Sensory Systems Flashcards

1
Q

what is each type of sensory information associated with?

A

a specific receptor type responding to a specific sensory modality

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are examples of sensory receptors?

A

Mechanoreceptors

Chemoreceptors

Thermoreceptors

Nociceptors

Proprioceptors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How does the nerve endings of different sensory receptors differ?

A

May have free nerve endings or complex structures

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are examples of sensory receptors that have free nerve endings?

A

Nociceptors

Cold receptors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are examples of complex structures at the end of sensory receptors?

A

Pacininan corpuscle

Meissner’s corpuscle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is the specific area that sensory receptors respond to stimulus over called?

A

Receptive field

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How do sensory receptors tranduce their adequate stimulus?

A

Into depolarisation, the receptor (generator) potential

This evokes firing of action potentials for long distance transmission

Gives information on modality, intensity and location of the stimulus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what do all sensory receptors transduce their adequate stimulus into?

A

a depolarisation, the receptor (generator) potential

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what does the size of generator potential encode for?

A

intensity of stimulus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what does generator potential evoke?

A

firing of action potentials for long distance transmission

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what does the frequency of action potentials encode for?

A

encodes intensity of stimulus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What does the receptive field encode?

A

Location of stimulus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What determines acuity?

A

Density of innervation and size of receptive fields

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are action potentials from sensory receptors transmitted to the CNS by?

A

Axons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Cutaneous sensation is mediated by 3 types of primary afferent fibres; what are they?

A

Aβ = large myelinated (30-70 m/s) touch, pressure, vibration

Aδ = small myelinated (5-30 m/s) cold, “fast” pain, pressure

C = unmyelinated fibres (0.5-2 m/s) warmth, “slow” pain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What are Aß fibres also known as?

A

Large myelinated

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is the speed of Aß fibres?

A

30-70m/s

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What kinds of sensory information is transmitted by Aß fibres?

A

Touch, pressure, vibration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What are Aσ fibres also known as?

A

Small myelinated fibres

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is the speed of Aσ fibres?

A

5-30m/s

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What kind of information is transmitted by Aσ fibres?

A

Cold, “fast” pain, pressure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are C fibres also known as?

A

Unmyelinated fibres

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is the speed of C fibres?

A

0.5-2m/s

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What kind of information is transmitted by C fibres?

A

Warmth, “slow” pain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What are the 2 types of primary afferent fibres that mediate proprioception?

A

Aa and Aß (such as muscles spindles, golgi tendon organs etc)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What do proprioceptors give information about?

A

Position and movement

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What do all primary afferent fibre types enter the spinal cord through?

A

Dorsal root ganglia (or cranial nerve ganglia for the head)

28
Q

What fibres transmit information from mechanoreceptors?

A

Aa and Aß fibres

29
Q

Explain the pathway of mechanoreceptor (Aa and Aß fibres)?

A

1) Project straight up through ipsilateral dorsal columns

2) Synapse in cuneate and gracile nuclei

3) The 2nd order fibres cross over midline in the brain stem and project to reticular formation, thalamus and cortex

30
Q

Where do mechanoreceptor fibres cross the midline?

A

Brainstem

31
Q

What do mechanoreceptor fibres project up the spinal cord through?

A

Ipsilateral dorsal columns

32
Q

What fibres do thermoreceptors use?

A

Aσ and C fibres

33
Q

What fibres do nociceptive receptors use?

A

Aσ and C fibres

34
Q

Explain the pathway of thermoreceptive and nociceptive fibres?

A

1) Synapse in the dorsal horn

2) The 2nd order fibres cross over the midline in the spinal cord

3) Project up through the contralateral spinothalamic (anteriolateral) tract to reticular formation, thalamus and cortex

35
Q

What do mechanoreceptors detect?

A

Touch, pressure, stretching and motion

36
Q

What do nociceptive receptors detect?

A

Pain

37
Q

Where do thermoreceptive fibres cross the midline?

A

Spinal cord

38
Q

Where do nociceptive fibres cross the midline?

A

Spinal cord

39
Q

How are thermoreceptive fibres transmitted up the spinal cord?

A

Contralateral spinothalamic (anteriolateral) tract to reticular formation, thalamus, and cortex

40
Q

How are nociceptive fibres transmitted up the spinal cord?

A

Project up through the contralateral spinothalamic (anteriolateral) tract to reticular formation, thalamus, and cortex

41
Q

what is brown-sequard syndrome?

A

a rare neurological condition characterized by a lesion in the spinal cord which results in weakness or paralysis on one side of the body and a loss of sensation on the opposite side

42
Q

below the level of injury in brown sequard syndrome what is experienced on the contralateral side?

A

Loss of pain and
temperature

43
Q

below the level of injury in brown sequard syndrome what is experienced on the ipsilateral side

A

Loss of vibration, motor function, deep touch and proprioception

44
Q

Different transmission for sensory information explains consequences of spinal cord injuries, what does damage to dorsal columns cause?

A

Loss of touch, vibration, proprioception below lesion on ipsilateral side

45
Q

different transmission for sensory information explains consequences of spinal cord injuries, what does damage to anteriolateral quadrant cause?

A

Loss of nociceptive and temperature sensation below lesion on contralateral side

46
Q

Where is the ultimate terminate of all sensory receptor fibres?

A

Somatosensory cortex (S1) of the postcentral gyrus

47
Q

What are the endings of sensory fibres grouped according to?

A

Location of the receptors, forming sensory homunculus

48
Q

What are the steps of processing in sensory pathways?

A

Adaptation

Convergence

Lateral inhibition

49
Q

What is the adaptation step of processing in sensory pathways?

A

Decline in the electrical response of a receptor neuron over time in spite of the continued presence of an appropriated stimulus of constant strength

Is apparent as a gradual decrease in frequency of spikes generated within the receptor neuron

50
Q

What are the 2 kinds of adapting that sensory receptors can display?

A

Rapidly adapting

Slowly adapting

51
Q

What are consequences of convergence occuring when processing sensory information?

A

Saves on neurons

But reduced acuity

May underlie referred pain

52
Q

What is the lateral inhibition step of processing in sensory pathways?

A

Activation of one sensory input causes synaptic inhibition of its neighbours

53
Q

What are consequences of lateral inhibition in sensory receptors?

A

Gives better definition of boundaries

Cleans up sensory information

54
Q

What is perception?

A

The ability to see, hear or become aware of something through the sense, or the way something is interpreted

55
Q

What are examples of the different kinds of pain?

A

Sharp, stabbing vs diffuse, throbbing

Fast (initial pain) vs slow (delayed) pain

Acute vs chronic pain

Visceral pain

Referred pain

Phantom limb pain

56
Q

What is signal transduction?

A

Transmission of molecular signals from a cell’s exterior to its interior

57
Q

What is signal transduction in nociceptors activated by?

A

Low pH, heat (via ASIC, TRPV1 etc)

Local chemical mediators (such as bradykinin, histamine, prostaglandins)

58
Q

What are examples of local chemical mediators that activates signal transduction in nociceptors?

A

Bradykinin, histamine, prostaglandins

59
Q

Explain the processing of nociceptive pathways?

A

1) Segmental controls (such as gate theory control of pain where activity in Aa/ß fibres activates inhibitory interneurons)

2) Inhibitory interneurons release opiod peptides (endorphins) that inhibit transmitter release from Aσ/C fibres, “closing the gate”

3) Descending controls, the same inhibitory interneurons are also activated by descending pathways from PAG and NRM, hence also “closing the gate”

4) Transmitted to thalamus

60
Q

What is the medical term for the inability to feel pain?

A

Analgesia

61
Q

What is the “gate control theory of pain”?

A

Non-painful stimulus input closes the nerve “gates” to painful input, which prevents pain sensation form travelling to the central nervous system

62
Q

What can analgesia be achieved with?

A

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

Local anaesthetics

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

Opiates

63
Q

How do NSAIDs achieve analgesia?

A

1) Prostaglandins sensitive nociceptors to bradykinin

2) NSAIDs inhibit cyclo-oxygenase which converts arachidonic acid to prostaglandins

3) So NSAIDs work well against pain associated with inflammation

64
Q

How do local anaesthetics achieve analgesia?

A

Block Na+ action potential and therefore all axonal transmission

65
Q

What is an example of an opiate?

A

morphine

66
Q

How do opiates achieve analgesia?

A

Reduce sensitivty of nociceptors

Block transmitter release in dorsal horn (hence epidural administration)

Activate descending inhibitory pathways