lecture 5: Sensory Receptor Mechanisms and Somatic Sensations Flashcards
what is the definition of sensation
Sensation: the ability to feel something physically, especially by touching
what is the definition of perception
Perception: concious interpretation of the stimuli
What does the combo of sensation and oerception allow?
Awareness of the elements of environment through physical sensation
What is a modality of sensation
Each of the principal types of sensation that we can experience (touch, pain, sight, sound, etc.)
explain the labeled line principle
Type of sensation felt when a nerve fiber is stimulated (e.g. pain, touch, sight, sound) is determined by:
The termination point in the CNS
i.e. unique neurons in the CNS capable of decoding specific modalities
what are the 3 types of sensory information
1) mechanoreceptive sensation
2) nocioreceptive sensation
3) thermoreceptive sensation
what are the 2 subtypes of mechanoreceptive sensation and explain
1) tactile sensation (skin) Tactile sensation (skin) Touch Pressure vibrations Itch and tickle
2) propriceptive sensation
Muscle stretch sense (e.g.
muscle is contracted or relaxed)
Joint position sense
what do nociceptive sensation detect?
PAIN
what do thermoreceptive sensations detect?
HOT AND COLD
what are Somatosensory receptors classified based on
the type of sensation they detect:
what are the 3 types of receptors in somatosensory receptors
1) mechanorecepts
2) nociceptors
3) thermoreceptors
What do mechanorecptos detect and what are the 2 subtypes of this receptor (and examples)
detect tissue deformation
Skin tactile receptors:
- Free nerve endings
- Expanded tip receptor (e.g. Merkel’s discs)
- Encapsulated endings (e.g. Meissner’s corpuscle, Pacinian corpuscle, Krause’s corpuscle Ruffini’s end-organ…)
- Hair end-organ
Muscle receptors:
- Muscle spindles
- Golgi tendon receptors
what do thermoreceptors detect and what are the two subtypes of this receptor
detect change in temperature (Specialized free nerve endings)
- Cold receptors
- Warm receptors
what do nociceptors detect and what are the subtypes
Nociceptors: detect pain (i.e. tissue damage)
Pain receptors: Specialized free nerve endings
be able to recognize the types of somatosensory receptors
see slides
explain receptor potential
Receptor potential:
When a stimulus excites a receptor, the change in the membrane electrical potential of the receptor is called a receptor potential (like EPSP)
The stimulation causes opening of ion channels (Na+, K+) and the depolarization of the receptor membrane.
What are the 4 ways to stimulate a receptor?
1) Mechanical deformation which stretches the membrane (e.g. mechanoreceptors)
2) application of chemicals (taste/smell)
3) chnage in temp (thermoreceptors)
4) tissue damage (pain receptors)
explain the concept of adaption of receptors
When a continuous sensory stimulus is applied, the receptor responds at a high impulse rate at first and then at a progressively slower rate until finally the rate of APs decreases to very few or to none at all
Speed of adaptation varies with type of receptors
what are the fast and slow adapting?
Rapidly adapting receptors:
Pacinian corpuscle
Hair receptor
Slowly adapting receptors:
Muscle spindles
Joint receptors
recognize graph of speed of adaptation
slides
what is the difference between rapidly adapting vs slowly adapting receptors
Rapidly adapting receptors are best at detecting rapidly changing signals, while slowly adapting receptors are capable of detecting a long, continuous signal
true or false : rapidly adapting receptors Only fire at onset and offset
true
what is the receptice field
The receptive field of a neuron is the area on a surface, like the skin that a stimulus must reach to activate that neuron
What does the area of receptor field depend on
Area of each receptor field varies inversely with the density of receptors in the region (increase density=small receptor field)
Do back and legs have a large or small receptor field and why
have low number of cutaneous receptors
Receptive fields are large in size
do fingertips and tongue have a small reception field and why
have large number of cutaneous receptors
Receptive fields are small in
size
For accuracy of senstaion, is it better to have small or large receptor fields
SMALL RECEPTOR FIELD
explain two point discrimination
method used to measure tactile acuity in rehab
Minimum distance at which 2 points of touch can be perceived as separate
Measure of distance between receptive fields
Indication of tactile acuity
If distance between 2 points is less than minimum distance, only 1 point will be felt
What is the reason we might only feel 1 point even if tehre are 2 points?
When primary neurons converge to a single secondary neuron= ;arger receptor field and will only feel 1 point
what are the 3 receptors that lie superfically
nerve endings
meissners corpuscles
merkels disks
what are the 3 receptors that lie deep
hair end organ
ruffinis end-organ
paccinis corpuscles
Where are free nerve ends found, whats their fucntion and are they slow or fast adapting
Found everywhere in the skin (superficial layers) and in many other tissues
Detect crude touch and pressure sensations
Specialized free nerve endings
Slowly adapting receptors
Where are Meissner’s corpuscles located, their function and are they fast or slow adapting
Elongated encapsulated nerve endings of a large myelinated sensory nerve fiber (Aβ). SUPERFICIAL NON HAIRY
Detect fine touch (discriminative, movement of the objects on the surface of the skin) and low frequency vibration
Rapidly adapting receptors
Where are merkel’s disks located, whats their function and are they fast or slow adapting
Located in the superficial layers of the skin (epidermis)
Detect touch and light pressure
_slowly adapting receptors____________________