Somatosensation I Flashcards
What types of sensations does somatosensation convey?
Touch, proprioception, heat/cold and pain/itch
What is proprioception?
awareness of body position
What are the two subsystems of somatosensation?
Tactile sensation and pain and temperature sensation
What is an epineurium?
Connective tissue ensheathing the whole nerve
What are dorsal root ganglion cells?
The sensory receptors of the somatosensory system
What are the two systems of the dorsal root ganglion cells?
Large and small fibres
What are the features of the large dorsal root ganglion fibres?
Large diameter, myelinated and fast conduction
What are the features of the small dorsal root ganglion fibres?
Small diameter, thinly myelinated or unmyelinated and medium or slow conducting
What does the quality of sensation depend on?
Afferent fibre type
What are the types of receptors in the somatosensory system (and with which system are they used)?
A-alpha afferents (proprioception), A-beta afferents (tactile afferents) and free nerve endings
What are the features of A-alpha afferents?
Large diameter, myelinated, fastest conducting and includes muscle spindles
What are the features of A-beta afferents?
Large diameter, myelinated, second fastest conducting and includes superficial and deep classes
What are examples of superficial A-beta afferents?
Meissners corpuscules and merkels discs
What are meissners corpuscules good at?
Detecting changes
What are merkels discs good at?
Very specific touch
What are examples of deep A-beta afferents?
Ruffini corpuscules and pacinian corpuscules