Neurophysiology Flashcards
Why are sensory receptors known as transducers?
Convert physical/chemical stimulus into electrical impulse
How do sensory receptors allow the localisation of sensory stimuli?
Receptive field
What are receptor potentials?
Electrical impulse transduced by sensory receptors
How are (i) receptor potential (ii) firing frequency and (iii) sensory stimuli related?
Magnitude of sensory stimulus encodes for duration and intensity of APs
- ↑stimulus → ↑receptor potential → ↑freq. of AP (> exceed threshold)
In order to generate an action potential, the depolarisation of the membrane at the sensory receptor must reach a ______________.
Threshold potential
Odorants generate (fast/slow) receptor potential within cilia?
Slow
True or false. Odorants trigger a series of receptor potentials that propagate continuously along olfactory nerve axons.
False.
Odorants → slow RP in cilia
→ RP along dendrite
→ series of AP within soma
→ AP along axon
What are 4 sensory stimuli that are sensed by exteroceptors?
1) Pain
2) Temperature
3) Touch
4) Pressure
Where are proprioceptors located?
1) Muscles
2) Tendons
3) Joints
What are 5 modes of sensory detection?
1) Chemoreceptors
2) Photoreceptor
3) Thermoreceptors
4) Mechanoreceptors
5) Nociceptors
In the visual sensory system, what are the
i) modality
ii) stimulus
iii) receptor class
iv) receptor cell type
Visual:
i) Vision
ii) Light
iii) Photoreceptor
iv) Rods, cones
In the auditory sensory system, what are the
i) modality
ii) stimulus
iii) receptor class
iv) receptor cell type
Auditory:
i) hearing
ii) sound
iii) mechanoreceptors
iv) hair cells (cochlea)
In the vestibular sensory system, what are the
i) modality
ii) stimulus
iii) receptor class
iv) receptor cell type
Vestibular:
i) balance
ii) gravity
iii) mechanoreceptors
iv) hair cell (vestibular labyrinth)
In the gustatory sensory system, what are the
i) modality
ii) stimulus
iii) receptor class
iv) receptor cell type
Gustatory:
i) taste
ii) chemical
iii) chemoreceptor
iv) taste buds
In the olfactory sensory system, what are the
i) modality
ii) stimulus
iii) receptor class
iv) receptor cell type
Olfactory:
i) smell
ii) chemical
iii) chemoreceptor
iv) olfactory sensory receptors
For touch sensation in the somatosensory system, what are the
i) stimulus
ii) receptor class
iii) receptor cell type
i) Pressure
ii) Mechanoreceptor
iii) Cutaneous mechanoreceptors
For proprioceptive sensation in the somatosensory system, what are the
i) stimulus
ii) receptor class
iii) receptor cell type
i) Displacement
ii) Mechanoreceptor
iii) Muscle and joint receptors
For temperature sensation in the somatosensory system, what are the
i) stimulus
ii) receptor class
iii) receptor cell type
i) Thermal
ii) Thermoreceptor
iii) Cold and warm receptors
For pain sensation in the somatosensory system, what are the
i) stimulus
ii) receptor class
iii) receptor cell type
i) Chemical, thermal, mechanical
ii) Chemoreceptor, thermoreceptor, mechanoreceptor
iii) Polymodal, thermal, mechanical nocireceptor
For itch sensation in the somatosensory system, what are the
i) stimulus
ii) receptor class
iii) receptor cell type
i) chemical
ii) chemoreceptor
iii) chemical nociceptor
Are spinal and intracranial neurons sensitive to sensory stimuli eg. touch, sound, light, odor?
No.
Each stimuli must be transduced by specialised sensory cells
True or false:
As a neuronal action potential is summative, the intensity of a stimulus can be directly calculated from a single sensory neuron action potential.
False.
Single neuron → “All or nothing” (threshold)
Intensity coded by (i) no. activated receptors (ii) freq. of AP from those receptors
What are the 2 modes of sensory receptor adaptation?
1) Tonic
- slowly adapting
- responsive during long stimuli
- for monitoring unchanging stimuli (eg. pressure)
2) Phasic
- rapidly adapting
- only detect onset of stimulus
- for detecting rapid changes in stimuli (eg. vibration)
What is receptor adaptation?
Sensory receptors become less responsive to a stimulus over time