Diminished sensory input and the enjoyment of food
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- Diminished sensory input and the enjoyment of food
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Diminished sensory input and the enjoyment of food
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[post_date] => 2024-12-26 11:02:01
[post_date_gmt] => 2024-12-26 16:02:01
[post_content] => Practice Passage (Question 1-5)
*This passage is the property of Khan Academy and has been reformatted into an AAMC-style interface in their entirety by MedLife Mastery. MedLife Mastery does not endorse and is not an affiliate of Khan Academy.
Humans rely heavily on both their sense of smell and taste when eating and enjoying food. As food is being chewed, some molecules found within the food are released into the mouth and into the nasal passages as air is exhaled. These molecules stimulate various odorant receptors in the olfactory epithelium concurrently with the stimulation of gustatory receptors in the tongue. This combinatorial stimulation allows the individual to both taste and smell the food he or she is eating, which contributes to a greatly increased sensory experience.
This experience is diminished when the nasal passages are blocked, either due to mucus plugs during a cold, or physically blocking the nasal passage by holding the nostrils shut. This diminished olfaction contributes to the lack of perceived “taste” in most foods during a cold. Interestingly enough, chicken noodle soup continues to taste good (albeit subjectively) despite the clogging of odorant receptors during a cold. It has been hypothesized that the fat content in the soup, along with the texture of the soup, results in a pleasurable gustatory experience regardless of the absence of olfaction. In a study conducted by Mount Sinai researchers in Miami, the effects of chicken noodle soup on airflow and mucus flow in the noses of 15 volunteers was examined. The volunteers either drank cold water, hot water, or chicken noodle soup. The following table shows results similar to those in the study:
[post_title] => Diminished sensory input and the enjoyment of food
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[question] => How do pheromones differ from standard odor molecules?
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[answer] => 1
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
Both pheromones and standard odor molecules can be detected at similar concentrations.
Pheromones elicit behavioral responses much more readily than standard odor molecules.
Pheromones bind to receptors in the accessory olfactory epithelium while standard odor molecules bind to receptors in the olfactory epithelium.
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. Pheromones bind to odorant receptors in the accessory olfactory epithelium while standard odor molecules bind to receptors in the olfactory epithelium.
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[each_answer] => B. Standard odor molecules elicit a behavioral response while pheromones do not.
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[each_answer] => C. Pheromones bind to odorant receptors in the olfactory epithelium while standard odor molecules bind to receptors in the accessory olfactory epithelium.
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[each_answer] => D. Pheromones can be detected at much lower concentrations than standard odor molecules.
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[1] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3873426850
[question] => If two glomeruli were fused together in the olfactory bulb, what type of behavioral effect would be expected?
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[answer] => 4
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
Glomeruli are regions within the olfactory bulb that receive input from olfactory sensory neurons sensitive to a particular odor.
At the glomerulus, olfactory sensory neurons synapse with mitral/tufted cells, which then send axonal projections to the brain.
If two glomeruli were fused together, there would be no way for the brain to differentiate between two different odors activating different cell populations.
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[each_answer] => A. Ability to distinguish between good and bad smells.
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[each_answer] => B. Inability to distinguish between two different tastes.
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[each_answer] => C. Inability to smell molecules containing benzene rings.
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[each_answer] => D. Inability to distinguish between two different odors.
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[quiz_unique_key] => 83407773
[question] => What type of odorant receptor is present in the olfactory epithelium?
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[answer] => 2
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
When an odorant ligand binds an odorant receptor, numerous intracellular effects occur.
Certain receptors that are coupled to intracellular proteins are able to stimulate a variety of intracellular events very quickly.
The odorant receptor is a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that opens cAMP gated ion channels, as well as activates adenylate cyclase to elicit various cAMP dependent protein kinases to affect a wide range of intracellular pathways.
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[each_answer] => A. Hormone receptor
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[each_answer] => B. GPCR
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[each_answer] => C. Gated ion channel
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[each_answer] => D. Receptor tyrosine kinase
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[quiz_unique_key] => 2261298308
[question] => If projections from the vomeronasal organ synapsed onto the olfactory bulb, what behavioral effects would be expected?
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[answer] => 3
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
Standard odor molecules would continue to function normally.
Binding of pheromones causes depolarization of the olfactory sensory cell by binding to GPCR’s.
If the vomeronasal organ sent projections to the olfactory bulb rather than the accessory olfactory bulb, glomeruli normally activated by standard odor receptors would be activated.
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[each_answer] => A. Pheromones would no longer bind to GPCR’s.
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[each_answer] => B. Standard odor molecules would no longer elicit a response.
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[each_answer] => C. Pheromones would activate glomeruli normally activated by standard odor molecules.
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[each_answer] => D. Pheromones would cause the odor receptors to hyperpolarize.
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[question] => In the study described in the passage, would the addition of a control sample be necessary?
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[answer] => 4
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
A control sample is necessary in order to measure a baseline response in a population.
Both cold and room temperature water can serve as a baseline response.
Since the response to cold water can serve as a baseline measurement in the study, it serves as the control and provides data to compare the chicken noodle soup responses to.
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[each_answer] => A. Yes, since the overall sample size is too small.
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[each_answer] => B. No, since a controlled population is not needed in this case.
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[each_answer] => C. Yes, since the cold water sample size is too small.
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[each_answer] => D. No, since the cold water population serves as a control.
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