PS102 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Monosodium Glutamate, Taste Receptor, Taste
Document Summary
Together are called the chemical senses b/c they involve responses to particular chemical. Olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) senses emerged early in evolutionary history. Less complex animals rely most on olfactory sense. Ability to detect dangerous odours can be critical to our survival. Sensation in olfactory system begins when chemicals called odorants enter the nose. Odorants are converted to neural signals at sensory receptors located in our nasal mucosa. Continuous binding of certain odorants results in fatigue of olfactory receptor neurons. Cell stops responding unless given chance to recover. What we call taste is really flavour (combination of smell and taste) Gustatory sense is closely tied with olfactory but is independent. Top of tongue is covered with bumps called papillae. Papillae contain clumps of taste buds each containing 60-100 sensory receptor cells for taste. Taste receptor cells have cilia that contain the actual receptors. Cilia extend through pores of taste receptor and are exposed to contents of mouth.
