Somatosensory Receptors

Question 1

What are sensory receptors for?

Answer 1

Light touch

Deep pressure

Pain

Itch

Temp

Proprioception

Kinesthesia

Question 2

Mechanoreceptors

Answer 2

Respond to mechanical deformation due to touch, pressure, stretch, and vibration

Question 3

Chemoreceptors

Answer 3

Respond to substance released by cells

Question 4

Thermoreceptors

Answer 4

Respond to temp change

Question 5

What are nociceptors?

Answer 5

Subsets of mechanoreceptors, chemoreceptors, and Thermoreceptors (causes pain)

Question 6

What is tonic?

Answer 6

Fire for duration of stimulus (slow adapted)

Question 7

What is Phasic?

Answer 7

Adapt to constant stimulus and stop firing while stimulus is still present (fast adapting)

Question 8

What is a receptive field?

Answer 8

Area of skin innervated by a single afferent neuron

Question 9

What is the difference in receptive fields proximally and distally?

Answer 9

Smaller distally

Larger proximally

Question 10

What do distal regions of receptive fields have?

Answer 10

Greater density of receptors

Question 11

What does a combination of smaller fields and greater density equal?

Answer 11

Increased 2 point discrimination

Question 12

What does a larger diameter of an axon indicate?

Answer 12

Transmits info faster due to lower resistance to current flow and myelination

Question 13

What are the fastest axons?

Answer 13

Type Ia and Ib (120-130 m/s)

Question 14

What are the moderate speed axons?

Answer 14

A(beta) and A(delta) (45-90 m/s)

Question 15

What is the slowest axon?

Answer 15

Type C (2 m/s)