Chemical Senses

Receptors that sensitive to specific

chemicals are known as chemoreceptors
Respond to chemical changes in internal
and external environment

Sense of Taste (Gustation)

The specialized sense organs for taste
(gustation) are taste buds that found in the
mouth and throat
The vast majority on the upper surface and
sides of the tongue
 Taste bud (oval shape)
Consists of supporting cells, gustatory
receptor cells and basal cells
The supp. cells surround about 50 gus rec
cells in each taste bud
Gustatory hair project from each gus rec
cells to the external surfaces through the
taste pore (an opening in the taste bud)
Taste buds are small groups of cells and are
found in lingual papillae
Small hairlike projection increase the
surface area of taste rec and contain
integral membrane that transduce the
chemical into receptor potential
At the bottom of taste buds are basal cells,
which divide and differentiate to continually
replace the damage taste rec cells
To contact with taste rec cells, food
molecules must be dissolved in liquid
 Taste modalities generally fall into five
different categories according to the rec type
most strongly activated
The five primary taste are sweet, sour, salty,
bitter and umami (contain monosodium
glutamate)
Each group of tastes has a distinct signal
transduction mechanism
 Salt taste
the sodium ions (Na+) in salty food enter
gus rec cells via Na+ channels in the
plasma membrane
The accumulation of Na+ inside causes
depolarization that leads to release of
neurotransmitter
 Sour taste is stimulated by foods with high
acid content such as lemons, which contain
citric acid
The hydrogen ions (H+) in sour tastants
may flow into gus rec cells via H+ channels
They also influence in opening and closing
other types of ion channls
The result is depolarizes and the liberation
of neurotransmitter
Sweet rec have integral membrane protein
that bind natural sugar and artificial
sweetener
This binding activates a G-protein that
blocks potassium channels and generates
cell depolarization
 Bitter and Umami
Tastants bind to receptors linked to G-
proteins & activate different 2nd messengers,
cell depolarization and release of
neurotransmitters
Detection of tastants & Activation of the gustatory
receptors

chemical that stimulate gustatory rec cells are

known as tastants
tastants dissolved in saliva
↓
→ contact with plasma membrane of the
gustatory hairs
↓
produce receptor potential
↓
 stimulates exocytosis of synaptic vesicles
from the gustatory receptor cells
↓
neurotransmitter molecules trigger nerve
impuls in sensory neurons that synapse with
gus rec cells
 Gustatory pathway

The taste buds project impulses

through 3 cranial nerves
a) Facial nerve (cranial nerve VII)
serves anterior 2/3 of the tongue
b) Glossopharyngeal nerve (cranial
nerve IX) serves posterior 1/3 of the tongue
c)Vagus nerve (cranial nerve X) serves
the throat
 
medulla oblongata

thalamus

primary gustatory area in the parietal lobe of the
cerebral cortex

perception of taste
 Sense of Smell (Olfaction)

Both smell and taste are chemical senses

The sensations arise from the interaction of
molecules with smell or taste receptors
The nose contains 10-100 million receptors,
within an area called olfactory epithelium
 Olf rec can recognition of ~10,000
different odors with great accuracy
Olfactory neural circuits encode info.
about different chemical structures
associated with the odors > sensitive than
taste receptors, contribute to ~80% of food
flavor
Structure and Function of the Olfactory Receptors
The olfactory epithelium occupies the superior
part of the nasal cavity
Consists of olfactory receptor cells,
supporting cells, basal stem cells
Receptor cells
a) are constantly replaced by new cells
produced by the basal stem cells
b) are specialized afferent neurons (of the
olfactory pathway) with a single enlarged
dendrite extending to the epithelium surface
c) signal transduction arise from the
olfactory cilia that project from the dendrites
 Supporting cells
SC are columnar epithelial cells
Its provide physical support, nourishment,
electrical insulation and help to detoxify
chemicals
Basal cells are stem cells, located between
the bases of supporting cells
Its undergo cell division to produce new
olfactory receptors
Olfactory glands
Located within the connective tissue
Its produced mucus that is carried to the
surfaces of the epi by ducts
The secretion moistens the surfaces of the
olfactory epi and dissolves odorants so that
transduction can occur
Detection of an odorant (odorous substance) &
Activation of the olfactory receptors

Substance molecules (odorants)

diffuse into the air & pass into the nose
↓
dissolve in the mucus covering the epithelium
↓
bind to specific odorant receptors on the cilia
(most are linked to G-proteins)
↓
 activates G-protein
↓
activates an enzyme adenylate cyclase
↓
production of cAMP → opening of Na+ channels
trigger Na+ influx
↓
depolarizing generator potential
↓
generation of nerve impulses & propagation
along axon of olfactory receptor
 The Olfactory pathway

The axons collectively form the right & left

olfactory (I) nerves (cranial nerve I)
↓
terminate in the olfactory bulbs located below the
frontal lobes of the cerebrum (↑ specificity
with spatial & temporal components)
↓
synapse with dendrites & cell bodies of olfactory
bulb neurons in the olfactory pathway
↓
neurons extend posteriorly & form the olfactory
tract
↓
axons project to the lateral olfactory area at the
inferior and medial surface of the temporal lobe
(conscious awareness of smells begin)
↓
frontal cortex / thalamus
 The Olfactory Pathway

Bundles of slender axons of olfactory rec (40) collectively

form the right and left olfactory (I) nerves
↓
The olf ner terminate in the olf bulbs, which are located
below the frontal lobes of the cerebrum
Within the olf bulbs, the axon terminals of olf rec form
synapses with the dendrites and cell bodies of olf bulb
neurons
↓
Axons of olf bulb neurons extend posteriorly and form
the olfactory tract
↓
Some of the axons of the olf tract project to the
primary olf area of the cerebral cortex
Other axons of the olf tract project to the limbic
system and hypothalamus
↓
project to frontal lobe