Anatomy & Physiology - Laboratory

STUDENT ACTIVITY SHEET BS NURSING / FIRST YEAR

Session # 23

LESSON TITLE: SENSES (Part 1) Materials:

Pen and notebook
LEARNING TARGETS:

Upon completion of this lesson, you can:

1. Distinguish between general senses and special senses;
2. Describe five types of sensory receptors;
3. Define pain and referred pain;
4. List the special senses;
5. Describe olfactory neuron; and,
6. Outline the structure and function of the taste bud.
Reference:
VanPutte, C., Regan, J., & Russo, A. (2019). Seeley’s
essentials of anatomy & physiology (10th ed.). New
York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW
To begin, you answer the following questions below. Write your answers on the space provided before the number of each item.

E 1. Functional division of the nervous system that is responsible for homeostatic reflexes that coordinate control of cardiac and
smooth muscle, as well as glandular tissue
D 2. Anatomical division of the nervous system located within the cranial and vertebral cavities, namely the brain and spinal
cord
B 3. Neural tissue associated with the digestive system that is responsible for nervous control through autonomic connections
C 4. Anatomical division of the nervous system that is largely outside the cranial and vertebral cavities, namely all parts
except the brain and spinal cord
A 5. Functional division of the nervous system that is concerned with conscious perception, voluntary movement, and skeletal
muscle reflexes
A. Somatic nervous system (SNS)
B. Enteric nervous system (ENS)
C. Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
D. Central nervous system (CNS)
E. Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

MAIN LESSON
You will study and read their book, if available, about this lesson.

SENSES

Sense is the ability to perceive stimuli.

Sensation is the process initiated by stimulating sensory receptors and perception is the conscious awareness of those stimuli.
Historically, five senses were recognized: smell, taste, sight, hearing and touch. Now, it was divided into two groups: general and
special senses.

The General senses are receptors distributed over a large part of the body, divided into somatic and the visceral senses.
● somatic senses provide sensory information about the body and the environment.
● visceral senses provide information about various internal organs, primarily involving pain and pressure.
The Special senses are more specialized in structure and localized to specific parts of the body. The special senses are smell, taste,
sight hearing and balance.

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Sensory receptors are sensory nerve endings or specialized cells capable of responding to a stimulus by developing action
potentials. Several types of receptors are associated with both the general and the special senses, and each responds to a different type
of stimulus.

Mechanoreceptors - responds to mechanical stimuli such as the bending or stretching of receptors

Chemoreceptors - responds to chemicals, such as odor molecules
Photoreceptors - responds to light
Thermoreceptors - respond to temperature changes
Nociceptors - respond to stimuli that result in the sensation of pain

GENERAL SENSES
The general senses include the senses of touch pressure, pain temperature, vibration, itch and proprioception which is the sense
of movement and position of the body and limbs.

Receptors of the general senses:

*Free nerve endings - simplest and most common receptor that are relatively unspecialized neuronal branches similar to dendrites.
*Cold receptors - respond to decreasing temperatures but stop responding at temperatures below 12 ºC
*Warm receptors - respond to increasing temperature but stop responding at temperatures above 47 ºC
*Touch receptors - structural more complex than free ending nerve endings and enclosed by capsule
*Merkel disks - small superficial nerve endings involved in detecting light touch and superficial pressure
✔ Hair follicle receptors - associated with hairs that also involved in detecting light touch
✔ Meissner corpuscles - very specific in localizing tactile sensations
✔ Ruffini corpuscles - play an important role in detecting continuous pressure in the skin
✔ Pacinian corpuscles - relays information concerning deep pressure, vibration and position

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PAIN
▪ Pain is characterized by a group of unpleasant perceptual and emotional experiences.
▪ Action potentials from pain receptors in local areas of the body can be suppressed by local anesthesia, a treatment where
chemical anesthetics are injected near a sensory receptor or nerve resulting in reduced pain sensation.
▪ Pain sensations can also be suppressed if loss of consciousness is produced, this is usually accomplished by general
anesthesia, a treatment where chemical anesthetics that affect the reticular formation are administered
▪ According to gate control theory, these actions “close the gate” and inhibit action potential carried to the brain by
spinothalamic tract. Action potentials carried by spinothalamic tract can be inhibited by action potentials carried by descending
neurons of the dorsal column system. These neurons are stimulated by mental or physical activity especially involvement of the
limbs. The descending neurons synapse with and inhibit neurons in the posterior horn that give rise to the spinothalamic tract. The
gate control theory also explains why the intensity of pain is decreased by diverting a person’s attention.
▪ Referred pain is perceived to originate in a region of the body that is not a source of the pain stimulus. This occurs because
sensory neurons from the superficial area to which the area is referred and the neurons deeper, visceral area where the pain
stimulation originates converge onto the same ascending neurons in the spinal cord. Referred pain is clinically useful in
diagnosing the actual cause of the painful stimulus. For example, heart attack victims often may not feel the pain in the heart but
instead perceive cutaneous pain radiating from the left shoulder down the arm.

SPECIAL SENSES

OLFACTION
The sense of smell, called olfaction, occurs in response to
airborne molecules called odorants that enter the nasal
cavity. Olfactory neurons are bipolar neurons within the
olfactory epithelium which lines the superior part of the nasal
cavity. The dendrites of the olfactory neurons extend to the
epithelial surface and the mucus keeps the epithelium moist,
traps and dissolves airborne molecules.

Neuronal Pathways for Olfaction

Axons from olfactory neurons form the olfactory nerves
(cranial I) which pass through the foramina of the cribriform
plate and enter the olfactory bulb. There they synapse with
interneurons that relay action potentials to the brain through the
olfactory tracts. Each olfactory tract terminates in an area of
the brain called olfactory cortex, located within the temporal
and frontal lobes. Olfaction is the only major sensation that is
relayed directly to the cerebral cortex without first passing
through the thalamus.

TASTE
The sensory structures that detect taste stimuli are the taste
buds, which are oval structures located on the surface of
certain papillae; they are the enlargements on the surface of
the tongue. Each taste bud consists of two types of cells called
special epithelial cells that form the exterior supporting capsule
of each taste bud. The interior consists of about 40 taste cells.
Each taste cell contains hair like processes called taste hairs
that extend into a tiny opening in the surrounding stratified
epithelium called taste pores. Taste sensations are divided into
five basic types: sour, salty, bitter, sweet, and umami.
Presumably, our ability to perceive many different tastes is
achieved through various combinations of these five types.

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 Neuronal Pathways for Taste
Taste sensations are carried by three cranial nerves. The facial nerve (VII) transmits taste sensation from anterior two/thirds of the
tongue and the glossopharyngeal (IX) carries taste sensations from the posterior one-third. In addition, the vagus nerve (X) carries
some taste sensations from the root of the tongue. Axons from these cranial nerves synapse in the gustatory portion of brainstem
nuclei. Axons of neurons in these brainstem nuclei synapse in the thalamus, and axons from neurons in the thalamus project to taste
areas in the insula of the cerebrum.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING

You will answer and rationalize this by yourself. This will be recorded as your quiz. One (1) point will be given to the correct
answer and another one (1) point for the correct ratio. Superimpositions or erasures in your answer/ratio is not allowed.

Identify the following. Write your answer in space before the number.

SENSATION 1. The process initiated by stimulating sensory receptors

NOCICEPTORS 2. Respond to stimuli that result in sensation of pain
RUFFINI CORPUSCLES 3. It plays an important role in detecting continuous pressure in the skin
PAIN 4. Characterized by a group of unpleasant perceptual and emotional experience
TASTE BUDS 5. Sensory structure that detect taste stimuli
OLFACTION 6. Only major sensation that is relayed directly to the cerebral cortex without passing first the
thalamus
GENERAL ANESTHESIA 7. Treatment where chemical anesthetics that affect the reticular formation are administered
VISCERAL SENSES 8. It provides information about various internal organs
LOCAL ANESTHESIA 9. Treatment where chemical anesthetics are injected near the sensory receptor
REFERRED PAIN 10. Clinically useful in diagnosing the actual cause of the painful stimulus
VAGUS NERVE 11. Carries taste sensations from the roots of the tongue
MERKEL DISKS 12. Small, superficial nerve endings involved in detecting light touch and superficial pressure
PHOTORECEPTORS 13. Responds to light
SOMATIC SENSES 14. It provides sensory information about the body and the environment
FACIAL NERVE 15. Transmits taste sensation from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue

RATIONALIZATION ACTIVITY
The instructor will now provide you the rationalization to these questions. You can now ask questions and debate among yourselves.
Write the correct answer and correct/additional ratio in the space provided.

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LESSON WRAP-UP

You will now mark (encircle) the session you have finished today in the tracker below. This is simply a visual to help you track how
much work you have accomplished and how much work there is left to do.

You are done with the session! Let’s track your progress.

AL Activity: LEARNING SHEETS

This technique will help the students to engage in reading by providing a question sheet that guides & stimulates the learning.
The teacher will instruct the students to answer the following questions per column, as fast as they can, without looking in their notes.

FIND-OUT QUESTIONS:
1. This is the small spot near the center of the posterior retina. MACULA

2. This maintains eye pressure and holds the lens and retina. CILIARY BODY

3. protects the eyes from foreign objects. EYELIDS

LARGER QUESTIONS: (These can only be answered if the FIND-OUT QUESTIONS are completed.)

Define the following terms:

1. Static Equilibrium

Movement of the head with respect to gravity. When the head and body are not moving, the CNS interprets the
position of the head and allows the CNS to maintain stability and posture.

2. Conduction Deafness
It is a hearing loss caused by blocked or changed sound transmission to the tympanic membrane or the middle ear's
ossicle chain.

CHALLENGE QUESTION:
1. What are the significant changes that may occur in the sense upon aging?

All of the 5 senses of older people are likely to deteriorate. While the sense of smell, taste, and touch alter as we get
older, the most expected changes are in the vision and hearing. As senses change,
adults may find it more difficult to interact and participate in activities when their senses deteriorate.

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