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Psych 230 exam 3 > General Principles of Sensory Processing, Touch, and Pain > Flashcards

General Principles of Sensory Processing, Touch, and Pain Flashcards

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1
Q

Sensory receptor organs

A

Organs specialized to detect a certain stimulus

Receptor cells within the organ convert the stimulus into an electrical signal

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2
Q

Adequate stimulus

A

The type of stimulus to which a sensory organ is particularly adapted

Ex: photic light energy for the eye

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3
Q

Transduction

A

Converting information to neural signals

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4
Q

The doctrine of specific nerve energies says:

A

receptors and neural channels for different senses are independent

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5
Q

Labeled lines

A

The concept of labeled lines says that the brain recognizes distinct senses because action potential travels along separate nerve tracts

Lines are: sound, smell, and touch

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6
Q

Receptors in skin

A

Touch receptor associated w hair follicles

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7
Q

Pacinian corpuscle

A

A skin receptor that detects vibration and pressure

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8
Q

A stimulus to the corpuscle…

A

opens stretch-sensitive sodium channels made of a protein called Piezo, and produces a graded receptor potential (or generator potential)

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9
Q

When the potential is big enough, the receptor reaches _______ and generates an action potential

A

threshold

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10
Q

You can only detect the touch if…

A

an action potential is generated

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11
Q

Structure and function of the Pacinian Corpuscle

A
  • Cell membrane stretches, channel opens, sodium comes in
  • Stimulus is touch to corpuscle
  • Causes structural change in ion channel to allow sodium to come in
  • Influx of sodium ions causes a change in the membrane of the cell
  • If enough come in, cell fires an AP and that’s how we detect the touch that comes in
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12
Q

Stimulus location is determined from…

A

the position of the activated receptors

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13
Q

The action potentials produced by a sensory neuron always have the same size and duration, so one way the intensity of sensory events are encoded is…

A

in number and frequency of action potentials

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14
Q

Some sensory systems employ multiple sensory receptor cells that specialize in one part of a…

A

range of intensities

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15
Q

as strength of a stimulus increases…

A

more neurons sensitive to higher intensities are recruited

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16
Q

Range fractionation

A

Each of the traces represents a nerve cell with a different threshold (a different response to different stimuli)

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17
Q

Adaptation

A

Phasic receptors and tonic receptors

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18
Q

Phasic receptors

A

Display adaptation and decrease the frequency of action potentials

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19
Q

Tonic receptors

A

Show slow or no decline in action potential frequency

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20
Q

Why does adaptation do this?

A

Sensory systems emphasize change in stimuli, as that is more important for survival
This prevents the nervous system from being overwhelmed by too much info coming in

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21
Q

Other ways to control sensory info

A

Accessory structures: such as eyelids

Top-down processing: higher brain centers suppress some sensory inputs and amplify others

22
Q

Sensory info path in the brain

A

Sensory information enters the CNS through the spinal cord or brain stem and then reaches the thalamus

23
Q

The ________ transmits info to the cerebral cortex

A

thalamus

24
Q

Then, the cortex directs the thalamus to…

A

suppress some sensations

25
Q

Primary sensory cortex

A

Swaps information with the
secondary sensory cortex

26
Q

Delivers touch info to the brain

A

The dorsal column system

27
Q

Dorsal column system

A

The stimulus triggers the receptive field of a neuron

These receptors send projections via the dorsal column of the spinal cord where they synapse on dorsal column nuclei in the medulla (brain stem)

Axons from neurons in the medulla cross the midline and go to the thalamus for initial processing, and then on to the primary somatosensory cortex

So, the brain processes touch information from the contralateral side of the body

28
Q

Receptive field

A

The receptive field is the region in which a stimulus will alter a sensory neuron’s firing rate

Receptive fields differ in size, shape, and response to types of stimulation

29
Q

What does the larger size of a region indicate?

A

The amount of neurons is different

30
Q

The more neurons in the cortex dedicated to an area…

A

the smaller the receptive field and the better that body part is detecting touch

31
Q

If we touch within a receptive field (two pokes close to each other)…

A

neuron is only triggered one time; one action potential

32
Q

The somatosensory cortex is plastic

A

Intentional stimulation of a specific body region can be changed by experience
Loss of use will cause it to shrink

33
Q

Phantom limb

A

When D3 and D2 expand, the cells themselves don’t move, but their projections do

Phantom limb touch happens because of neurons taking over area
Ex: face neurons take over hand area, so when you touch the face some of the neurons still think you’re responding to hand

34
Q

Pain

A

An unpleasant experience associated with tissue damage

Pain helps us to withdraw from its source, engage in recuperative actions, and to signal others

35
Q

Human pain can be measured

A

The McGill Pain Questionnaire describes three aspects of pain:
1. Sensory-discriminative quality (e.g., throbbing, gnawing, shooting)
2. Motivational-affective (emotional) quality (e.g., tiring, sickening, fearful)
3. Cognitive evaluative quality (e.g., no pain, mild, excruciating)

36
Q

Why is pain so hard to measure?

A

Everyone’s pain tolerance is different
Level of experience with pain
Expecting the pain or not

37
Q

Nociceptors

A

Peripheral receptors that respond to painful stimuli

38
Q

Free nerve endings

A

in the dermis; have specialized receptor proteins on the cell membrane that respond to various signals

The free nerve endings produce different receptor proteins, so they respond to different stimuli like temperature changes, chemicals, and pain

39
Q

Peripheral mediation of pain

A

Usually stems from damaged tissue

40
Q

The anterolateral (or spinothalamic) system

A

Transmits the sensations of pain and temperature

41
Q

Receptors synapse on spinal neurons in the ___________

A

dorsal horn

42
Q

Pain information __________________ in the spinal cord before ascending to the brain

A

crosses the midline

43
Q

Phantom limb (neuropathic) pain

A

Microglial cells release chemicals that make the dorsal horn neurons hyperexcitable and cause chronic pain
Visual system can change the brain’s processing of info

44
Q

Social rejection activates brain regions for affective pain

A

Activation of anterior cingulate cortex
People who took Tylenol experienced less distress and showed less activation in these brain regions

45
Q

Analgesia

A

The absence or reduction in pain sensation

46
Q

Opioids

A

are endogenous opiate-like peptides in the brain

47
Q

Opiates

A

Drugs that reduce pain

48
Q

Three classes of endogenous opioids

A

Endorphins
Enkephalins
Dynorphins

49
Q

Opioid receptors

A

respond to opiates or opioids

50
Q

Stimulation of mu opioid receptors

A

relieves pain more effectively in
men than women

51
Q

Stimulation of k opioid receptors

A

relieves pain more effectively in women

52
Q

Periaqueductal gray (PAG)

A

An area in the midbrain involved in pain perception

Electrical stimulation of the PAG produces potent analgesia

Psych 230 exam 3 (6 decks)

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