UNIT-6 SENSORY

ORGAN

SKIN,NOSE,TONGUE
PREPAREDBY
DR.RESHMA AJAY
PROFESSOR CUM VICE
 INTRODUCTIO
The sensory system is N responsible for detecting and
processing sensory information from the environment and
converting it into electrical signals that can be interpreted
by the brain.

SPECIAL
SENSES
 SKIN
Skin is the largest organ of the body and heaviest organ, Covers 1.5 to 2 meter2 and
composes 15% of body weight. Skin thickness ranges from 0.5–6 mm. Thick skin
covers front of hands, bottoms of feet. Has a sweat gland, but no hair follicles or
sebaceous (oil) glands. Epidermis is of 0.5 mm thick. Thin skin covers rest of the
body and possesses hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands. Epidermis
is about 0.1 mm thick.
GENERAL FEATURE OF SKIN
The skin is divided into two parts:

 The superficial part, the epidermis.

 The deep part, the dermis.

Epidermis

The epidermis is divided from the surface ectoderm of the body. It is a stratified
epithelium whose cells become flattened as they mature and rise to the
surface. On the palm of the hands and the soles of the feet, the epidermis is
extremely thick to withstand the wear and tear that occurs in these regions.
Layers of the epidermis
• Stratum corneum:superficial layer,
flattened keratinized cells.
• Stratum lucidum: homogenous
layer, found only on palms,soles
• Stratum granulosum: keratohyalin
granules present in the cytoplasm.
• Stratum spinosum: cells of polygonal
layer.
• Stratum basale: deepest layer,
cuboidal cells, mitotic division –
renews cells constantly and shifting
them to periphery. It contain
melanocyte produce melanin.
Dermis
The dermis is composed of dense connective tissue containing of many blood
vessels, lymphatic vessels and nerves. It is thicker than the epidermal layer and
contains collagen and elastic fibers. It shows considerable variation in thickness
in different part of the body. It is thinner in women than in men.
The dermis of the skin is connected to the underlying deep fascia or bones by the
superficial fascia known as subcutaneous tissue.
APPENDAGES OF SKIN
 Nail

The nails are keratinized plates on the dorsal surface of the fingers and toes. The
proximal edge of the plate is the root of the nails. The unexposed part of the nail
plate is the nail bed. Nail is the surrounded and overlapped by fold of skin known
as nail folds.

STRUCTURE OF NAIL
STRUCTURE OF APPENDAGES OF
SKIN
 Hair Follicles

Hail grows out of follicles, which are invaginations of the epidermis into the
dermis. The follicles lie obliquely to the skin surface and their expanded parts are
called hair bulb penetrated to the deeper part of the dermis.

Shaft: projects outside the skin surface.

Arrector pili: smooth muscles which connects follicle to dermis.

 Sebaceous Glands

These are holocrine glands that secrete sebum into the hair follicles and are
responsible for preventing the skin from drying. The sebaceous glands are absent
 Sweat Glands

These glands are long, spiral, and tubular distributed over the surface of body, except on the red
margins of lips, the nail beds and the glans penis and clitoris. There are two parts
secretory(dermis) and excretory parts(epidermis).

TYPES

ECCRINE: all over body except palm and sole, innervated by cholinergic sympathetic fibre.
Responsible for maintain body temperature and excretion of body salt.

APOCRINE: found in axillary, pubic and perianal region, innervated by adrenergic sympathetic
fibre. Responsible for discharge their secretion.
 FUNCTIONS OF SKIN
Protection as physical barrier, from dehydration and UV radiation:
Skin protects the internal organ against environmental
damages and micro-organisms.
Regulation of temperature: Through sweating the body temperature
is maintained.
 Impermeability to water
 Synthesis: Vitamin d is manufactured under the influence of ultraviolet rays.
 Excretion: Salt, water and excretory products.
 Sensory functions: Pain, temperature and pressure.
 Immune mechanism: Langerhans cells phagocyte the antigens.
 APPLIED ASPECT OF INTEGUMENTARY
SYSTEM
APPLIED ASPECT OF INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM
Burns
When the epidermis of the skin is damaged by a burn injury, water from the interstitial
fluid can be more easily lost by evaporation and dehydration can quickly ensue. The loss
of the protective barrier makes the person more vulnerable to invasion by pathogens.
Dehydration and infection are the major complications of burn injury.

Skin Grafts
If the stratum basale has been destroyed over a wide area of skin, as may
happen in severe burns or frostbite, skin grafts may be used to speed healing
and prevent infection and scarring. In a skin graft, a segment of the skin from a
donor site is transplanted to the recipient site.
 Psoriasis
This condition, the cause of which is unknown, characteristically presents as scaly
patches on the skin. The thickened, scaly patches are a result of the increased rate
at which keratinocytes migrate from the stratum germinativum to the surface
Dermatitis
Any inflammation of the skin, typically marked by itching and redness; often contact
dermatitis, caused by exposure to toxins such as poison ivy.
 APPLICATION AND IMPLICATION IN NURSING
Bed Sores
Impaired skin integrity is a serious complication in patient. It leads to bed sores.
These are also called pressure ulcers or pressure sores. These are injuries to the
skin and underlying tissue, primarily caused by prolonged pressure on the skin
to patients confined to bed or who sit in a chair or wheelchair for long periods of
time.
Braden Scale
Braden scale is used to assess the risk of developing bed sores, or damage to skin
integrity.
The scale consists of six items, viz., sensory perception, moisture, activity level,
mobility, nutritional pattern and chances of friction and shear during movement.
Ageing Process
The process of growing older in which is characterized by an overall decline in the
organism’s capacity for adaptation. It is also associated with changes in cellular
function which is called involution.
 SENSE OF SMELL OR
OLFACTION
Olfaction, generally known as the sense of smell, is sensitive to chemical signal.
The olfactory receptor neurons are present in the superior nasal cavity. The
bipolar sensory neurons that make up the olfactory epithelium are also located
here. Each olfactory sensory neuron has dendrites that extend from the apical
surface of the epithelium into the mucus lining the cavity.

Olfactory system includes:

 Nasal epithelium
 Receptor cells
 Glomerulus
 Mitral cells
 Olfactory bulb
OLFACTORY SYSTEM
 APPLIED ASPECT OF SMELL SENSATION
Anosmia
This is the loss of the sense of smell. Although not life-threatening, anosmia does
significantly impact the quality of life.

Hyposmia
It is reduced sense of smell and commonly occurs during aging and as a result of
upper respiratory tract infections. Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson and
Alzheimer disease, and ) can also impair sense of smell.
SENSE OF TASTE(3 inch
long)/gustation
The taste buds and afferent nerve fibers are two clearly identified neuroanatomical components
that support the sense of taste.
The oral cavity contains clusters of 50–100 neuroepithelial cells that serve as taste buds,
including those in the larynx and epiglottis.
They are responsible for the initial transduction process that ultimately results in the
perception of bitter, sour, salty, sweet, and umami (savory) sensations. The fifth sense umami
was recently added to four classic tastes(sodium glutamates-delicious)
SENSE OF TASTE
 Taste Receptors
The tongue is the organ of taste. It contains most of the taste
receptors, Apart from the tongue, the larynx, pharynx, and
esophagus also contains few taste buds.
The tongue at its surface contains bump- structures called
like papillae. The tongue papillae are of four
types:
 Filiform(v shaped cones)
 Foliate
 Fungiform(mushroom)
 Vallate or circumvallate(circular shape
 • Taste buds: few to 100
• Life span-10 days
• 5-10 receptor
• 40 supporting cells.

TASTE
BUD
• The sensation of taste is carried by
three cranial nerves.
• The facial nerve (CN VII) carries taste
sensation from the anterior two-
thirds of the tongue
• The glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
carries taste sensation from the
posterior one third of the tongue.
• The vagus nerve (CN X) carries taste
sensation from taste buds present in
the larynx and upper esophagus.
GUSTATORY PATHWAY
 CLINICAL ANATOMY
 Ageusia: It is the absence of taste sensation, due to damage of lingual nerve or
glossopharangeal nerve. The damage can be triggered by chronic use of tobacco and certain
drugs.

 Dysgeusia: It is the unpleasant perception of taste.

 Dysgeusia: It is the unpleasant perception of taste.

 Perilymph fills the space between bony and membranous labyrinth
while endolymph fills the entire membranous labyrinth.
 The hair cells in the macula are innervated by fibers of the vestibular division of
vestibulocochlear nerve. Motion sickness results from prolonged stimulation of maculae.
 Meniere’s syndrome is characterized by dizziness (vertigo), tinnitus
(ringing or noises in the ear) and deafness.
 SENSE OF HEARING
Biological systems perceive sound and are aware of their immediate acoustic
environment through the sense of hearing. The physical mechanism that
processes incoming acoustic stimuli is known as the hearing system or auditory
system.
Each ear is additionally divided into three functional parts: the outer
(external) ear, the middle ear and the inner (internal) ear
ANATOMICAL STRUCTURE OF
EAR
MIDDLE EAR
The tympanic cavity, which contains air, is located in the middle ear
(tympanum). The petrous portion of the temporal bone serves as the cavity walls,
and mucous membrane lines the cavity interiorly.
The lateral wall of the middle ear contains the tympanic membrane and the
medial wall is formed by a bony wall that separates the middle ear from the inner
ear. The middle ear shaped like cube.
 APPLIED ASPECTS
Hearing Loss
Conductive Hearing Loss
sensorineural hearing impairment
Meniere’s Disease

In this condition there is accumulation of endolymph causing

distension and increased pressure within the membranous labyrinth
with destruction of the sensory cells in the ampulla and cochlea.