Somatosensory system

Question 1

Types of somatosensory receptors

Answer 1

Thermoreceptor, mechanoreceptro, equilibrioceptors, nociceptors, proprioceptors

Question 2

What does proprioceptors give us information about

Answer 2

Joint position sense
Kinaesthesia
Sense of force
Sense of change in length

Question 3

What happens to our proprioceptors during an injury

Answer 3

An injury potentially destroys our proprioceptors
We use our peripheral sensory receptors during rehab.
1. Swelling causes the nociceptors in our brain to be activated.
2. This decreases our sensory feedback from the joint because our body protects itself
3. This decreases swelling and information being sent
4. Movement still takes place
5. The prefrontal cortex and visual system takes over to guide movement - thus we rely more on our visual system
6. This causes the cerebellum to get a little feedback (when it usually gets the most/ causes automaticity of movement)

Question 4

What is the general neural pathway

Answer 4

1. Signal at dermatome
2. Info gets sent to first order neurons
3. This sends info to spinal cord
4. The second order neurons activate
5. Signal is sent up the spinal cord to the thalamus
6. Third order neuron activates
7. Info gets sent from thalamus to cerebral cortex

Question 5

What are the 3 neural pathways called

Answer 5

1. Posterior funiculus pathway
2. Spinocerebellar pathway
3. Anterolateral pathway

Question 6

What is the purpose of the posterior funiculus pathway

Answer 6

Sends info to the primary somatosensory cortex in the cerebrum, which gives us the ability to acquire motor skills

Question 7

What happens in the spinocerebellar pathway

Answer 7

(posterior and anterior spinocerebellar tract)
The non conscious somatosensory functions take info about limb position, joint angles, muscle tension and length to cerebellum
This includes muscle spindles, golgi tendon organs, joint receptors and cutaneous receptors

Question 8

What is a muscle spindle

Answer 8

Detects changes amount and rate of stretch
It has a protective function

Question 9

What is a golgi tendon organ

Answer 9

Detects tension and force production
Provided conscious and subconscious protection
Gets limited in plyometric exercise due to the SSC

Question 10

What is a joint receptor

Answer 10

Located inside synovial fluid of joint
Ruffini and Pacinian corpuses that show joint angulation and rate of movement

Question 11

What is a cutaneous receptor

Answer 11

Detects pressure vibration & touch (basically same as joint receptors but with touch)