Chapter 13- Touch Flashcards
Touch
The sensations caused by stimulation of the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints.
Tactile
Referring to the result of mechanical interactions with the skin.
Kinesthesia
Perception of the position and movement of our limbs in space.
Proprioception
Perception mediated by kinesthetic and internal receptors.
Somatosensation
Collectively, sensory signals from the skin, muscles, tendons, joints, and internal receptors.
Glabrous
In reference to skin, lacking hair.
A-alpha Fiber
A wide-diameter, myelinated sensory nerve fiber that transmits signals from proprioceptive receptors in muscles and tendons.
A-beta Fiber
A wide-diameter, myelinated sensory nerve fiber that transmits signals from mechanical stimulation.
A-delta Fiber
An intermediate-sized, myelinated sensory nerve fiber that transmits pain and temperature signals.
C Fiber
A narrow-diameter, unmyelinated sensory nerve fiber that transmits pain and temperature signals.
Mechanoreceptor
A sensory receptor that responds to mechanical stimulation (pressure, vibration, or movement).
Epidermis
The outer of two major layers of skin.
Dermis
The inner of two major layers of skin, consisting of nutritive and connective tissues, within which lie the mechanoreceptors.
Meissner Corpuscle
A specialized nerve ending associated with fast-adapting (FA 1) fibers that have small receptive fields.
Merkel Disc
A specialized nerve ending associated with slowly adapting (SA 1) fibers that have small receptive fields (also known as Merkel cell neurite complex).
Pacinian Corpuscle
A specialized nerve ending associated with fast-adapting (FA II) fibers that have large receptive fields.
Ruffini Ending
A specialized nerve ending associated with slowly adapting (SA II) fibers that have large receptive fields.
Kinesthetic
Referring to perception involving sensory mechanoreceptors in muscles, tendons, and joints.
Thermoreceptor
A sensory receptor that signals information about changes in skin temperature.
Warmth Fiber
A sensory nerve fiber that fires when skin temperature increases.
Cold Fiber
A sensory nerve fiber that fires when skin temperature decreases.
Free Nerve Ending
The terminus of a neural fiber without a specialized ending.
ThermoTRP Channel
Thermally sensitive transient receptor potential ion channel found in sensory neurons.
Nociceptor
A sensory receptor that responds to painful input, such as extreme heat or pressure.
C Tactile (CT) Afferent
A narrow-diameter, unmyelinated sensory nerve fiber that transmits signals from pleasant touch.
Labeled Lines
A theory of sensory coding in which each nerve fiber carries a particular stimulus quality.
Dorsal Horn
A region at the rear of the spinal cord that receives inputs from receptors in the skin.
Somatotypical
Referring to normal somatosensation.
Spinothalamic Pathway
The route from the spinal cord to the brain that carries most of the information about skin temperature and pain.
Dorsal Column-Medial Lemniscal (DCML) Pathway
The route from the spinal cord to the brain that carries signals from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints.
Somatosensory Area 1 (S1)
The primary receiving area for touch in the cortex.
Somatosensory Area 2 (S2)
The secondary receiving area for touch in the cortex.
Somatotopic
Referring to spatial mapping in the somatosensory cortex in correspondence to spatial events on the skin.
Homunculus
A map-like representation of regions in the body in the brain.
Body Image
The mental representation of how our bodies appear in space.
Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)
A region of the brain associated with the perceived unpleasantness of a pain sensation.
Substantia Gelatinosa
A region of interconnecting neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord.
Gate Control Theory
A description of the pain-transmitting system that incorporates modulating signals from the brain.
Analgesia
Decreasing pain sensation during conscious experience.
Endogenous Opiate
A chemical released by the body that blocks the release or uptake of neurotransmitters necessary to transmit pain sensations to the brain.
Placebo Effect
Decreasing pain sensation when people think they’re taking an analgesic drug but actually are not.
Hyperalgesia
An increased or heightened response to a normally painful stimulus.
Nocebo Effect
Increasing pain sensation when people expect pain.
Neural Plasticity
The ability of neural circuits to undergo changes in function or organization as a result of previous activity.
Phantom Limb
Sensation perceived from a physically amputated limb of the body.
Biomimetic Feedback
A system that attempts to closely mimic biological signals.
Two-Point Touch Threshold
The minimum distance at which two stimuli (e.g., two simultaneous touches) are just perceptible as separate.
Haptic Perception
Knowledge of the world that is derived from sensory receptors in skin, muscles, tendons, and joints, usually involving active exploration.
Exploratory Procedure
A stereotyped hand movement pattern used to touch objects in order to perceive their properties. Each procedure is best for determining one (or more) object properties.
Tactile Agnosia
The inability to identify objects by touch.
Frame of Reference
The coordinate system that used to define locations in space.
Egocenter
The center of a reference frame used to represent locations relative to the body.
Endogenous
In reference to spatial attention, a form of top-down (knowledge-driven) control in which attention is voluntarily directed toward the site where the observer anticipates a stimulus will occur.
Exogenous
In reference to spatial attention, a form of bottom-up (stimulus-driven) attention reflexively (involuntarily) directed toward the site at which a stimulus has abruptly appeared.
Electrostatic
An effect induced when the finger moves over a conductive surface, causing it to adhere; it is used in haptic devices to create friction.
