Exam 2 (Chapter 10) Flashcards
what types of senses are apart of the special senses?
vision, hearing, taste, smell, equilibrium
what types of senses are apart of the somatic senses?
touch, temp, nociception (pain, itch), proprioception (awareness of body movement & position)
what are the steps to a general sensory pathway?
- stimulus
- sensory receptor
- change in membrane potential
- afferent signal
- CNS
what are the three receptor types?
free nerve endings
complex neural receptors
non-neural
what are free nerve endings?
they don’t have a separate receptor cell
-primary sensory neuron is the receptor & the signal
what are complex neural receptors?
encased in connective tissue capsules
-no separate receptor cell (primary neuron is both)
what are non-neural receptor cells?
separate receptor cell that forms a synapse w/ primary sensory neuron
-releases NT for special senses!
what are chemoreceptors?
changes in chemicals (O2, CO2, pH, glucose)
what are mechanoreceptors?
changes in pressure, vibration, stretch
what are thermoreceptors?
changes in temperature
what are photoreceptors?
changes in light
what are proprioceptors?
found in joints & muscles
what are nociceptors?
changes in pain & itch
what type of receptor does taste and smell bind to?
chemoreceptors
what type of receptor does hearing, equilibrium, and touch bind to?
mechanoreceptor
what type of receptor does vision bind to?
photoreceptors
what is meant by saying an adequate stimulus?
the stimulus a receptor is most sensitive to
what is receptor potential?
another word for graded potential
-change in sensory receptor membrane potential that can generate an AP if it reaches the threshold
what is a receptive field?
physical area that activates somatic senses or vision neurons
larger the receptive field….
the less sensitive it is to a stimulus and the more convergence
1-point discrimination
less stimuli converge to a single secondary neuron
-perceived as a single point
2-point discrimination
more convergence onto secondary neuron
-perceived as two points
how does sensory information enter the CNS via the spinal cord?
through ascending pathways
how does sensory information enter the CNS directly into the brain?
through cranial nerves
which sense does NOT have to go through the thalamus to get into the CNS?
smell (olfaction)
what is perceptual threshold?
level needed to be aware or perceive a sensation
what are the four properties of a simulus?
modality
location
intensity
duration
what is modality?
which sensory neurons are activated & where pathways terminate
-each receptor most sensitive to particular form of energy
-labeled line coding
what is labeled line coding?
1 modality with one type of receptor
-stimulation of cold receptor = always a cold sensation
what is location?
which receptive fields are activated
-topographical arrangement of cerebrum
-lateral inhibition and population coding
what is lateral inhibition?
secondary neuron with most activation will inhibit it’s neighbors
-makes sensation more localized
what is population coding?
multiple receptors work to send info to CNS
-can determine characteristics of a stimulus
what is intensity?
number of receptors activated and frequency of APs
-stronger stimulus = more APs
what is duration?
longer the stimulus = longer the AP’s occur
-two types: tonic & phasic
what are tonic receptors?
slow adapting
-fire rapidly at first, then slow & maintain firing as long as stimulus presents
-only fire when we need to monitor something
-proprioceptors, baroreceptors
what are phasic receptors?
fast adapting
-fire rapidly at first, then cease firing if stimulus remains constant
-touch / tactile receptors
what three types of senses go through the medulla?
fine touch, proprioception, vibration
what three types of senses go through the spinal cord?
nociception, temperature, coarse touch
what two areas do pathways for somatic perception project to?
cortex and cerebellum
what is the somatosensory cortex?
-area at the front of the parietal lobe
-registers and processes body touch and movement sensations
-has sensory fields (bigger = more sensitivity)
-has cortical columns
what are pascinian corpuscles? tonic or phasic receptors?
respond to vibration and deep pressure
-phasic receptors (fast adaptation)
what are meissner’s corpuscles? tonic or phasic receptors?
respond to flutter, stroking movements, and light touch
-phasic receptors (fast adaptation)
what are ruffini corpuscles? tonic or phasic receptors?
respond to skin stretch
-tonic receptor (slow adaptation)
what are merkel receptors? tonic or phasic receptors?
respond to steady pressure and texture (fingertips)
-tonic receptor (slow adaptation)
what are free nerve endings? tonic or phasic receptors?
respond to temp, pain, and hair movement
-can be BOTH tonic & phasic
what are thermoreceptors?
type of TONIC free nerve ending
-Cold (less than 37C): majority
-Hot (37C - 45C): anything above 45C activates pain receptors
-no adaptation outside of the 20C-45C range
-use transient receptor potential (TRP) channels