Sensory Systems Flashcards
Describe somatosensory.
Bodily sensation of touch, pain, temperature, vibration, and proprioception.
Received from sensory receptors in skin, joints, ligaments, muscle and fascia. It detects changes in the environment or within the body.
What are the 5 different types of cutaneous mechanoreceptors?
- Free nerve endings
- Merkel cells
- Meissner corpuscles
- Ruffini endings
- Pacinian corpuscles
What do free nerve endings convey? What type of receptor fields do they have?
Temperature, pain, crude touch.
Have small or large receptor fields.
What do merkel cells convey? What type of receptor fields?
Light touch (shape and texture)
Small receptor fields
What do meissner corpuscles convey? What type of receptor fields?
Light touch (motion detection and grip control by responding to very low frequency vibrations)
Small receptor fields
What do ruffini endings convey? What type of receptor fields?
- Stretching of skin = helps provide secondary info, like proprioception.
- Vibration and pressure
Large receptor fields
What do pacinian corpuscles convey? What type of receptor fields?
Vibration and pressure = big scale vibration/pressure movements; gross movements
Large receptor fields
What is proprioception? What 3 types of receptors detect it?
The sense of joint/limb position in space.
- Muscle spindles
- Golgi tendon organs
- Joint receptors
Describe a muscle spindle and what 2 responses they can trigger.
A muscle spindle is composed of intrafusal fibers. They detect the rate and degree of a muscle stretch.
Responses:
- Muscle contraction
- Antagonist inhibition (crucial for the myotactic reflex)
Describe Golgi tendon organs. What 2 responses do they trigger?
Located near the muscle-tendon junction.
Monitors tension within tendons for proper grading of muscle contractions and force needed.
Responses:
- Muscle relaxation (“autogenic inhibition”)
- Inhibit muscle spindles
**Exception: golgi tendon organs can trigger contraction right before a muscle is passively stretched.
Describe joint receptors. What other important receptors are included with the joint receptors?
Monitors stretch in synovial joints. It sends info to cerebellum and spinal reflex arcs.
Other receptors:
- Pacinian = AROM and compression
- Ruffini = indicate end-range and PROM
- Free nerve endings = pain from joint inflammation; non-noxious stress (pressure, temperature, vibration)
Describe A alpha (type 1) axon.
Myelinated with biggest fiber diameter
Receptors = muscle spindles and golgi tendon organ
Sensory modalities = proprioception
Describe A beta (type 2) axon.
Myelinated
Receptors = muscle spindles, meissner corpuscle, merkel receptor, pacinian corpuscle, ruffini ending, hair receptor.
Sensory modalities = proprioception, superficial touch, deep touch/vibration, touch/vibration
Describe A delta (toye 3) axon.
Myelinated
Receptors = free nerve ending
Sensory modalities = Pain, cool temperature, and itch
Describe C (type 4) axon.
Not myelinated with smallest diameter and slowest conduction
Receptors = free nerve endings
Sensory modalities = pain, warm temperature, and itch