med phys e3 Flashcards
somesthetic receptor
- aka somatosensory
- a sensory end organ concerned with reception of stimuli producing one of the generalized sensations such as temp, pressure, position or movement
sensation
- signals transmitted by receptors to brain in form of light, sound, tactile, thermal, pain, etc
- receptors respond specifically to one form of energy more than any other but may respond to other forms (photoreceptors may respond to pressure; we might see “stars”
- unconscious processing/at subcortical level
- ex. nociception is sensation; pain is perception
perception
- refers to how sensory information is organized, interpreted and consciously experienced
- conscious processing/at cortical level
- ex. nociception is sensation; pain is perception
Meissner’s corpuscles
- mechanoreceptors present in highly sensitive areas like fingertips, palms, soles, tongue, lips & genital skin
- have small receptive fields to allow two-point discrimination
- respond to low frequency stimuli (flutter)
Pacinian corpuscles
rapidly adapting mechanoreceptors for pressure and vibration
Merkel’s disks
slow adapting mechanoreceptor that respond to pressure and touch
hair follicle receptors
rapidly adapting mechanoreceptors that respond to movement across surface of skin
Ruffini’s corpuscles
slow adapting mechanoreceptors that respond to stretch found in dermis & joints
thermal receptors
- free nerve endings that respond to temp changes
- divided in cold and warm slow adapting receptors
nociceptors
- free nerve endings found in skin, muscle, joints, periosteum and visceral organs capsules
- respond to noxious (harmful/unpleasant) chemicals, mechanical stimuli (stretch) and temp
muscle spindles (in muscles) and golgi tendon (in tendons)
- important in proprioception & coordination of motor activity
sensory receptive fields
- region of skin that elicits a response in somatic sensory neuron (2 pt discrimination)
- vary in diameter (1-2 mm on fingertips [high precision]; 5-10 mm on palms; larger in abd & back [lower precision]) and may overlap
ascending (afferent) tracts - anterior column
ventral spinothalamic tract (pressure and crude touch - can’t localize)
ascending (afferent) tracts - lateral column
lateral spinothalamic tract (pain and temperature); ventral & dorsal spinocerebellar tracts
ascending (afferent) tracts - posterior column
fasciculus cuneatus & gracilis (vibration, proprioception, fine touch - can localize)
descending (efferent) tracts - anterior column
ventral corticospinal/pyramidal tract (voluntary mvoements, reflexes)
descending (efferent) tracts - lateral column
lateral corticospinal/pyramidal tract (voluntary movements, reflexes)
thalamus
- awareness of nociceptive stimuli (non-discriminative form)
- subjective response to sensation
- activation and arousal with reticular formation
- modification of affective component of behavior with limbic system