Somatic Pathways Flashcards
What is sensation?
- the detection of changes in our internal environment and/or external environment
- involves sensory receptors and the neurons that convey the signals from those receptors to the CNS
What is perception?
- the conscious awareness and interpretation of sensations
- involves the processing of sensory information in the cerebral cortex
What are somatic sensations?
- tactile sensations that arise from the skin (e.g., touch,
pressure, vibration, temperature, pain) - proprioceptive (position sense) sensations that arise
from the muscles and joints
What are special sensations?
- vision, hearing, taste, smell, balance
What are visceral sensations?
- sensations that arise from the visceral organs (e.g.,
pressure, stretch, chemical concentrations)
What are the three types of sensory receptors?
- free nerve endings
- encapsulated nerve endings
- separate cells
Which type of sensory receptor is responsible for pain and temperature?
- free nerve endings
Which type of sensory receptor is responsible for pressure and vibration?
- encapsulated nerve endings
Which type of sensory receptor is responsible for special senses?
- separate cells
Which proprioceptive sensory receptors are found in muscle?
- muscle spindles, tendon organs
Which proprioceptive sensory receptors are found in joints?
- ruffini corpuscles, pacinian corpuscles
What are the five types of tactile sensory receptors?
- free nerve ending
- merkel disc
- meissner corpuscle
- ruffini corpuscle
- pacinian corpuscle
What do proprioceptive sensory receptors do in relation to sensation in the muscles?
- muscle spindle = muscle length
- tendon organ = muscle tension
What do the sensory pathways of the somatic nervous system do?
- transmit somatic sensory signals from peripheral receptors to the brain
What do the motor pathways of the somatic nervous system do?
- transmit motor signals from the brain to skeletal muscles