Sensory systems detect stimuli—such as light and sound waves—and transduce them into neural signals that can be interpreted by the nervous ...

The surface of the tongue is covered with various small bumps called papillae, which either distribute what has been ingested (filiform papillae) or ...

Gustation is a chemical sense that, along with olfaction (smell), contributes to our perception of taste. It starts with the activation of receptors by ...

The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches ...

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of ...

Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can ...

The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are ...

The vestibular system is a set of inner ear structures that provide a sense of balance and spatial orientation. This system is comprised of structures ...

The retina is a layer of nervous tissue at the back of the eye that transduces light into neural signals. This process, called phototransduction, is ...

Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and ...

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the ...

Peripheral thermosensation is the perception of external temperature. A change in temperature (on the surface of the skin and other tissues) is detected ...