Taste, Olfaction (smell) are chemical senses
Synaesthesia - Stimuli in one modality elicit consistent experiences in another automatically

Human Olfaction cpared to Others

• Dog had 30 mil olfactor receptors
• we have 6 mil
• bi pedal stance is not good for good smelling
• our amount of cells is similar to other mamals
• overr 50% of neruons in cerebral cortex is visual
• not much rooom left to process smell
• only two synapses separating receptors and the cortex.

Individual varys in smell

• become less sensitive with age
• women more sensitive
• oral contraseptives reduce sensitivity to smells associated with social or sexual behavioris
• schizo and dementia can reduce smell functioning
• damage to the nerves can permenanlty impair, which results in depressenion

Structure of Olfactory

• Info from receptors travrel to bilns then to olfactory cortex
• bypasses thalamus and goes directly to cortex (unique)
• thalamus find out about it eventually
• olfactions is very fast

Thousands of Odorants

• 1 trillion of different scents
• only 350-400 receptor types
• Vibration of odorant molecules is important

Gustatory Receptors (taste)

• Forget aabout tounge maps (tastebuds)
• sensitive to different motality is all over
• each tastebud is sensitive to all modalities of taste
• Not little bumps

Pathways

• Travels to gustatory ucleus to vpm nucleus of the thalam ust to gustatory cortex
• Are you a super taster?
  • Dislke bitter foods and citris
  • sensitive to oral pain and texture
  • dont know where it comes to

Synesthesia

Stimuli in one modality elicit consistent experiences in another automatically - hearing smells, seeing tastes

• strong genetic component
• much more creative
• many prof. musicians and composrrs
• greater connectivity than white matter
• can come from brain damage or halluniogens