The Somatosensory System 1 Flashcards
What does the somatosensory system not mediate?
Special senses
What does the somatosensory system include the modalities of?
Touch, pressure, vibration Joint and muscle position Temperature Pain Itch
Mechanosensation is?
Touch
Pressure
Vibration
Proprioception is?
Joint and muscle position
Thermosensation is ?
Temperature
Nocioception is?
Pain
Pruriception is?
Vibration
What does stimuli do to the nerve terminal?
Opens CATION selective ion channels to elicit a depolarising receptor potential
Describe the amplitude of generator potential.
GRADED
+
Proportional to stimulus intensity
What triggers ‘all or none’ action potentials? What is the frequency of these action potentials proportional to?
Low current flow
At a frequency proportional to the amplitude of the receptor potential
Sensory neurones transduce a stimulus into ……… activity?
ELECTRICAL
What is a muscle spindle?
A sensory structure in skeletal muscle
What are muscle spindles activated by?
STRETCH
Outline the process through which a spindle is transduce into electrical activity.
- Graded receptor potential
- Triggers ‘all or none’ AP
- AP
- Output graded release of neurotransmitter
What is the neurotransmitter?
Glutamate
What is meant by ‘modality’?
The principle type of adequate stimulus that is transduce into an electrical signal by a primary afferent neurone
What do low threshold units respond to?
Low intensity stimuli
(non damaging and non painful)
e.g low threshold mechanoreceptors and low threshold thermosensors
Give an example of what low threshold mechanoreceptors sense?
Mediate touch, vibration and pressure
Give an example of what low threshold thermosensors sense?
Cold, cool, indifferent, warm and hot
What do high threshold units mediate?
High intensity stimuli
Noxious and potentially damaging
What is another name for high threshold units?
Mechanical nociceptors
What do thermal nociceptors respond to?
Extreme degrees of heat (>45°C), or cold (< 10-15°C)
What do chemical nociceptors respond to?
Substances in tissue (as found in inflammation) e.g. prostaglandins, bradykinin, serotonin, histamine, K+, H+ and ATP and many others
What do polymodal nociceptors respond to?
At least 2 of the above types
What is adaptation?
A feature of primary sensory neurones that determines whether they change their firing rate only in response to a stimulus of changing intensity, or fire continuously throughout a constant stimulus
Slowly Adapting (SA) Tonic/Static Response is?
Continuous information to the CNS while terminal deformed
What does SA respond give information about? Give an example.
Position, degree of stretch or force
e.g stretch receptors
Rapidly Adapting (RA) Phasic/Dynamic Response detects changes in?
Stimulus strength e.g rate of movement
What is the number of impulses proportional to? Give examples.
Rate of change of stimulus
e.g Some muscle spindle afferents, hair follicle afferents
Very Rapidly Adapting (very RA) Very Phasic/Dynamic Response responds to?
Only very fast movements
e.g rapid vibration
Give an example of very RA.
Pacinian corpuscles