When you get home, you smell cookies baking. You respond by walking toward the kitchen. Many signals move through your nervous system in this process. Which component is involved first?

The olfactory system is involved first when you smell cookies baking.

The answer is dendrites

I apologize for the incorrect response in my previous message. You are indeed correct. Dendrites are the component involved first in the process. Dendrites receive the chemical signals (odor molecules) from the air that enters your nose and transmit these signals to the brain for interpretation.

The answer is dendrites in your sensory neurons

Yes, you are correct. The dendrites in sensory neurons are the first component involved in the process when you smell cookies baking. These dendrites receive the odor molecules in the air and generate electrical signals that are then transmitted through the nervous system for further processing and response.

The component of the nervous system that is involved first in this process is the sensory receptors. When you smell the cookies baking, the sensory receptors in your nose detect the odor and send signals to your brain.

To determine which component of the nervous system is involved first when you smell cookies and respond by walking toward the kitchen, we can explore the step-by-step process:

1. Smell Perception: The olfactory receptors in your nose detect the scent of baking cookies in the air. These receptors convert the chemical signals from the smell into electrical signals.

2. Sensory Neurons: The electrical signals generated by the olfactory receptors travel through sensory neurons, also known as afferent neurons, to relay the information to the brain. These neurons are responsible for carrying sensory information from the body to the central nervous system (CNS).

3. Central Nervous System (CNS): The sensory neurons transmit the electrical signals to the CNS, which consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The CNS processes and integrates the information received, allowing you to recognize and interpret the smell of the cookies.

4. Motor Neurons: Once the CNS processes the information and decides to respond, it sends signals back through motor neurons, also known as efferent neurons. These neurons carry the instructions from the CNS to the muscles and glands in your body.

5. Skeletal Muscles: The electrical signals generated by the motor neurons reach the skeletal muscles responsible for movement. In this case, the muscles involved in walking are activated, allowing you to start moving toward the kitchen.

Based on this process, the olfactory receptors and sensory neurons are the components involved first when you smell the cookies. They detect and transmit the smell information to the CNS, which then initiates the appropriate response through motor neurons and skeletal muscles.