PHYSIOLOGICAL

ASPECT
OF THE
SPECIAL SENSES
Major Senses Organs
Sensation and Perception

Vision - Eye
Hearing – Ear
Taste – Taste Receptors (new)
Smell – Olfactory system
Skin – Hot, Cold, Pressure, Pain
VISION
1. The Eyes Translate Light into Image Signals for
the Brain to Process
The human eye is a complex organ that allows us to see and perceive the world around us. It
works by capturing light from the surrounding environment and converting it into electrical
signals that can be interpreted by the brain.

The process begins when light enters the eye through the cornea, a clear protective layer at
the front of the eye. The light then passes through the pupil, the black opening in the center
of the eye, and is further controlled by the iris, which adjusts the size of the pupil to
regulate the amount of light entering the eye.
HEARING

THE EARS
The External ear includes the auricle
(aw′ri-kl; ear) and the external
auditory canal. The external ear
terminates medially at the tympanic
(tim-pan′ik) membrane, or eardrum.

The Middle ear is an air-filled space

within the petrous portion of the
temporal bone that contains the
auditory ossicles.

The Inner ear houses the sensory

organs for both hearing and balance. It
consists of interconnecting, fluid-filled
tunnels and chambers within the
petrous portion of the temporal bone.
EXTERNAL EAR

includes the auricle and the external auditory canal. The

external ear terminates medially at the tympanic membrane,
or eardrum.
The middle ear includes three small bones. They are the hammer, called the malleus; the anvil, known as the incus; and
the stirrup, known as the stapes. The eardrum lies between the middle ear and outer ear. The middle ear connects to the back
of the nose and throat by a narrow area called the eustachian tube.
FIGURE 15.27 Inner Ear: Bony
and Membranous Labyrinths

(a)The structures of the inner ear are

embedded in the temporal bone.

(b) The membranous labyrinth seen

within the outline of the bony labyrinth.

(c) A cross section through a semicircular

canal and

(d ) a cross
section through the cochlea show the
relationship between the bony and
membranous labyrinths
2. The Ear Uses Bones and Fluid to
Transform Sound Waves into Sound
Signals
Music, laughter, car honks — all reach the ears as sound waves in the air. The
outer ear funnels the waves down the ear canal (the external acoustic meatus)
to the tympanic membrane (the “ear drum”). The sound waves beat against the
tympanic membrane, creating mechanical vibrations in the membrane. The
tympanic membrane transfers these vibrations to three small bones, known as
auditory ossicles, found in the air-filled cavity of the middle ear. These bones –
the malleus, incus, and stapes – carry the vibrations and knock against the
opening to the inner ear. The inner ear consists of fluid-filled canals, including
the spiral-shaped cochlea. As the ossicles pound away, specialized hair cells in
the cochlea detect pressure waves in the fluid. They activate nervous receptors,
sending signals through the cochlear nerve toward the brain, which interprets
the signals as sounds.
3. Specialized Receptors in the Skin Send
Touch Signals to the Brain
Skin consists of three major tissue layers: the outer epidermis, middle dermis,
and inner hypodermis. Specialized receptor cells within these layers detect
tactile sensations and relay signals through peripheral nerves toward the brain.
The presence and location of the different types of receptors make certain body
parts more sensitive. Merkel cells, for example, are found in the lower
epidermis of lips, hands, and external genitalia. Meissner corpuscles are found
in the upper dermis of hairless skin — fingertips, nipples, the soles of the feet.
Both of these receptors detect touch, pressure, and vibration. Other touch
receptors include Pacinian corpuscles, which also register pressure and
vibration, and the free endings of specialized nerves that feel pain, itch, and
tickle.
4. Olfaction: Chemicals in the Air Stimulate
Signals the Brain Interprets as Smells
The sense of smell is called olfaction. It starts with specialized nerve
receptors located on hairlike cilia in the epithelium at the top of the
nasal cavity. When we sniff or inhale through the nose, some
chemicals in the air bind to these receptors. That triggers a signal that
travels up a nerve fiber, through the epithelium and the skull bone
above, to the olfactory bulbs. The olfactory bulbs contain neuron cell
bodies that transmit information along the cranial nerves, which are
extensions of the olfactory bulbs. They send the signal down the
olfactory nerves, toward the olfactory area of the cerebral cortex.
5. Home of the Taste Buds: The Tongue
Is the Principal Organ of Gustation
Tongue surface covered with papillae (rounded projections)
oPapillae classified based on shape
Vallate (circumvallate) papillae: largest of four classes. Dome-shaped.
Fungiform papillae: mushroom-shaped, and each contains only a few taste
buds
Foliate papillae: ridges on the sides of the tongue and contain taste buds only
in childhood.
Filiform papillae: long, thin cylinders scattered across the tongue. Do not
contain any taste buds
but have sensory nerve endings that detect the texture and temperature of food.
Gustatory sense (taste): involves chemoreceptors that are stimulated by various chemicals.
Involves gustatory chemoreceptors, olfactory chemoreceptors, thermoreceptors, and
nociceptors
Taste buds: small cluster of receptor cells and supporting cells. Scattered about tongue and
other surface of oral cavity.
Gustatory (taste) cells connected to CN VII, IX, X
Taste buds contain three cell types

O Sensory cells: specialized epithelial cells with microvilli. Microvilli project into small opening
on the papilla surface
O Basal cells: Stem cells that continuously differentiate into new gustatory cells. Short lifespan
of 10-14 days.
O Supporting cells: surround and physically support gustatory cells. No role in taste.