Somatosensory System Flashcards
Define proprioception.
The ability to sense the position of the body and limbs; our perception of our bodies caused by feedback from the skin, muscles, and joints.
Define kinesthesis.
The ability to sense movement of the body and limbs; the tracking of our body as it is in motion.
Define cutaneous senses.
The perception of touch and pain from stimulation of the skin.
In kinesthesis, information is sent from the proprioceptors: _______ _______ ______ and ________ ________.
Golgi tendon organs and muscle spindles
Golgi tendon organs are also referred to as _______ ______.
Motor tension
Muscle spindles are also referred to as ______ ______ and _______.
Monitor stretch and speed
Ian Waterman has no sensory input from his ______________ or _____________.
Proprioceptors or mechanoreceptors
Ian Waterman can still feel ___________ and __________.
Pain and temperature.
Ian Waterman cannot feel his muscles, joints, or skin, but can still feel pain and temperature. This is a good example of…?
Single dissociation
Which mechanoreceptors are closest to the surface of the skin?
Merkel and Meissner corpuscle
Which two mechanoreceptors have small response fields and high acuity?
Merkel and Meissner corpuscle
Which two mechanoreceptors are slow adapting?
Merkel and Ruffini cylinder
Which two mechanoreceptors are rapid adapting?
Pacinian and Meissner corpuscles.
Which mechanoreceptors are located deeper in the skin?
Ruffini cylinder and Pacinian corpuscle
Which two mechanoreceptors have large receptive fields and low acuity?
Ruffini cylinder and Pacinian corpuscle.
What is the two-point threshold?
the minimum separation needed between two points to perceive them as two units.
What is grating acuity?
Placing a grooved stimulus ont he skin, then indicating the orientation of the grating.
What is the raised pattern identification?
Using letters/simple shapes to determine the smallest size that can be identified.
There is a high density of _______ receptors in the fingertips.
Merkel receptors
Pacinian corpusclkes are primarily responsible for sensing _________.
vibrations
Texture perception depends on these 2 cues:
1.
2.
- Spatial
2. Temporal
Texture perception: Spatial cues are determined by…?
The size, shape, and distribution of surface elements
Texture perception: Temporal cues are determined by…?
The rate of vibration as skin is moved across finely textured surfaces.
Which 2 mechanoreceptors are involved in duplex theory?
Merkel receptors and Pacinian corpuscles.
What are the two major pathways in the spinal cord?
Spinothalamic pathway and medial lemniscal pathway
Both spinal cord pathways pass through the…?
Ventral posterolateral nucleus.
Where is the ventral posterolateral nucleus located?
In the thalamus
What kind of organization is used in the thalamus for touch perception?
Somatotropic
What is another word for body maps?
Homonculi
What is the Penfield Homonculus?
Cortical representation of the body, a detailed motor and sensory map.
Areas with higher acuity have ________ receptive fields on the skin.
smaller
On the anterior side of the central sulcus (in the frontal lobe) there is a homonculi map involved with…
Motor control
Define neural plasticity
The selective alteration of neural properties over time.
Areas responsible for controlling and sensing fingers can become fused. What is this called?
Focal dystonia
The fusing of areas (focal dystonia) happens in which cortex?
Somatosensory cortex
The active exploration of 3D objects with the hands is called…?
Haptic perception
Haptic Perception uses three distinct systems, name them.
- Sensory
- Motor
- Cognitive
Research shows that people can identify objects haptically in how many seconds?
1-2 seconds
Name the 4 exploratory procedures.
- Lateral motion
- Pressure
- Enclosure
- Contour following
The use of piezo actuators in smartphones adds _________ feedback.
Tactile feedback
Adding haptic information to smartphones _______ typing errors.
decreases
Adding haptic information to smartphones reduces….?
Cognitive loading on other sensory channels
Adding haptic information to smartphones allows more…?
Interface options
In the somatosensory cortex, single cell recordings indicate some cells respond to _________ of stimuli and…? (Hint: think of simple and complex cells of vision)
orientations of stimuli and direction of movement
A monkey’s somatosensory and parital association cortices show the presence of neurons that respond best to _______ specific objects.
grasping
___________ to a task increases the response of neurons in S1.
Attending
What is duplex theory?
-perception of texture depends on two cues: spatial and temporal
What information does the spinothalamic pathway carry? What size fibers does it have?
- temperature and pain info
- small fibers
What information does the medial lemniscal pathway carry? What size fibers does it have?
- proprioceptive and touch information
- large fibers
