Somatosensory systems Flashcards
Sensory receptors generate a receptor potential, which is…
a change in their membrane potential in response to appropriate stimulation, this process is called transduction and is different in different receptors.
How is the sensory receptor different for somatosensory systems vs other sensory systems?
For somatosensory systems the sensory receptor is the modified ending of the primary afferent neuron, and is depolarised directly by the stimulus. In other systems, the sensory receptor is a specialised cell type which forms synaptic connections with the first afferent neuron. Alterations in membrane potential alters sensory cell neurotransmitter release, with effects on the primary afferent.
In vertebrates, all sensory receptors, except which receptors, depolarise when stimulated.
Photoreceptors- hyperpolarised by light.
What are the properties of receptor potentials?
They are small amplitude, graded in size depending on stimulus strength, passively conducted over the receptor cell surface or along neurites, delay with time and distance and can be summated. A receptor potential will trigger APs for as long as it remains beyond the firing threshold, the frequency of firing will be higher the greater its amplitude. Sensory receptors demonstrate adaptation.
What are the three types of receptors in the somatosensory system?
Mechanoreceptors, found in skin, muscles, joints and viscera, thermoreceptors, confined to the skin and nociceptors, found almost every where except the brain.
How are skin mechanoreceptors classified?
As slowly or rapidly adapting and separately as being of two types, type I and type II, distinguished by their location and receptive fields.
What are the properties of the Ruffini organ?
Slowly adapting, afferent has a frequency of firing that is directly proportional to the extent to which overlying skin is indented by mechanical force. It codes skin position/ stretch.
What are the properties of Meissner’s corpuscle?
Rapidly adapting, afferent only fires when skin displacement is changing with time. It codes the velocity with which skin is displaced.
What are the properties of the pacinian corpuscle?
Adapts so rapidly that its afferents respond to skin acceleration. It is responsible for the sensation of vibration.
Where are type I mechanoreceptors located and what are examples of them?
They are superficial, lying at the boundary of the epidermis and dermis and have small RFs with well-defined boundaries. they include meissner’s corpuscles and merkels disks.
Where are type II mechanoreceptors located and what are examples?
Type II are deep in the dermis and have large RFs with poorly defined edges, and include ruffini corpuscles and pacinian corpuscles.
What is the difference between type I and II receptors in terms of sensation perceived?
Type I receptors are more concerned with form and texture perception than type II.
How do the densities of type I receptors differ across the body surface?
Highest in the fingertips, lips and tongue and lowest in the trunk. Areas with higher density have a proportionally greater representation in the somatotropic maps.
Pacinian corpuscles can respond to indentation as little as 1um, what is the process of transduction?
The force is transmitted through the corpuscle to deform the neurite within –>opening of stretch-sensitive NA channels in the membrane–> brief depolarisation–> membrane potential returns to normal very fast because the receptor adapts by individual connective tissue layers of the corpuscle sliding over each other which relieves the neurite deformation
How does innervation of hairy skin differ from that of glabrous (non-hairy) skin?
Hairy skin has a lower density of merkel’s disk and it possesses two additional types of mechanoreceptors closely associated with hairs (lanceolate and pilo-ruffini endings and hair follicle receptor)
What are the properties of skin thermoreceptors?
They are the naked terminals of small diameter afferents. They are slowly adapting and tonically active. Thermoreceptor afferents have just three to four terminals and have very small RFs, although infrared radiation is poorly localised.
There are two types of thermoreceptor, warm and cold, which fire over different temperature ranges, how do these perceive temperature?
They do not respond to noxious temperatures. Skin temperature is perceived by comparing the relative activities of warm and cold receptors. Thermoreceptors signal the direction in which temperature changes. Skin cooling briefly silences warm receptors and causes cold receptor firing rates to rise. Similarly, skin warming silences the cold receptors and boosts warm receptor firing
What are nociceptors?
The bare-endings of small diameter afferents that are receptors for noxious (tissue-damaging), pain-producing stimuli.
What are the properties of nociceptors?
They are high threshold (require intense stimulation to excite them). They have no background firing. they are classified by what excites them.
What are the four types of nociceptors?
Mechanical, thermal, polymodal, itch
What sensation does mechanical nociceptors in the skin give rise to?
Sharp, pricking pain.
What are the properties of mechanical nociceptor afferent?
Each nociceptor is one of 5-20 branches of A(delta) afferent with low conduction velocities
What do mechanoreceptors in the visceral peritoneum respond to?
Excessive distension
What are the afferents of thermal nociceptors?
A(delta) and C fibers