Senses and Receptors

Research Paper # 113165

Biology

An analysis of an experiment that investigated chemoreception and mechanoreception in humans.

2,122 words () | 11 sources | APA | 2008 Canada

Paper Summary:

The paper details an experiment that examined the three senses of taste, touch and hearing by determining the thresholds and the localization of their specific receptors. The paper describes the materials and methods used and includes graphs and charts to display results. A discussion on the findings of this experiment is also provided.

Outline:
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion

From the Paper:

"In this experiment, three senses were analyzed by determining the thresholds and the localization of their specific receptors. The chemical sense of taste can be divided into five distinct qualities: salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami (Goldstein, 2007), of which the first four were investigated in this experiment. The surface of the tongue contains four different papillae: circumvallate, fungiform, foliate and filiform. The first three house the taste buds. Each taste bud contains receptor sites for different types of chemical, depending on its papillae type (Zungia, et al, 1993). When a chemical contacts the appopriate site, transduction occurs down its nerve fiber. Fibers from the same receptor types synapse with the nucleus of the solitary tract, which eventually leads into several areas of the frontal lobe. These are the insula and the frontal operculum cortex, which receive the taste signals and the orbital frontal cortex, which combines these signals with input from the olfactory system (Goldstein, 2007)."

Sample of Sources Used:

Animal Physiology I Laboratory Manual. SC/BIOL 3060 4.0. Toronto: York University. Department of Biology, Fall 2008.
Goldstein, E.B. (2007) Sensation and perception. 7th ed. Thomson Wadsworth, Belmont.
Randall et al. (2002). Eckert animal physiology: mechanisms and adaptations. 5th ed. W.H. Freeman and Company, New York.
Heath T.P., et al. (2006). Human taste thresholds are modulated by serotonin and noradrenaline. Journal of Neuroscience. 26, 12664-12671.
Zungia, J.R. et al. (1993). Taste performance on the anterior human tongue varies with fungiform taste bud density. Chemical Senses. 18, 449-460.