extra review

Taste and smell axons converge onto many of the same cells in an area called the ____.

Endopiriform cortex

Olfactory information is coded in receptor cells through ____.

Hundreds of types of receptor molecules, each responsive to a different chemical

Each receptor responds to a limited range of stimuli and sends a direct line to the brain. This type of coding is referred to as ____.

Labeled-line

The receptors for taste are ____.

Modified skin cells

Pacinian corpuscles respond best to ____.

Rapid mechanical pressure

Which two structures provide information about vestibular sensation?

Semicircular canals and otolith organs

The somatosensory system involves sensation of ____.

The body and its movements

A distinctive feature of itch is that it relies on ____.

Unusually slow axons

An individual with damage to the primary somatosensory cortex would most have problems with ____.

Ability to locate where they are being touched

Each receptor responds to a wide range of stimuli and contributes to the perception of each of them. This type of coding is referred to as ____.

Across-fiber

What is a dermatome?

An area of the skin innervated by a given spinal nerve

The eighth cranial nerve contains both a(n) ____ component and a ____ component.

Auditory; vestibular

Each spinal nerve has ____.

Both a sensory and a motor component

Large-diameter pain axons ____.

Carry sharp pain information

In adult humans, the taste buds are ____.

Concentrated along the outside edge of the tongue

Reduced response to one taste after exposure to another is referred to as ____.

Cross-adaptation

Along each strip of somatosensory cortex, different sub-areas respond to ____.

Different areas of the body

Studies with placebos and studies using hypnotism suggest that much of the reduction in pain is the result of decreased activation in the ____.

Emotion areas of the brain

A mild degree of pain releases the neurotransmitter ____. A more intense pain also releases ____.

Glutamate; substance P

Itching is primarily the result of ____.

Histamine release

How many kinds of olfactory receptors do we have?

Hundreds

Morphine and other opiate drugs decrease sensitivity to pain by ____.

Mimicking the effects of endorphins at the synapses

Repeated exposure to male pheromones may be associated with ____ in young women who are not sexually active.

More regular menstrual cycles

What does the vestibular system detect?

Movement of the head

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a set of receptors located ____.

Near, but separate from, the olfactory receptors

What process is predicted by the gate theory of pain?

Non-pain information can inhibit pain information.

The taste nerves initially project to the ____.

Nucleus of the tractus solitarius

Olfactory receptors carry their message to the ____.

Olfactory bulb

The brain chemicals known as endorphins produce effects similar to which substance?

Opiates

Somatosensory information travels from the thalamus to which area of the cortex?

Parietal lobe

Many women living in a college dormitory will gradually begin to synchronize their menstrual cycles. The research indicates that this is, at least in part, based on ____.

Pheromones

In the otolith organs, the otoliths are calcium carbonate particles that ____.

Push against hair cells when moved

Chemicals that prevent sodium from crossing the membrane ____.

Reduce the intensity of salty tastes

Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, relieve pain by ____.

Reducing the release of chemicals from damaged tissues

Taste perception in the brain depends on ____.

Relative activity of different taste neurons

Pain receptors of the skin are ____.

Simple, bare neuron endings

Morphine is effective in relieving ____.

Slow, dull pain

Olfaction also plays a subtle role in ____.

Social behavior

The sensory aspect of pain activates the ____ cortex, whereas the emotional aspect activates the ____ cortex.

Somatosensory; cingulate

What neurotransmitter is released by axons that carry pain information to the brain?

Substance P

A person who "sees" spoken language or music may be experiencing ____.

Synesthesia

An acceleration of the head at any angle causes ____.

The jelly-like substance in one of the semicircular canals to push against hair cells

When mechanical pressure bends the membrane of a Pacinian corpuscle, ____.

The membrane's resistance to the flow of sodium ions decreases

Which statement is TRUE of various types of somatosensation?

They are at least partly distinct all the way from the receptors to the cerebral cortex

What is unusual about olfactory receptors compared to most other mature mammalian neurons?

They are replaceable when old neurons die

The ____ nucleus of the thalamus is associated with pain perception of the body.

Ventral posterior

Which ability would be most impaired with damage to the vestibular senses?

Visually tracking an object while dancing

We can identify a wide variety of bitter substances because ____.

We have many different bitter receptors

If you are a supertaster, then ____.

You are more sensitive than the average person to nearly all tastes