Somatosensory Sensory Part 1 SN

Question 1

What is Sensory Information?

Answer 1

Neural activity originating from stimulation of receptor cells in specific parts of the body.

Question 2

What did Aristotle define?

Answer 2

The 5 senses (Hearing, touch, smell, taste, vision) and the 6th sense (Intuition)

Question 3

What is Somatic Sensation?

Answer 3

Conscious awareness - “perception”

Proprioception (position and movement of body parts)

Pain, Itch, Temperature

Question 4

What is Visceral Sensations?

Answer 4

Homeostasis (conscious and unconscious) of the Organs, Heart, Lungs, etc.

Question 5

What is Vestibular Sense?

Answer 5

Body stability and balance (position of the body in the gravitational field)

Question 6

What do specific receptors respond to?

Answer 6

Specific stimuli (pain receptors vs thermal receptors)

Question 7

What are Recursive Sensory Pathways?

Answer 7

Nervous System areas modify and structure incoming sensory information.

Question 8

What is the Key Concept related to receptors?

Answer 8

Receptors function to transduce (action potentials) stimuli (bioelectrical, mechanical, chemical, thermal)

Question 9

What are examples of sensory coding?

Answer 9

Touch, Balance, Pain, Proprioception (inside muscle tissue)

Question 10

What is psychophysics?

Answer 10

Describes the relationship between physical characteristics of a stimulus and the attributes of the sensory experience

Question 11

Who is Ernst Weber?

Answer 11

The founder of experimental psychology

Question 12

What did Ernst Weber find?

Answer 12

The sensitivity of a sensory system to differences in intensity depends on the stimulus.

Question 13

What was Ernst Weber’s Equation and what did each variable mean?

Answer 13

S = K x s

S - Just Noticeable Difference
K - Scaling Constant
S - Reference Stimulus

Question 14

What was Gustav Fechner a founder of?

Answer 14

Psychophysics

Question 15

What did Gustav Fechner find?

Answer 15

Described the relationship between stimulus strength (S) and the intensity of sensations (l)

Question 16

What was Gustav Fechner’s Equation and what did each variable mean?

Answer 16

I = k x log(S/S0)

K = Scaling Constant
(S/S0) = Threshold of amplitude of a stimulus

Question 17

What type of relationship did Ernst Weber’s equation have?

Answer 17

Linear Relationship

Question 18

What did Stanley S Stevens examine?

Answer 18

Examined sensory response over a wide range of stimuli

The subjective experience of sensation (perception) described by a power function.

Question 19

What was Stanley S Stevens equation and what does each variable mean?

Answer 19

I = k x (S - S0)n

I - Perceptual Intensity

K - Scaling Constant

S - S0 - Change in Stimulus Strength

N - Exponent “Shape of Function”

Question 20

What is Sensory Threshold?

Answer 20

Lowest Stimulus strength that can be consciously detected

Question 21

What is Magnitude Estimation?

Answer 21

Using a numerical estimate to rate the intensity of the sensory experience.

Exercise… rating or perceived exertion

Pain.. 0 - 10 scale

Question 22

What is Magnitude Production?

Answer 22

Producing a stimulus strength based on the sensory experience (perception)

Question 23

What is an example of magnitude perception?

Answer 23

Running at “50% of maximal effort”… does actually speed correspond to 50% of maximum speed

Question 24

What is Neural Code?

Answer 24

The relationship between activity in a specified neural population and its functional consequences.

• Multiple stages of processing

Question 25

What is an example of a neural code?

Answer 25

Muscle strength receptors.. reflex connection

Question 26

What is a Receptor?

Answer 26

A cell that transforms stimulus energy into bioelectrical energy

Question 27

What is Receptor Potential?

Answer 27

Refers to the amplitude and duration of a produced electrical signal.

Question 28

What does receptor potential generate?

Answer 28

Action Potential Train

Question 29

What is an Action Potential Train?

Answer 29

Series of Successive Action Potentials generated by 1 neuron.

Question 30

What is an example of a sensory receptor?

Answer 30

Skin or muscle deformation
- Compression, stretch, vibration
- 6 different receptors in skin
- 3 different receptors in muscle.. sensitive to: muscle length; velocity of length change, force

Question 31

What is Muscle Afferent?

Answer 31

Directed from organ to CNS

Question 32

Where is a sensory neuron located?

Answer 32

In the cell body of the PNS (dorsal root ganglion)

Question 33

What are dorsal root ganglion cells?

Answer 33

Pseudo-unipolar (bipolar)

2 axons (one originates in organ, other in CNS)

Question 34

What is a Mechanical Stimulus on the skin?

Answer 34

• Scratch, indentation, force.

Question 35

What is an Action Potential?

Answer 35

• Amplitude Decay
• Long Distance

Question 36

What is the Proprioception?

Answer 36

Sense of oneself

Perception of body positions and movement.. produced by sensations of muscles, tendons, skins and joints

Question 37

What is Exteroception?

Answer 37

Sense of direction interaction with the outside world

Sense of touch, contact, pressure.. identification or objects

Involves motor actions.. pressing, grasping, tapping.

Question 38

What is Interoception?

Answer 38

Sense of internal state of the body

Active Muscle Contraction

Cardiovascular, respiration, digestion.. most not perceived

Question 39

What is the process of detecting changes in the body?

Answer 39

Objects against the skin

Positions of Joints

Pain

Question 40

What are the specialized nerves detecting stimuli?

Answer 40

Muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, organs.

Question 41

What is a Mechanical Stimuli?

Answer 41

Skin Stretch (physical contact)

Question 42

What is a chemical stimuli?

Answer 42

Food

Question 43

What are sensory receptors?

Answer 43

Specialized nerve endings that detect stimuli

Transmits action potentials via sensory axons

Afferent

Question 44

What are most sensory receptors?

Answer 44

Mechanoreceptors - Sensitive to physical deformation

Question 45

How do sensory receptors transmit information?

Answer 45

Ion channels