Openstax Biology - Chapter 36 - Sensory Systems

Front 1

audition

Back 1

sense of hearing

Front 2

basilar membrane

Back 2

stiff structure in the cochlea that indirectly anchors auditory receptors

Front 3

bipolar neuron

Back 3

neuron with two processes from the cell body, typically in opposite directions

Front 4

candela

Back 4

unit of measurement of luminous intensity (brightness); measured in cd

Front 5

circadian

Back 5

describes a time cycle about one day in length

Front 6

cochlea

Back 6

whorled structure that contains receptors for transduction of the mechanical wave into an electrical signal

Front 7

cone

Back 7

weakly photosensitive, chromatic, cone-shaped neuron in the fovea of the retina that detects bright light and is used in daytime color vision

Front 8

cornea

Back 8

transparent layer over the front of the eye that helps focus light waves

Front 9

fovea

Back 9

region in the center of the retina with a high density of photoreceptors and which is responsible for acute vision

Front 10

free nerve ending

Back 10

ending of an afferent neuron that lacks a specialized structure for detection of sensory stimuli; some respond to touch, pain, or temperature

Front 11

glabrous

Back 11

describes the non-hairy skin found on palms and fingers, soles of feet, and lips of humans and other primates

Front 12

glomerulus

Back 12

in the olfactory bulb, one of the two neural clusters that receives signals from one type of olfactory receptor

Front 13

Golgi tendon organ

Back 13

muscular proprioceptive tension receptor that provides the sensory component of the Golgi tendon reflex

Front 14

gustation

Back 14

sense of taste

Front 15

hyperopia

Back 15

visual defect in which the image focus falls behind the retina, thereby making images in the distance clear, but close-up images blurry; also known as farsightedness

Front 16

incus

Back 16

second of the three bones of the middle ear; also known as anvil

Front 17

inner ear

Back 17

innermost part of the ear; consists of the cochlea and the vestibular system

Front 18

iris

Back 18

pigmented, circular muscle at the front of the eye that regulates the amount of light entering the eye

Front 19

kinesthesia

Back 19

sense of body movement

Front 20

labyrinth

Back 20

bony, hollow structure that is the most internal part of the ear; contains the sites of transduction of auditory and vestibular information

Front 21

lens

Back 21

transparent, convex structure behind the cornea that helps focus light waves on the retina

Front 22

malleus

Back 22

first of the three bones of the middle ear; also known as hammer

Front 23

mechanoreceptor

Back 23

sensory receptor modified to respond to mechanical disturbance such as being bent, touch, pressure, motion, and sound

Front 24

Meissner’s corpuscle

Back 24

encapsulated, rapidly-adapting mechanoreceptor in the skin that responds to light touch; also known as tactile corpuscle

Front 25

Merkel's disc

Back 25

unencapsulated, slowly-adapting mechanoreceptor in the skin that responds to touch

Front 26

middle ear

Back 26

part of the hearing apparatus that functions to transfer energy from the tympanum to the oval window of the inner ear

Front 27

muscle spindle

Back 27

proprioceptive stretch receptor that lies within a muscle and that shortens the muscle to an optimal length for efficient contraction

Front 28

myopia

Back 28

visual defect in which the image focus falls in front of the retina, thereby making images in the distance blurry, but close-up images clear; also known as nearsightedness

Front 29

nociception

Back 29

neural processing of noxious (such as damaging) stimuli

Front 30

odorant

Back 30

airborne molecule that stimulates an olfactory receptor

Front 31

olfaction

Back 31

sense of smell

Front 32

olfactory bulb

Back 32

neural structure in the vertebrate brain that receives signals from olfactory receptors

Front 33

olfactory epithelium

Back 33

specialized tissue in the nasal cavity where olfactory receptors are located

Front 34

olfactory receptor

Back 34

dendrite of a specialized neuron

Front 35

organ of Corti

Back 35

in the basilar membrane, the site of the transduction of sound, a mechanical wave, to a neural signal

Front 36

ossicle

Back 36

one of the three bones of the middle ear

Front 37

outer ear

Back 37

part of the ear that consists of the pinna, ear canal, and tympanum and which conducts sound waves into the middle ear

Front 38

oval window

Back 38

thin diaphragm between the middle and inner ears that receives sound waves from contact with the stapes bone of the middle ear

Front 39

Pacinian corpuscle

Back 39

encapsulated mechanoreceptor in the skin that responds to deep pressure and vibration

Front 40

papilla

Back 40

one of the small bump-like projections from the tongue

Front 41

perception

Back 41

individual interpretation of a sensation; a brain function

Front 42

pheromone

Back 42

substance released by an animal that can affect the physiology or behavior of other animals

Front 43

pinna

Back 43

cartilaginous outer ear

Front 44

presbyopia

Back 44

visual defect in which the image focus falls behind the retina, thereby making images in the distance clear, but close-up images blurry; caused by age-based changes in the lens

Front 45

proprioception

Back 45

sense of limb position; used to track kinesthesia

Front 46

pupil

Back 46

small opening though which light enters

Front 47

reception

Back 47

receipt of a signal (such as light or sound) by sensory receptors

Front 48

receptive field

Back 48

region in space in which a stimulus can activate a given sensory receptor

Front 49

receptor potential

Back 49

membrane potential in a sensory receptor in response to detection of a stimulus

Front 50

retina

Back 50

layer of photoreceptive and supporting cells on the inner surface of the back of the eye

Front 51

rhodopsin

Back 51

main photopigment in vertebrates

Front 52

rod

Back 52

strongly photosensitive, achromatic, cylindrical neuron in the outer edges of the retina that detects dim light and is used in peripheral and nighttime vision

Front 53

Ruffini ending

Back 53

slowly-adapting mechanoreceptor in the skin that responds to skin stretch and joint position; also known as bulbous corpuscle

Front 54

semicircular canal

Back 54

one of three half-circular, fluid-filled tubes in the vestibular labyrinth that monitors angular acceleration and deceleration

Front 55

sensory receptor

Back 55

specialized neuron or other cells associated with a neuron that is modified to receive specific sensory input

Front 56

sensory transduction

Back 56

conversion of a sensory stimulus into electrical energy in the nervous system by a change in the membrane potential

Front 57

stapes

Back 57

third of the three bones of the middle ear; also known as stirrup

Front 58

stereocilia

Back 58

in the auditory system, hair-like projections from hair cells that help detect sound waves

Front 59

superior colliculus

Back 59

paired structure in the top of the midbrain, which manages eye movements and auditory integration

Front 60

suprachiasmatic nucleus

Back 60

cluster of cells in the hypothalamus that plays a role in the circadian cycle

Front 61

tastant

Back 61

food molecule that stimulates gustatory receptors

Front 62

taste bud

Back 62

clusters of taste cells

Front 63

tectorial membrane

Back 63

cochlear structure that lies above the hair cells and participates in the transduction of sound at the hair cells

Front 64

tonic activity

Back 64

in a neuron, slight continuous activity while at rest

Front 65

tympanum

Back 65

thin diaphragm between the outer and middle ears; also known as tympanic membrane or ear drum

Front 66

ultrasound

Back 66

sound frequencies above the human detectable ceiling of approximately 20,000 Hz

Front 67

umami

Back 67

one of the five basic tastes, which is described as “savory” and which may be largely the taste of L-glutamate

Front 68

vestibular sense

Back 68

sense of spatial orientation and balance

Front 69

vision

Back 69

sense of sight