1.6.D—Explain how the structures and functions of the chemical sensory systems relate to behavior and mental processes

Explain how the structures and functions of the chemical sensory systems relate to behavior and mental processes.

• Structures in the nose and brain process and/ or transduce olfactory stimuli. Smell is the only sense not processed first in the thalamus of the brain. Pheromones produce chemical messages for the olfactory system.
• Gustation is the sense of taste, and types of tastes include sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami, and oleogustus.
• Structures in the tongue, mouth, and brain process and/or transduce basic tastes. The number of taste receptors on the tongue is related to how sensitive people are to tastes, classifying them as supertasters, medium tasters, or nontasters.
• The chemical senses interact to create the sensation of taste. Without the sense of smell, taste sensations are either muted or not experienced.