Perception Final Muthafucka

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the sense of smell

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olfaction

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the sense of taste

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gustation

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a general smell sensation of a particular quality.

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odor

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any specific aromatic chemical

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odorant

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one of the three types of cells in the olfactory epithelium. this cell type provides metabolic and physical support for the OSNs.

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supporting cells

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one of the three types of cells in the olfactory epithelium. precursor cells to olfactory sensory neurons

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basal cells

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the main cell type in the olfactory epithelium. OSNs are smell neurons located beneath a watery mucous layer in the epithelium. the cilia on the OSN dendrites contain the receptor sites for odorant molecules

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olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs)

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hairlike protusions on the dendrites of the olfactory sensory neurons. the receptor for the odorant molecules are here, which are the first structures involved in the olfactory signal transduction

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cilia

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the region on the cilia of olfactory sensory neurons where odorant molecules bind

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olfactory receptor (OR)

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a narrow space at the back of the nose into which air flows, where the main olfactory epithelium is located

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olfactory cleft

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a secretory mucosa in the human nose whose primary function is to detect odorants in the inspired air. located on both sides of the upper portion of the nasal cavity and the olfactory clefts. contains three types of cells: olfactory sensory neurons, basal cells, and supporting cells

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olfactory epithelium

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a bony structure riddles with tiny holes, at the level of the eyebrows, that separates the nose from the brain. the axons from the olfactory sensory neurons pass through the tiny holes of the cribiform plate to enter the brain.

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cribiform plate

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the total inability to smell, most often resulting from sinus illness or head trauma

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anosmia

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the first pair of cranial nerves. the axons of the olfactory sensory neurons bundle together after passing through the cribiform plate to form the nerve

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olfactory (I) nerves

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the blueberry-sized extension of the brain just above the nose, where olfactory information is first processed. there are 2 of these, one in each brain hemisphere, corresponding to the right and left nostrils.

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olfactory bulb

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referring to the same side of the body (or brain)

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ipsilateral

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the main projective output neurons in the olfactory bulbs

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mitral cells

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a secondary class of output neurons in the olfactory bulbs

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tufted cells

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spherical conglomerates containing the incoming axons of the olfactory sensory neurons. each OSN converges on two of these (one medial, one lateral)

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glomeruli

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the neural area where olfactory information is first processed, which includes the amygdala-hippocampal complex and the entorhinal cortex

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primary olfactory cortex

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the conjoined regions of the amygdala and hippocampus, which are key structures in the limbic system. the complex is critical for the unique emotional and associative properties of olfactory cognition

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amygdala-hippocampal complex

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a phylogenetically old cortical region that provides the major sensory association input into the hippocampus. also receives direct projections from olfactory regions

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entorhinal cortex

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the encompassing group of neural structures that includes the olfactory cortex, the amygdala, the hippocampus, the piriform cortex, and the entorhinal cortex. involved in many aspects of emotion and memory. olfaction is unique among the senses for its direct and intimate connection to this.

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limbic system

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the fifth pair of cranial nerves, which transmit information about the 'feel' of an odorant.

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trigeminal (V) nerves

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the current dominant biochemical theory for how chemicals come to be perceived as specific odorants. contends that different scents -- as a function of odorant-shape to OR-shape fit -- active different arrays of olfactory receptors in the olfactory epithelia. these various arrays produce specific firing patterns of neurons in the olfactory bulb, which then determine the particular scent we perceive.

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shape-pattern theory

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an alternative to shaper-pattern theory, describing how olfaction works; most recently championed by Luca Turin. proposes that every perceived smell has a different vibrational frequency, and that molecules that produce the same vibrational frequencies will smell the same

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vibration theory

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the inability to smell one specific compound amid otherwise normal smell perception

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specific anosmia

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isomers in which the spatial arrangement of the atoms are mirror-image rotations of one another, like a right and left hand. also called optical isomers

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stereoisomers

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the science of defining quantitative relationships between physical and psychological events

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psychophysics

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a psychophysical method for determining the concentration of a stimulus required for detection at the threshold level. a stimulus is presented in an ascending concentration sequence until detection is indicated, and then the concentration is shifted to a descending sequence until the response changes to "no detection". this ascending and descending sequence is typically repeated several times, and the concentrations at which reversals occur are averages of that odorant for a given individual. also called reverse staircase method

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staircase method

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a test in which a participant is given three odors to smell, of which two are the same and one is different. the participant is required to state which is the odd odor out. the order of the three odors given is typically manipulated and the test repeated several times for greater accuracy

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triangle test

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the inability to name an odorant, even though it's very familiar. contrary to the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, one has no lexical access to the name of the odorant, such as first letter, rhyme, number of syllables, and so on, when in this state. this is one example of how language and olfactory perception are deeply disconnected.

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tip-of-the-nose-phenomenon

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the class of receptors that are present on the surface of olfactory sensory neurons. all GPCRs are characterized by a common structural feature of seven membrane-spanning alpha helices

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G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)

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the biochemical phenomenon that occurs after continuous exposure to an odorant, whereby the receptors stop responding to the odorant and detection ceases

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receptor adaptation

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the reduction in detection of an odorant following exposure to another odorant. presumed to occur because the two odorants share one or moreolfactory receptors for their transduction, but the order of odorant presentation also plays a role

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cross-adaptation

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the psychological process by which, after a long-term exposure to an odorant, one is no longer able to detect that odorant or has very diminished ability

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cognitive habituation

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the liking dimension of odor perception, typically measured with scales pertaining to an odorant's perceived pleasantness, familiarity, and intensity

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odor hedonics

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fetal development during pregnancy

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gestation

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the avoidance of a novel flavor after it has been paired with gastric illness. the smell, not the taste, of the substance is key

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learned taste aversion

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the part of the frontal lobe of the cortex that lies above the bone (orbit) containing the eyes. responsible for processing olfaction. is is also the area of the brain critical for assigning affective value to stimuli -- in other words, determining hedonic meaning

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orbitofrontal cortex

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the olfactory bulb; the blueberry-sized extension of the brain just above the nose; the first region of the brain where smells are processed. in humans we simply refer "olfactory bulb(s)", but in animals, we distinguish between "main" and "accessory"

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main olfactory bulb (MOB)

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a smaller neural structure located behind the main olfactory bulb that receives input from the vomeronasal organ

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accessory olfactory bulb (AOB)

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a chemical sensing organ at the base of the nasal cavity with a curved tubular shape. evolved to detect chemicals that can't be processed by the olfactory epithelium, such as large and/or aqueous molecules -- the types of molecules that constitute pheromones

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vomeronasal organ (VNO)

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a chemical emitted by one member of a species that triggers a physiological or behavioral response in another member of that same species. they are signals for chemical communication and do not need to have any smell

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pheromone

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the position that a sow needs to assume in order to be impregnated. is involves inward curving of the spinal column and exposure of the genitals

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lordosis

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a pheromone that triggers an immediate behavioral response among conspecifics

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releaser pheromone

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a pheromone that triggers a physiological (often hormonal) change among conspecifics. this effect usually involves prolonged pheromone exposure

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primer pheromone

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the four taste qualities that are generally agreed to describe human taste experience: sweet, salty, sour, bitter

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basic tastes

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the taste quality produced by the cations of salt. some cations also produce other taste qualities. the purest salty taste is produced by sodium chloride, common table salt

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salty

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the taste quality produced by the hydrogen ion in acids

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sour

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the taste quality generally considered unpleasant, produced by substances like quninine or caffeine

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bitter

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the taste quality produced by some sugars, such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose. these three sugars are particularly biologically useful to us, and our sweet receptors are tuned to them.

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sweet

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the idea that deficiency of a given nutrient produces craving for that nutrient. Curt Richter first proposed this idea and demonstrated that cravings for salty or sweet are associated with deficiencies in those substances. however, the idea proved wrong for other nutrients

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specific hungers theory

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the taste sensation evoked by monosodium glutamate (MSG)

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umami

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the sodium salt of glutamic acid (an amino acid)

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monosodium glutamate (MSG)

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a theory of taste coding in which each taste nerve fiber carries a particular taste quality. for example, the quality evoked from a sucrose-best fiber is sweet, that from an NaCl-best fiber is salty, and so on.

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labeled lines

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an individual born with two recessive alleles for the TaSr3B gene and unable to taste the compounds phenylthiocarbdmide or proplthiouracil (bitter taste)

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nontaster of PTC/PROP

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an individual born with one or both dominant alleles for the TaSr3B gene and able to taste the compounds phenylthiocarbamide or proplthiouracil. those who also have a high density of fingiform papillae are supertasters

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taster of PTC/PROP

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the ability to match the intensities of sensations that come from different sensory modalities. this ability enables insight into sensory differences. to the average nontaster of PTC/PROP, for example, the bitterness of black coffee roughly matches the pain of a mild headache; for a super taster, the bitterness of black coffee roughly matches the pain of a severe headache

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cross-modality matching

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an individual who perceives the most intense taste situations. a variety of factors may contribute to this heightened perception; among the most important is the density of fungiform papillae

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supertaster