unit 3 Flashcards
epidermis
the outer layer of the skin
dermis
the inner layer of the skin, which also houses touch receptors
mechanoreceptors
the sensory receptors in the skin that transduce physical movement on the skin into neural signals,, which are sent to the brain
SA1
slow-adapting receptors using Merkel cells, with small receptive fields, densely packed near the surface of the skin
-finger position/stable grasp
SA11
slow- adapting receptors using Ruffini endings, with large receptive fields, more widely distributed, deeper in the skin
-texture/pattern perception
FA1
fast-adapting receptors, with Mesissner corpuscle endings and small receptive fields, densely packed near the surface of the skin
-detects slipping
FA11
fast adapting receptors with Pacinian corpuscle endings and large receptive fields, more widely distributed, deeper in the skin
-detects when objects make contact with the skin
Propioception
the perception of the movements and position of our limbs
muscle spindles
receptors embedded in the muscles that sense information about muscle length and therefore muscle action
joint receptors
receptors found in each joint that sense information about the angle of the joint
Golgi tendon organs
receptors found in the tendons that measure the force of a muscle’s contraction
alcohol and receptors
making it harder for our sensory receptors to give feedback on limb position
thermoreception
ability to sense changes in temperature on the skin
thermoreceptors
the sensory receptors in the skin that signal info about the temperature as measured on the skin
nociceptive pain
pain that develops from tissue damage that causes nociceptors in the skin to fire
nociceptors
sensory receptors in the skin that, when activated, causes us to feel pain; they’re found in both the epidermis and dermis
A-delta fiber
myelinated nociceptors that conduct signals rapidly and respond to both heat and pressure
-stinging feeling of pain
c-fibers
-nonmyelinated nociceptors that are slower and respond to pressure, extreme degrees of either heat or cold and toxic chemicals
-ex. more chronic experience of throbbing pain
dorsal root ganglion
a node on the spine where 1 finds nerve cells carrying signals from sensory organs toward the somatosensory areas of the brain
dorsal root
the end of the spinal nerve where sensory info enters the spinal cord
ventral root
the end of the spinal cord where motor information leaves the spinal cord
dorsal column-medial lemniscal pathway
-nerve fibers carrying neural signals for tactile perception and proprioception
-travels on the dorsal of the spin column
the spinothalamic pathway
carries information from the nociceptors and the thermoreceptors
somatosensory cortex
an area in the parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex devoted to processing the info coming from the skin senses
homunculus
-a drawing of a human in which the proportions of the body parts match the relative sizes each body part has on the somatotopic map
Gate Control Theory
- a model that allows for top-down control of the pain signal coming up the signal cord
Anterior Cingulate Cortex
-a region in the prefrontal lobe of the brain associated with the emotional experience of unpleasantness during pain perception
-input from the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices and responds to pain caused by pinches, pricks, and extreme temperature
Endogenous Opioids
Chemicals produced by the body that reduce pain throughout the body
Analgesia
processes that act to reduce pain perception
Pruriceptors
receptors in our skin that respond to mild irritants by producing itch sensations
-respond mostly to chemical irritants on the skin rather than tissues damage
haptic perception
-the active use of touch to identity objects
Tactile Agnosia
-in inability to identify objects by touch
-caused by damage to the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobe
