Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Intro to Brain and Behavior > Chapter 13: Somatosensory > Flashcards

Chapter 13: Somatosensory Flashcards

1
Q

What is a receptive field of a receptor?

A

The space within the receptive sheet in which the sensory receptor is located and in which it transduces stimuli

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the receptors in somatosensory systems?

A

Mechanoreceptors, thermoreceptors, and nociceptors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What specialized nerve endings do mechanoreceptors have?

A

Merkel’s Disk, Meissner’s corpuscle, Pacinian Corpuscle, Ruffini ending

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is a Pacinian corpuscle?

A

Large RF
Rapidly adapting
High frequency vibration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is Ruffini’s ending?

A

Large RF
Slowly adapting
Pressure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is Merkel’s disk?

A

Small RF
Slowly adapting
Light touch

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is Meissner’s corpuscle?

A

Small RF
Rapidly adapting
Low frequency vibration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What are free nerve endings?

A

Unmyelinated endings

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are muscle spindles?

A

Sense muscle length
specialized mechanoreceptors for proprioception

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are golgi tendon organs?

A

Sense muscle tension
specialized mechanoreceptors for proprioception

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are the four qualities of a stimulus that are encoded by our sensory systems?

A

Modality, location, intensity, and duration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is modality referencing when it come to our senses?

A

There are 5 sensory modalities: vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell each with submodalities.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is location referencing when it come to our sense?

A

It is talking about the receptive fields (small and large)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is intensity?

A

Signaled by firing rate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is duration?

A

Signaled by time course of response

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is slowly adapting?

A

When exposed to the stimulus, the nerve still spikes continuously

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is rapidly adapting?

A

When exposed to the stimulus, the nerve fires immediately and then stops firing.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What makes the Pacinian corpuscle capsule unique?

A

The capsule makes the corpuscle sensitive to vibrating, high-frequency stimuli

19
Q

What are mechanosensitive ion channels?

A

They are sensitive to the stretch of the lipid bilayer that they open, allowing Na+ and Ca2+ in.
They are sensitive to force applied to extracellular proteins linked to channel, allowing Na+ and Ca2+ in.
They are sensitive to force applied to intracellular proteins linked to channel, allowing Na+ and Ca2+ in.

20
Q

What is two-point discrimination?

A

The smallest distance between two points that can be differentiated by the somatic sensory system

21
Q

What are spinal segments?

A

Spinal nerves within 4 divisions of spinal cord
Each spinal segment provides sensory innervation to a particular region of the skin

22
Q

How is the spinal gray matter divided?

A

Dorsal horn- at the top of the gray matter
Intermediate gray- in the middle of the gray matter
Ventral horn- towards the ventral end of the gray matter

23
Q

What type of neuron is in the dorsal horn?

A

Neurons responding to sensory input

24
Q

What type of neuron is in the ventral horn?

A

Mainly motor neurons whose axons exit the spinal cord

25
What type of neuron is in the intermediate gray?
Some sensory neurons, some motor neurons, interneurons
26
What are the two general sensory pathways that begin in the spinal cord?
Dorsal Column-Medial Lemniscal System - vibration, light touch, pressure, proprioception Spinothalamic tract- pain and temperature
27
What is the dorsal column-medial lemniscal pathway?
1. Touch, vibration, conscious proprioception information ascends through: Dorsal columns (spinal cord) (first-order neuron) 2. Dorsal column nuclei (medulla) (first-order neuron) 3. Medial lemniscus (crosses at brainstem) (second-order neuron) 4. Ventral posterior lateral nucleus (VPL, thalamus) (second order neuron) 5. Primary somatosensory cortex, S1 (third-order neuron)
28
Which axons are used for touch and vibration?
Myelinated Aβ axons- largest myelinated axons
29
What axons are used for proprioceptors?
Myelinated I, II axons
30
What is the trigeminal touch pathway (trigeminothalamic tract)?
1. Cranial nerve V goes to principal sensory trigeminal nucleus (first order) 2. Then the second-order neuron goes to the VP nucleus, thalamus 3. Third-order neuron goes to the primary somatosensory cortex
31
What are nociceptors?
Mediate transduction of pain Activated by stimuli that could cause tissue damage Free nerve endings
32
What are thermal receptors?
Mediate transduction of cold, cool, warm and hot Free nerve endings
33
What axons are used in pain and temperature?
Unmyelinated C fibers Lightly myelinated Aδ fibers (smallest diameter, slowest)
34
What are lightly myelinated fibers?
Register fast, sharp first pain
35
What are unmyelinated C fibers?
Register duller, longer lasting second pain
36
What is the spinothalamic tract?
For pain and temperature 1. Aδ and C afferents synapse in the substantia gelatinosa of dorsal horn (first-order neuron) 2. Second-order neuron crosses midline of spinal cord goes through medulla to the VP nuclei thalamus 3. Third-order neuron to the primary somatosensory cortex
37
What is the trigeminal pain pathway?
1. First-order neurons goes down the spinal trigeminal tract to spinal trigeminal nucleus 2. Second-order neuron crosses the midline in the caudal medulla and goes up to the VPM (thalamus) 3. Third-order neuron goes to primary somatosensory cortex.
38
What is referred pain?
Crosstalk between visceral afferents and cutaneous nociceptors
39
What are the functional columns in neocortex?
Found within the somatopic map Neurons with same modality from pia to white matter They are divided by slowly adapting neurons and rapidly adapting neurons
40
What is cortical map plasticity?
Maps are dynamic Adjust depending on the amount of sensory experience Reorganization of cortical maps
41
What is the posterior parietal cortex?
It is involved in somatic sensation Analysis of "where" things are from visual inputs Involved in sensation of where things are on your body or your interpersonal space
42
What is neglect syndrome?
It is when part of body or part of world is ignored
43
What is agnosia?
Inability to recognize objects
44
What is astereognosia?
Loss the ability to perceive the form of an object by using the sense of touch

Intro to Brain and Behavior (17 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions