Odds & EndsOdds & Ends

The Vestibular SenseThe Vestibular SenseThe sense responsible for

maintaining balance.• Enables us to walk on two feet, keep

our head upright, and adjust our eye movements to compensate for our head movements.

Phillippe Petit

Motion SicknessMotion SicknessFeelings of dizziness and nausea; occur

when the body is moved passively without motor activity and corresponding feedback to the brain.

Two types of motion sickness:• Detects movements but motor actions that

could have produced the movement have not occurred

• Detects movement inconsistent with the information about movement sensed by the eyes

The SomatosensesThe SomatosensesThe skin sensations of touch, pain,

temperature.The functions of the skin include:

• protecting the internal organs from injury

• helping regulate body temperature by producing sweat, which cools the body when it becomes too hot

• providing a first line of defense against invading microorganisms.

Skin ReceptorsSkin Receptors

Skin Receptors:Glabrous Skin Receptors:Glabrous SkinSkin

The Experience and Control The Experience and Control of Painof PainPain has both negative and

positive functions:• Chronic pain can be the bane of a

person’s existence.• However, under ordinary

circumstances, pain is extremely useful, warning us of potential injury and inducing us to seek appropriate treatment.

Theories of PainTheories of PainMelzack & Wall (1965)Gate-control theory of pain - Input from

pain receptors will produce the perception of pain only if the message first passes through a “gate” in the spinal cord and lower brain stem structures.

Melzak (1999)Neuromatrix theory of pain – accounts

for types of pain unexplained by the gate-control theory of pain.

Gate-Control Theory of Gate-Control Theory of PainPain

The Chemical SensesThe Chemical SensesChemical senses include the gustatory

and olfactory systems.Both are intermingled in our eating

experiences, in that much of what we report as the taste of food actually comes from its odor.

Flavor - • Touch plays a role – crisp/soggy, mushy• And visual cues – green, slimy• Also temperature – cold eggs, warm

milk

Taste and SmellTaste and Smell

Genetics of TasteGenetics of TastePeople differ in their sensitivity to

bitter and some sweet tastes.These individual differences appear to

be partly related to the number of taste buds on the tongue:• Supertasters (25% of people) have the

most taste buds - about 425 per square cm on the tongue tip.

• Medium tasters (50% of people) have about 184 taste buds per square cm.

• Non-tasters (25% of people) have about 96 per square cm.

Power NapsPower NapsJust one 26 minute power nap

can increase your cognitive skills by 40 percent

Prime napping time falls in the middle of the day, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Power NapsPower NapsBen and Jerry’sBritish AirwaysGoogle

Pizza HutProctor &

GambleStory