UNC NSCI 225 FINAL EXAM (CHANON) | QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS | WITH COMPLETE SOLUTION.
olfaction Answer - flavor + taste
olfactory mucosa Answer - region in the nasal cavity that contains the
receptors for olfaction
olfactory reception neuron Answer - transforms chemical stimuli into electrical
signals
How many olfactory receptors do humans have? Answer - 5-10 million
how many types of olfactory receptors are there? Answer - ~400
olfactory bulb Answer - a brain structure located above the nasal cavity
beneath the frontal lobes
how do we recognize different odors? Answer - odorants are coded by patterns
of activation of olfactory receptors called recognition profiles.
recognition profile Answer - the pattern of activation of olfactory receptors for
a specific odorant
,molecules that have similar structures but smell different have Answer -
different recognition profiles
ORNs of a particular type send their signals to how many glomeruli? Answer -
1-2
glomeruli Answer - topographically-organized small round areas on the
olfactory bulb where the ORN axons synapse
different odors have a different pattern of Answer - glomeruli activation
who can detect odors more readily: males or females? Answer - females
What is scent used for, from an evolutionary standpoint? Answer - mate
selection
can you increase your scent detection sensitivity? Answer - yes, if you have
female hormones and are of reproductive age
synesthesia Answer - combined perception of more than one sense into one
perceptual experience
grapheme-color synesthesia Answer - seeing alphabetical letters as different
colors
evidence for the existence of synesthesia Answer - when subjects are tested
over and over they can still say the same colors for each grapheme- even with
90% accuracy a year later than the original test.
,more evidence for the existence of synesthesia Answer - syntesthetes correctly
reported the shame formed by a group of numbers up to 90% of the time,
quicker than nonsynesthetes.
are there neural correlates of synesthesia? Answer - yes! such as:
- Increased V4 activity for colored hearing
- larger white matter tracts in many perceptual connections
- defective pruning of preexisting connections between areas that are normally
connected only sparsely
what's a strong neural theory for the cause of synesthesia? Answer - It's
caused by the disinhibition of neural connections which normally would have
been pruned away.
can one lose synesthesia? Answer - possibly, by taking medications that have
inhibitory effects
chemical sense Answer - a sense which involves taking molecules of the thing
that you are perceiving into your body
which senses are the chemical senses? Answer - taste and smell
neurogenesis of olfactory receptors Answer - 5-7 weeks cycle
neurogenesis of taste receptors Answer - 1-2 weeks cycle
where are the taste receptors located? Answer - papillae and taste buds on the
tongue
, how many fungiform papillae do you have? Answer - up to 8 taste buds
how many foliate papillae do you have? Answer - up to 1200 taste buds
how many circumvallate papillae do you have? Answer - up to 250 taste buds
What are filiform papillae for? Answer - sensation of touch on the tongue
Which papillae are involved in taste reception? Answer - circumvallate, foliate,
and fungiform
what are the 3 types of taste cells? Answer - Type I, Type II, Type III
Type I taste cells Answer - glial type cells; housekeepers
Type II taste cells Answer - bitter, sweet, and umami
Type III taste cells Answer - sour
flavor = Answer - taste + olfaction
Tongue to brain pathway Answer - signal from tongue -> ventral posterior
medial nucleus of the thalamus -> primary gustatory cortex -> secondary
processing areas w/ smell
AND ANSWERS | WITH COMPLETE SOLUTION.
olfaction Answer - flavor + taste
olfactory mucosa Answer - region in the nasal cavity that contains the
receptors for olfaction
olfactory reception neuron Answer - transforms chemical stimuli into electrical
signals
How many olfactory receptors do humans have? Answer - 5-10 million
how many types of olfactory receptors are there? Answer - ~400
olfactory bulb Answer - a brain structure located above the nasal cavity
beneath the frontal lobes
how do we recognize different odors? Answer - odorants are coded by patterns
of activation of olfactory receptors called recognition profiles.
recognition profile Answer - the pattern of activation of olfactory receptors for
a specific odorant
,molecules that have similar structures but smell different have Answer -
different recognition profiles
ORNs of a particular type send their signals to how many glomeruli? Answer -
1-2
glomeruli Answer - topographically-organized small round areas on the
olfactory bulb where the ORN axons synapse
different odors have a different pattern of Answer - glomeruli activation
who can detect odors more readily: males or females? Answer - females
What is scent used for, from an evolutionary standpoint? Answer - mate
selection
can you increase your scent detection sensitivity? Answer - yes, if you have
female hormones and are of reproductive age
synesthesia Answer - combined perception of more than one sense into one
perceptual experience
grapheme-color synesthesia Answer - seeing alphabetical letters as different
colors
evidence for the existence of synesthesia Answer - when subjects are tested
over and over they can still say the same colors for each grapheme- even with
90% accuracy a year later than the original test.
,more evidence for the existence of synesthesia Answer - syntesthetes correctly
reported the shame formed by a group of numbers up to 90% of the time,
quicker than nonsynesthetes.
are there neural correlates of synesthesia? Answer - yes! such as:
- Increased V4 activity for colored hearing
- larger white matter tracts in many perceptual connections
- defective pruning of preexisting connections between areas that are normally
connected only sparsely
what's a strong neural theory for the cause of synesthesia? Answer - It's
caused by the disinhibition of neural connections which normally would have
been pruned away.
can one lose synesthesia? Answer - possibly, by taking medications that have
inhibitory effects
chemical sense Answer - a sense which involves taking molecules of the thing
that you are perceiving into your body
which senses are the chemical senses? Answer - taste and smell
neurogenesis of olfactory receptors Answer - 5-7 weeks cycle
neurogenesis of taste receptors Answer - 1-2 weeks cycle
where are the taste receptors located? Answer - papillae and taste buds on the
tongue
, how many fungiform papillae do you have? Answer - up to 8 taste buds
how many foliate papillae do you have? Answer - up to 1200 taste buds
how many circumvallate papillae do you have? Answer - up to 250 taste buds
What are filiform papillae for? Answer - sensation of touch on the tongue
Which papillae are involved in taste reception? Answer - circumvallate, foliate,
and fungiform
what are the 3 types of taste cells? Answer - Type I, Type II, Type III
Type I taste cells Answer - glial type cells; housekeepers
Type II taste cells Answer - bitter, sweet, and umami
Type III taste cells Answer - sour
flavor = Answer - taste + olfaction
Tongue to brain pathway Answer - signal from tongue -> ventral posterior
medial nucleus of the thalamus -> primary gustatory cortex -> secondary
processing areas w/ smell
