When ion channels open due to strong APs reaching them, fluid flows out through cilia on their surfaces; this flushing action helps remove unwanted materials from inside our noses so we can smell better!
Taste Sensation
The sense of taste is made up of three basic tastes: sweet, sour and salty. These are detected by a set of specialized cells on your tongue called taste buds. Taste buds are located on the tip or sides of your tongue, but they also grow in clusters at various areas along its length.
Taste sensations are caused when chemicals in food activate receptor cells that send messages to nerve fibers in your brain through special channels called afferent nerves. Once these signals reach the brain, they cause you to experience different flavors or textures associated with specific foods like bitter or sweet and salty ones
Vision
The eye is the organ of sight. Light enters through the cornea and lens, then is focused by the cornea onto the retina at the back of your eye.
The retina converts light into electrical signals that are sent to your brain, where they’re interpreted as images.
Hearing and Equilibrium
Hearing and equilibrium are two of the most important senses. The ear is one of the special senses, since it’s located on both sides of your head. The other special sense, touch, is only found on one side (the right).
The ears are made up of three parts: outer ear; middle ear; inner ear. The outer part is called a pinna (or auricle), which has several openings for hearing sounds coming from all directions. These openings are connected with nerves that travel through tunnels inside your head to reach your brain.
To be able to recognize the different types of special senses and their functions.
To be able to recognize the different types of special senses and their functions.
The three main groups of sensory receptors are:
There are several different types of sensory receptors. Some sense light, sound, heat and cold; others detect touch and proprioception (the ability to feel where your body is in space).
We can use our eyes as both a transmitter (to send information from one place to another) and receiver (to receive information from another place). Our ears transmit sound waves into our heads, but we cannot hear them because they bounce off the walls of our skulls before reaching their destination. The vibrations that travel along nerves from the ear drum enter into two parts: one part goes directly through nerves for transmission through sound waves; the other part passes through another set of nerves before entering into parts within our brains which process sounds differently than visual images do
Conclusion
Having a basic understanding of the anatomy of special senses will help you understand how they work. The following sections will provide an overview of these functions, along with some interesting facts about each one.