Session 3/4: PNS and Sensory Receptors Flashcards
<p>In order to understand the exact location on the body of a sensation, the position the body was in when the stimulus was applied and the position of the body as it reacts to the stimulus requires what? (3)</p>
<p>1. Understanding of nerve pathways 2. Physiology of how a sensation (stimulus) is encoded 3. How we perceive the sensation at a conscious level.</p>
<p>What is sensation?</p>
<p>The process where sensory receptors receive information from both the internal and external environment and encode the information for transmission to various areas of the nervous system. </p>
<p>What processes are included in sensation? (4)</p>
<p>1. Sensory transduction
2. Receptor potential summation
3. Action potential generation
4. Neural processes that integrate signals centrally by either facilitation (depolarization) or inhibition (hyperpolarization)</p>
<p>What is sensory transduction?</p>
<p>Theconversion of asensory stimulus from one form to another.</p>
<p>What is receptor potential summation?</p>
<p>The summation of the individual actions of ligand-gated ion channel proteins, and decrease over time and space. They do not typically involve voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels.</p>
<p>What is perception?</p>
<p>The process where the CNS receives and interprets sensations based on present experiences, the present state of the internal and external environment, and memory of similar situations.</p>
<p>True or False. Perception occurs to various degrees of refinement. </p>
<p>True.</p>
<p>In what areas of the brain does perception occur and at what level?</p>
<p>1. Thalamus
2. Basal ganglia (movement, inter/intrapersonal space)
3. Cerebellum (unconsciousness)
4. Cortex (conscious)</p>
<p>What level of perception occurs in the basal ganglia?</p>
<p>Movement, intra- and interpersonal space.</p>
<p>What levelof perception occurs in the cerebellum?</p>
<p>Unconsciousness.</p>
<p>What level of perception occurs in the cortex?</p>
<p>Consciousness.</p>
<p>True or False. All receptors are sensitive ONLY to changes in stimulus, not prolonged stimulation.</p>
<p>False. Receptors may be sensitive only to changes in stimulus, OR in prolonged stimulation.</p>
<p>Intensity of a stimulus is related to what? (2)</p>
<p>1. Size of the receptor potential
| 2. Number of receptors activated.</p>
<p>Without a cortex, perceptions are incomplete or skewed from the normal, which can cause what? (4)</p>
<p>1. lack of localization 2. loss of sensation (anasthesia) 3. increased sensitivity (hyperesthesia) 4. abnormal sensation, tingling (parasthesia)</p>
<p>Howdoes sensory transductionoccur?</p>
<p>The energy of a stimulus triggers Na+, K+ and Cl- channels to open, allowing ion movement, such that a local potential difference occurs. This potential change is local and spreads only a few millimeters as it decays.</p>
<p>What types of stimulus energy can undergo sensory transduction? (3)</p>
<p>1. mechanical
2. chemical
3. light</p>
<p>What is the threshold for stimulation?</p>
<p>The amount of stimulus energy it takes to cause a local receptor potential. </p>
<p>What is the threshold for stimulation dependent on?</p>
<p>The physical properties of the receptor itself. </p>
<p>Explain the difference between low and high thresholds for stimulation.Give examples of each.</p>
<p>A low threshold for stimulation only requires a small stimulus to cause a local receptor potential, whereas a high threshold requires a larget stimulus for a local receptor potential.</p>
<p>1. Low threshold: Meissner's corpsucle (low freq vibration triggers)</p>
<p>2. High threshold: Ruffini ending (large amt ofskin stretch or joint movement triggers)</p>
<p>What is threshold for perception?</p>
<p>The lowest stimulus intensity necessary for perception of stimulus. </p>
<p>Threshold for perception is usually the same as the receptor threshold, but may be modified by \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ and \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.</p>
<p>Context</p>
<p>Experience</p>
<p>What is adaptation?</p>
<p>The duration for which the receptor potential is generated to the stimulus. </p>
<p>What determines adaptation?</p>
<p>The morphology of the receptor. Occurs when the receptor is continuously stimulated.</p>
<p>What is a rapidly adapting receptor potential? Give an example.</p>
<p>Action potentials are only generated at the onset and offset of the stimulus.
Example: Pacinian corpuscle receptor potential. </p>
<p>What is a slowly adapting receptor potential? Give an example. </p>
<p>Slowly adapting receptor potentials continue to signal throughout the duration of the stimulus.
Example: Ruffini corpuscles.</p>
<p>What is quality-specificity coding?</p>
<p>Receptors are specialized by morphology to respond to only one type of stimulus.</p>
<p>What was the opposing theory to specificity coding prior to its proposal in the 1800's?</p>
<p>Patterns of stimuli, similar to "Morse codes", signaled the type of stimulus.</p>
<p>What is frequency and population coding?</p>
<p>The intensity of a stimulus is directly related to the size of the receptor potential and the number of receptors activated.</p>
<p>Choose the best answers.
The stronger the stimulus, the (GREATER/SMALLER) the size of the receptor potentials, the (GREATER/LESSER) the number of receptors being activated, the (GREATER/LESSER) summation of the depolarizing events and thus the increased frequency of action potentials.</p>
<p>Greater
Greater
Greater</p>
<p>True or false.
The amplitude and speed with which the action potentials are traveling can change, but the frequency of action potentials cannot. </p>
<p>False.</p>
<p>What is a receptive field?</p>
<p>The area surrounding the receptor that when stimulated excites or inhibits the firing of a particular cell.</p>
<p>Which areas are considered the most sensitive parts of the body? Why?</p>
<p>The tips of fingers and the tongue.
Most sensitive because they have the smallest receptive fields and the largest number of receptive fields per area. </p>
<p>Choose the best answer.
As you move proximally, receptive field size (INCREASES/DECREASES) and density of receptors (INCREASES/DECREASES), therefore (INCREASING/DECREASING) sensitivity. </p>
<p>1. Increases
2. Decreases
3. Decreases.</p>
<p>What is a dermatome?</p>
<p>An area of the body contributing sensory input to one dorsal root.</p>
<p>What is convergent excitation?</p>
<p>All excited receptors converge onto one cell. </p>
<p>What is somatotropin organization of the CNS? This is more commonly know as the sensory \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.</p>
<p>An orderly mapping of sensations from body surface onto CNS area. There is a point-for-point correspondence of an area of the body to a specific point on the CNS.
Knows as the sensory homunculus.</p>
<p>True or false.
In a sensory homunculus, the areas with the largest receptor density will have the largest cortical receptive field.</p>
<p>True.</p>
<p>True or False.
There are cells in the sensory cortex that respond to specific orientation, movement and shape of stimulus.</p>
<p>True</p>
<p>How can sensory receptors be classified?</p>
<p>1. Stimulus location 2. Sensory system 3. Stimulus energy 4. Fiber type (most general classification) </p>
<p>What are exteroceptors?</p>
<p>Sensory receptors that receive stimuli from the external environment.</p>
<p>What are proprioreceptors?</p>
<p>Sensory receptors that position body segments relative to each other and position of body and head in space</p>
<p>What are interoceptors?</p>
<p>Sensory receptors that signal body events such as blood glucose levels and blood pressure. </p>
<p>Sensory receptors can be classified according to their corresponding sensory system. Name these 6 systems.</p>
<p>1. Somatic (tactile, joint, muscle, tendon, thermal, pain)
2. Visual
3. Vestibular
4. Auditory
5. Olfactory
6. Gustatory</p>
<p>Sensory receptors can be classified according to stimulus energy types. Name the 5 of these receptors and the corresponding stimulus energy.</p>
<p>1. Mechanoreceptor- touch/pressure, proprioception, air waves
2. Chemoreceptors- taste, smell, blood gas level
3. Nocireceptors- damaging stimuli (pain)
4. Thermoreceptors- heat and cold
5. Photoreceptors- light</p>
Name the 5 types of sensory fibers.
- Ia (A-α)
- Ib (A-α)
- II (A-β)
- III (Aδ)
- IV (C)
What sensory fiber types have a large diameter?
Ia, Ib, II
What sensory fiber types have a small diameter?
III, IV.
Which diameter fibers have a faster conduction velocity- small or large? Why?
Small diameter fibers are slower because they provide more resistance to flow of current and have less insulation from myelin.
Which sensory fiber types have a fast conduction velocity?
Ia, Ib, II
Which sensory fiber types have a slow conduction velocity?
III, IV
Which sensory fiber types are myelinated?
Ia, Ib, II, III
Which sensory fiber types are unmyelinated?
IV
What type of receptor is innervated by Ia sensory fibers?
Primary afferents of the muscle spindle
What type of receptor is innervated by Ib sensory fibers?
Golgi tendon organ
What type of receptors are innervated by II sensory fibers?
Secondary afferents of muscle spindle
Touch
Pressure
Vibration
What type of receptors are innervated by III sensory fibers?
Touch
Pressure
Pain
Temperature
What type of receptors are innervated by IV sensory fibers?
Pain
Temperature
Which diameter fibers have a higher amplitude of action potential- small or large? Why?
Large diameter fibers have higher amplitude because potential change across the membrane is bigger.
What can an EMG tell you about fiber diameters?
You can distinguish small diameter from large diameter fibers by the size of the EMG amplitude.
Which diameter fibers have a higher threshold for stimulation- small or large? Why?
Small diameter fibers have a higher threshold for stimulation because they offer more resistance to current flow.
Which sensory fiber type will require the highest intensity stimulation to activate?
VI (C)
What are the four types of motor fibers?
- Alpha (A-α)
- Gamma (A-γ)
- Preganglionic ANS fibers (B)
- Postganglionic ANS Fibers (C)