Sensing the world Flashcards
Define a threshold potential.
The minimum level of stimulus required to create an AP. If the stimulus is below this level no AP will be generated.
How is the intensity of a stimulus conveyed?
By the frequency of APs.
APs can be different sizes. True or false?
False - every AP is always the same size.
Define a receptive field.
An area over which a neuron can pick up stimuli.
Sensitivity of a neuron is equal across its receptive field. True or false?
False - sensitivity varies, e.g. is lower at the periphery etc.
Do the receptive fields on adjacent neurons overlap?
Yes.
What affects the size of a neuron’s receptive field?
Its location on the body.
A smaller field has higher acuity than a larger one. What does this mean?
It is ‘sharper’ as it is able to distinguish independent stimuli much better.
What 2 things affect conduction velocity of a neuron?
- Axon diameter (bigger is better)
2. Myelination
Fibres can either be a) slow-adapting or b) fast-adapting. What kind of receptors do the 2 have?
a) tonic receptors
b) phasic receptors
What do slow-adapting fibres convey?
Information about stimulus size.
Is the stimulation from slow-adapting fibres ongoing or phasic?
Ongoing.
What do fast-adapting fibres convey?
Information about changes to the stimulus.
The stimulation of fast-adapting fibres is phasic. What does this mean?
Firing rate rapidly decreases and stops. These neurons are active in bursts.
What are the 4 main sensory receptors involved in touch?
- Pacinian corpuscle
- Meissner’s corpuscle
- Merkel’s disc
- Ruffini’s ending
Which 2 touch receptors are slow-adapting?
Merkel’s disc and Ruffini’s ending.
Which 2 touch receptors are fast-adapting?
Pacinian and Meissner’s corpuscle.
Which 2 touch receptors have small receptive fields?
Meissner’s corpuscle and Merkel’s disc.
Which 2 touch receptors have large receptive fields?
Pacinian corpuscle and Ruffini’s ending.
What does the somatosensory cortex do?
Represent touch in the brain.
How is the somatosensory cortex organised?
Adjacent regions of the body are closely associated in the cortex.
What is cortical magnification?
Each sensory receptor is represented by an equal amount of area in the SS cortex, thus regions of the body with more receptors occupy more space in the brain.
‘Size devoted to an area of the body is relative to the number of neurons it has’.
What is another name for cortical magnification?
The homunculus model.
Where does the visual pathway lie?
Through the thalamus to the visual cortex.