the five senses ut college of medicine student to student program

The Five SensesUT College of Medicine

Student to Student Program

The Five Senses

• These are the special tools your body uses to discover the world around it.

The Five Senses

• TOUCH• Hearing• Sight• Taste• Smell

Touch

• Touch is to use your skin to have physical contact with something else. • Nerves are like wires that relay messages to the brain• Nerves in the skin send information about:

– Pressure– Temperature– Pain– Vibration.

Touch

• Information from our skin travels up the spinal cord to the brain.

• Each nerve carries information from one part of the body.

Touch

• Some areas of the body are more sensitive to touch than others.

Touch

• This sensory map shows that the brain touch area is dedicated to some body parts more than others.

The Five Senses

• Touch• HEARING• Sight• Taste• Smell

Hearing

• Our ears allow us to understand sounds.

• The external ear captures sound, while the internal portion processes it.

Hearing

• Tiny bones in the ear create vibrations in fluid.

• These ripples are detected by delicate hairs, and signals are sent to the brain.

Hearing

• The ears also contain vestibular organs that give us our sense of balance.

• When these get messed up, you become dizzy (think of car sickness!)

Hearing Loss

Some hearing losses are congenital (born with). Others occur through disease or with the aging process.

Hearing Loss

The Five Senses

• Touch• Hearing• SIGHT• Taste• Smell

Sight

• The eye is the organ that captures light.

Sight

Color Blindness

Protecting your Vision

Protecting your Vision

• Sunglasses protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Vision Loss

• Braille is a special form of writing for those who are blind, where people “read” using touch.

The Five Senses

• Touch• Hearing• Sight• TASTE• Smell

Taste

• The tongue is the organ that allows us to taste.• Taste buds contain the nerves that send signals

to the brain.

Taste

• Different areas of the tongue detect certain types of taste

Tongue Piercing

• Piercing increases the risk of infection.

• Metal piercings can also damage your teeth.

The Five Senses

• Touch• Hearing• Sight• Taste• SMELL

Smell

• The nose contains the nerves that allow us to smell.

Smell

Taste and Smell

• The senses of taste and smell are closely related.

• For example, foods sometimes taste different when we have colds and stuffed up noses.

The Brain

The Five Senses

• Our senses let us explore our world.• It is important that we protect them.

Any Questions?