Question

State the function of gustatory receptors and olfactory receptors.

Answer 1

Hint: The human body has been provided with some sense organs along with the central nervous system (CNS). These sensory organs detect every change that occurs in the surroundings and then sends suitable signals to the CNS, where these inputs are processed and analyzed. These signals are then sent to various parts of the body to the various centers in the brain.

Complete answer:There are five sense organs, eyes for vision, ears for sound perception and balancing, skin for touch, nose for the smell, and tongue for taste. The components of a sensory system are sensory neurons which include sensory receptor cells, neural pathways, and the parts of the brain that process the sensory information. This system is very essential to maintain homeostasis. Every part of the CNS works on getting the stimulus and so does the sensory system.
The nose contains receptors that are mucus-coated. These receptors are specialized for receiving the sense of smell and are called olfactory receptors. These receptors are made up of olfactory epithelium which is the pseudostratified epithelium. This tissue consists of three types of cells-
1.Bipolar cells-olfactory receptor cells
2.Supporting cells
3.Basal cells
The tongue detects the taste through the taste buds present on them, which contains the gustatory receptors. These also contain three types of cells-
1.Sensory cells with microvilli
2.Supporting cells
3.Basal cells

Note: Both nose and tongue i.e., gustatory and olfactory receptors detect dissolved chemicals which means these are chemoreceptors. These two are functionally similar and interrelated. The senses of both smell and taste combine together at the back of the throat. The brain’s limbic system is responsible for processing the information of the taste and smell.