BIOL412 Chapter Notes - Chapter 36: Olfactory Receptor Neuron, Biosensor, Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potential
Document Summary
Taste and smell: chemoreceptors: molecule in the environment binds to protein receptor, signal is sent to open ion channel, cell is depolarized. Touch and sound: mechanoreceptors: pressure works on receptor, cell is depolarized. Vision: photoreceptors: light hits protein receptor, signal is sent to close ion channel, cell is hyperpolarized. Environmental stimuli external and internal biosensors (receptors) Mechanical and chemical: temperature, pressure, touch, taste and smell, motion and hearing, sonar (echo-location) Electromagnetic: sigh evolution of the eye, magnetism. Lateral inhibition sharpening the location of touch. Lateral inhibition of sensory receptor cells enhances edge and border detection by reducing excitation of adjacent interneurons, resulting in a high firing rate for the most affected interneuron: this results in an inhibitory synapse. Olfactory sensory neurons sense odorants that bind to specific receptors on chemosensitive hairs that project into the mucus. Action potentials produced in response to the binding of odorants to membrane receptors are sent to the olfactory interneurons.
