Bio 102 Lab 06, Nervous System and Sensory Reception

Copyright © 2020 by Mary Vander Maten, Jill Caporale, and Karla Henthorn

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this lab, please contact your instructor. Please provide your
instructor a copy of the Memorandum of Accommodation
(MOA) from NVCC Disability Support Services.

OBJECTIVES

After completing this lab, you should be able to:

• Label and identify the parts of a typical neuron.
• Trace a reflex arc.
• Be able to identify the form and function of white and grey
matter in the brain and spinal cord.
• Label designated parts of the eye.
• Label designated parts of the ear.
• Describe the results of sensory tests performed in the lab.
The basic conducting unit of the nervous system is the neuron.
Neurons pick up information through dendrites and are capable
of transmitting chemical information along the axon to other
neurons, muscles, or glands through electrical conduction down
the axon.
In this lab we will investigate three types of neuronal
transmission:
1. Sensory neurons that transmit information from sense
organ or receptors in eyes, ears, taste buds, olfactory
organs, and sense receptors of the skin.
2. Interneurons that make up most of the neurons in the
brain and spinal cord.
3. Motor neurons that transmit signals to muscles.
In addition to neurons, nervous tissue contains many supporting
cells called glia. Glial cells have a number of different roles that
support and protect the nervous system. One of the types of glial
cells is the Schwann cell that wraps around the axon in motor
neurons to make a protective layer, the myelin sheath.

Exercise A: Motor Neuron

or iron
nuders
synaptieas
schwann Cody
cell

nodes of Ranvier axon dendrite

Identify and label these parts of the neuron on the previous page:
• axon • dendrite
• Schwann cell • nodes of Ranvier
• cell body • nucleus of neuron
• synaptic terminals

Exercise B: Simple Reflex

The patellar reflex, also known as the knee-jerk response, occurs

when the patellar ligament, the ligament just under the knee
bone, is stretched, resulting in an impulse that travels through
the sensory neuron into the spinal cord and out to the motor
neuron which triggers a contraction of the quadriceps muscle
and causes an involuntary kick.
Sit and relax your leg. Test that your leg is completely relaxed
by gently swinging the leg to see that it moves freely. Once your
leg is completely relaxed, find the gap just below the patella by
feel. Then gently hit the patellar ligament with a gentle chop of
your hand.

Your leg should respond with a kick,

Did the kick happen automatically? Yes

Do you think the message needed to be transmitted to the

 brain for a response? No

Exercise C: Central Nervous System, White and Grey Matter

The white matter appears white because it is lined with a myelin
sheath. The myelin sheath cells have a higher fatty content,
making the matter appear white, providing a sort of insulation,
and facilitating a faster transmission of neurological impulses.
Look at photographs of transverse section of the spinal cord.
Identify the white and grey matter.

Is the white matter on the inside or outside?

outside

Is the grey matter on the inside or outside? inside

Look at a photograph of a brain section. Identify the white and
grey matter.

Photo from Duke University

Is the white matter on the inside or outside? inside

Is the grey matter on the inside or outside? Exercise D: Sensory

Reception, Touch Receptors outside
1. Touch Receptors
Examine a diagram of a cross-section of the skin and locate the
touch receptors.
 1) Which layer contains touch receptors called Pacinian
corpuscles (hypodermis, dermis, or epidermis)?
Hypodermis
2) Which layer contains touch receptors called Meissner
corpuscles (hypodermis, dermis, or epidermis)? permis
3) By evaluating the location of the Pacinian and Meissner
corpuscles, which type of receptor detects pressure and
vibration? Pacinian corpuscles
4) Which type of receptor detects light touch? Meissner corpuscles
2. Touch Sensitivity
You will conduct what is referred to as a two-point touch test to
determine sensitivity. This test is used by neurologists to
determine how well a particular area of the skin is innervated.
Set up the experiment as shown below.

Insert two pins in cardboard and gently touch the areas listed.
Start so that you feel two pin points. Reduce the distance
between the pins until you only feel one point. Record in the
table below the smallest distance that two points were able to be
perceived.
2 mm
Fingertip: ____
Back of hand: ___mm
g
What does the two-point discrimination test tell us about the
sensitivity of the skin in that area? Our fingertips have more
touch receptors than thesensitive
back of our hand. The
the
more touch
receptors , the more area -
How do you think this relates to the number, density, and type of
touch receptors in that area? The more touch receptors
the less dense an area
may be
Exercise E: Sensory Reception, Vision, Hearing, Taste, and Smell

The purpose of the eye is to bring in light and focus those light
rays onto the retina at the back of the eyeball. Receptors in the
retina send messages to the brain via the optic nerve. Rods are
receptors that are stimulated by low light and therefore allow
you to see at night. There are also three different types of cones
that are sensitive at different wavelengths, thus allowing you to
see color. The area containing the greatest density of cones is the
fovea, and is directly in line with the center of the pupil.
There are also photosensitive cells in the eye that do not aid in
vision, but are rather thought to contribute to circadian rhythm—
your sleep-wake cycle.
1. Eye Anatomy
Identify the parts of the eye listed below: Use the diagram from
your text (Campbell: Biology in Focus, 3rd edition, page 818).
 ciliary sclera
suspensory
body
ligament choroid
refina
scheid fored
centralis
in is
cornea Pupil
optic nerve

agueous
numor
lens

Vitreous blind spot

numor

• cornea • iris • vitreous humor

• pupil • sclera • fovea centralis
• retina • optic nerve • aqueous humor
• lens • ciliary body • suspensory ligaments
• choroid • blind spot
2. Vision Tests
A. Near point
Hold a book in front of your face, and slowly bring it closer
to your eyes. It will get blurry close to your eyes. Find the
closest distance still in focus and have your partner
measure the distance from your eyes to the book.
Near point distance in cm: 15 cm

How does near point discrimination change as a person

ages? It
gets
worse as a person .
ages
B. Blind spot
This test tests for the “blind” spot in each eye where the
retina has no receptors due to the presence of the optic
nerve.

X
O

Close or cover your left eye. Stare at the X with your right
eye with the screen very close to your face. Slowly move
away from the screen and continue to stare at the X. When
you notice the O disappear, you have found the blind spot
in that eye.
Repeat with the left eye (close or cover your right eye).
Why are there no receptors in the blind spot of the retina?It's where
the optic nerve is no longer connected to the refina .

The
retina has photoreceptors creating vision limaging No connectionto
.
C. Afterimage the retina means no vision.

When an image remains on the retina after the object is

removed, that image is called an afterimage. If you saw a
flash of bright light and then close your eyes and the image
still remains it is probably because the photochemical
response has continued even though the light no longer
shines. This is a positive afterimage.
If you stare at an image and fatigue the cones and rods in
an area of the retina, you may also see an image beyond the
 source of the stimuli. This is referred to as a negative
afterimage.
To create a negative afterimage, rest your elbows on the
table about two feet apart and hold your head steady using
your hands cradled around the side of your face.

Stare at the image for one minute without moving your

head or eyes. Then shift your gaze to the plain white area
next to the image.

www.Wikipedia.org

Scroll down on this Wikipedia page and watch the video to

observe an illusion sometimes called a “motion aftereffect:”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterimage

A similar video, with a little extra twist, is found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFqnyeufcjs

D. Astigmatism, Color Vision, and Visual Acuity

Test your vision with interactive eye tests for visual acuity,
astigmatism, and color vision at
https://www.essilor.com/en/vision-tests/test-your-vision/ .
Astigmatism:
Do you already know you have astigmatism? -

According to this test, do you have astigmatism? If so, in

which eye(s)? No
Color Vision:
Sometimes an individual is born with a defect of certain
cones (photoreceptors for color vision). This may result in
difficulty differentiating colors, particularly red and green.
Do you already know you are colorblind? -

According to this test, do you have colorblindness? No

The test shows 6 colored pictures. How many did you
identify correctly? O
Visual Acuity:
Both
According to this test, does your left or right eye have have eyes
equal
greater acuity or do both eyes have equal visual acuity?Visual activity
According to the test, what was your rating of visual
acuity? ☹, , or O
Eye Chart
Repeat the test of visual acuity using an eye chart.
Follow the instructions for downloading, printing, and
using the eye chart at
https://visionsource.com/patients/free-eye-chart-
download/
Stand 10 feet from the chart. Cover one eye to
determine how far down the chart you can read.
 Repeat with the other eye.
What is your left eye acuity? 20120
Right eye acuity? 20180
What is your vision with both eyes open? 2018

3. Ear Anatomy
The outer ear gathers sound waves and directs them into the ear
canal. The tympanic membrane (ear drum) vibrates, causing
small ear bones to vibrate and transmit the sound to the cochlea.
These vibrations travel through the fluid-filled cochlea, where
receptors take the messages to the brain via the auditory nerve.
Identify the parts of the ear listed below. Use the diagram from
your text (Campbell: Biology in Focus, 3rd edition, page 815).

r
mindar

M
tympanic
m
·
membrane incus
mallers stapes
external
canal
auditory
T
• stapes • external auditory canal • semicircular
canals
• cochlea • incus • pinna (external
ear)
• malleus • tympanic membrane • inner ear
• middle ear • auditory tube (Eustachian) •
auditory nerve

4. Taste
A. Map the area(s) of your tongue that can taste saltiness
and sweetness.
Sweetness: Mix 1 teaspoon of sugar in ¼ cup of water. Use a
cotton swab dipped in the sugar water and then touched to a
paper towel (to remove excess liquid). Touch the swab lightly to
the left or right side of your tongue of your tongue. Do you taste
the sweet flavor? Wait a minute and then repeat for the other
areas of your tongue (back, center, tip), waiting a minute in
between the tests of each tongue region. Mark the diagram to
show which areas allow taste reception of sweetness.
Saltiness: Mix 1 teaspoon of salt in ¼ cup water (some of the
salt may not dissolve). Use a clean cotton swab to repeat the
process of testing the different areas of your tongue. Mark the
diagram to show which areas allow taste reception of saltiness.
 neither

sweet usalty sweet salty

sweet s
salty
B. Test the interaction of the senses of taste and smell.
Use 4 or 5 different flavors of fruit-flavored candy to test the
interaction of taste and smell reception. Starburst jellybeans are
ideal because they are small, soft, and the fruit flavors taste
reasonably different. Other types of candies can also be used.
1) Choose 1 jellybean of each color/ flavor and put the
jellybeans in a small dish. Record the jellybean colors in
the table below. Do not look at the jellybeans during the
taste test!
2) Hold your nose closed with your fingers.
3) Without looking at the jellybeans, pick up one jellybean
and put it in your mouth. Chew it a little and record the
flavor on scratch paper.
4) Stop holding your nose closed and chew the jellybean a
little more. Record the flavor on scratch paper again.
5) If you are alone, you may need to look in the mirror to see
which jellybean color you have before you swallow it.
Record all information for that jellybean color in the table
below.
Fruit Candy Color Flavor with Nose Flavor with Nose Easier to Guess
Closed Open Flavor with Nose
 emerto
queo in a
Open? Y/N

-
1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

Review Questions
1. How do Schwann cells speed nerve impulses?
They produce
myelin ,
a white layer going
around the axon.
,

Then the nodes of Ranvier fill in the

axons

2. Which part of the neuron conveys impulses away from

that neuron? The axon

3. Why do nerve tracts appear white?

They've surrounded
by myelin ,
a
coating making it look white

4. What kind of touch do Pacinian corpuscles detect?

They detect vibrations and pressure
 5. How does touch sensitivity correlate to number of touch
receptors? The more touch
receptors , the more
sensitive it becomes.

6. What is astigmatism and how can it be corrected?

of
Astigmatism is the distortion your vision that
can be corrected by wearing contacts or glasses

7. Describe the location of the blind spot and explain why

that portion of an image hitting this area of the eye does not
convey information to the brain. The blind spot is ine
the back of the eye where the optic nerve
is not connected to the retina lPhotoreceptors
where there is no connection to the retina
,
only inthe retina ,
are
there is no .
sight
8. What causes negative afterimages and what is unique
about colors in a negative afterimage? It's caused
by
image remains on a retina even after removed .
The colors
during afterimaging becomethe
negative
oppositeof the original image
9. Sound waves hit the ear and sound vibrations cause other
structures to vibrate. Number these structures in order of
movement/stimulation:
2
___ malleus (hammer) 5
___ cochlear fluid ___
3 incus (anvil)
___
L tympanic membrane ___ stapes (stirrup)
4 ___
O receptor cell
11. If a person has a car accident that injures their face, the
 sense of smell may be lost. How does this affect taste?
As smell is linked to taste, not
being able
to smell our food deters the taste of it
.

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Bio 102 Lab 06, Nervous System and Sensory Reception