Chemosensor
You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.
|
WikiDoc Resources for Chemosensor | |
|
Articles | |
|---|---|
|
Most recent articles on Chemosensor Most cited articles on Chemosensor | |
|
Media | |
|
Powerpoint slides on Chemosensor | |
|
Evidence Based Medicine | |
|
Clinical Trials | |
|
Ongoing Trials on Chemosensor at Clinical Trials.gov Clinical Trials on Chemosensor at Google
| |
|
Guidelines / Policies / Govt | |
|
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Chemosensor
| |
|
Books | |
|
News | |
|
Commentary | |
|
Definitions | |
|
Patient Resources / Community | |
|
Patient resources on Chemosensor Discussion groups on Chemosensor Patient Handouts on Chemosensor Directions to Hospitals Treating Chemosensor Risk calculators and risk factors for Chemosensor
| |
|
Healthcare Provider Resources | |
|
Causes & Risk Factors for Chemosensor | |
|
Continuing Medical Education (CME) | |
|
International | |
|
| |
|
Business | |
|
Experimental / Informatics | |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Phone:617-632-7753
Please Take Over This Page and Apply to be Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [2] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.
A chemosensor, also known as chemoreceptor, is a cell or group of cells that transduce a chemical signal into an action potential. Or, more generally, a chemosensor detects certain chemical stimuli in the environment.
Classes
There are two main classes of the chemosensor: direct and distance.
- Examples of distance chemoreceptors are:
- olfactory receptor neurons in the olfactory system
- neurons in the vomeronasal organ that detect pheromones
- Examples of direct chemoreceptors include
- taste buds in the gustatory system
- carotid bodies and aortic bodies that detect changes in pH inside the body.
Systems affected
Breathing rate
Chemoreceptors detect the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. To do this, they monitor the concentration of hydrogen ions in the blood, which decreases the pH of the blood, as a direct consequence of the raised carbon dioxide concentration.
The response is that the inspiratory centre (in the medulla), sends nervous impulses to the external intercostal muscles and the diaphragm, via the phrenic nerve to increase breathing rate and the volume of the lungs during inhalation.
Chemoreceptors which affect breathing rate are broken down into two categories.
- central chemoreceptors (in the medulla) do not respond to a drop in oxygen, and eventually desensitize.
- peripheral chemoreceptors (carotid arteries and aorta) do respond to extreme drops in oxygen, and do not desensitize. Their effect on breathing rate is less than that of the central chemoreceptors.
Heart rate
Chemoreceptors in the medulla oblongata, carotid arteries and aortic arch, detect the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood, in the same way as applicable in the Breathing Rate section.
In response to this high concentration, a nervous impulse is sent to the cardiovascular centre in the medulla, which will then feedback to the sympathetic ganglia, increasing nervous impulses here, and prompting the sinoatrial node to stimulate more contractions of the myogenic cardiac muscle increase heart rate.
Sense organs
In taste sensation, the tongue is composed of 5 different taste buds: salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and savory. The salty and sour tastes work directly through the ion channels, the sweet and bitter taste work through G protein-coupled receptors, and the savoury sensation is activated by glutamate.
Noses in vertebrates and antennae in many invertebrates act as distance chemoreceptors. Molecules diffused through the air and bind to specific receptors on olfactory sensory neurons, activating an opening ion channel via G-proteins.
When inputs from the environment are significant to the survival of the organism the input must be detected. As all life processes are ultimately based on chemistry it is natural that detection and passing on of the external input will involve chemical events. The chemistry of the environment is, of course, relevant to survival, and detection of chemical input from the outside may well articulate directly with cell chemicals.
For example: The emissions of a predator's food source, such as odors or pheromones, may be in the air or on a surface where the food source has been. Cells in the head, usually the air passages or mouth, have chemical receptors on their surface that change when in contact with the emissions. The change does not stop there. It passes in either chemical or electrochemical form to the central processor, the brain or spinal cord. The resulting output from the CNS (central nervous system) makes body actions that will engage the food and enhance survival.
See also
External links
- MeSH Chemoreceptors
- chemoreceptor at eMedicine Dictionary
- c_25/12231846 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
- c_25/12231874 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
