Dental Notes 1

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5.

Smell and Taste


OLFACTORY CHEMORECEPTOR
• Located in olfactory epithelium (upper part of nasal cavity)
• Each cell contains only one type of olfactory receptor
• Each cell sends projection to olfactory bulb
• Same receptor —> converge on olfactory glomerulus in olfactory bulb

PATHWAY
1. Olfactory chemoreceptors (epithelium)
2. Glomerulus (olfactory bulb)
3. Mitral cells (olfactory bulb)
4. Lateral olfactory tract
5. Olfactory cortex

PHYSIOLOGY
• Odorant molecules dissolve in mucus that covers the epithelium
• Binds to odorant receptors on odorant receptor cells on the cilia of chemoreceptor cells, in
nasal cavity
• 1 odorant chemical = recognised by multiple olfactory receptors
• 1 receptor = recognise multiple odorants
• Detection of particular odorant = encoded by firing of distinct combination of sensory cells
• Golf protein es second messengers
• Increased conductance of Na+z & Ca2+—> depolarisation
• Olfactory information = patterns of neutron activity
• Strength of odorant = frequency of neural discharge

NOREPINEPHRINE (SYMPATHETIC NERVES)


• Adrenergic stimulation —> enhances odorant contrast, filter out weak responses, amplify
strong responses
• Beneficial in stress

ACETYLCHOLINE (PARASYMPATHETIC NERVES)


• Cholinergic modulation —> increases responses to many odorants
• Enhanced appreciation for richness and complexity of olfactory cues
• Beneficial during feeding

—> enhance responses of olfactory receptor neurone to odorants

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