Week 3 Flashcards
Sensory Cells
- Gather info about environment and internal state
- ionotropic: receptor molecule is an ion channel
- Metabotropic: acts via GPCR
- Respond to specific stimuli
Interoreceptors
Internal body fluids, pH, osmotic concentration or blood (homeostasis)
Prorprioreceptors
Body movement and position
Exteroreceptors
External stimuli
- somesthetic surfaces: body surfaces
- special senses - highly localized and specific
Mechanoreceptors
Touch, pressure, proprioreception (ionotropic)
Chemoreceptors
specific chemicals (ionotropic and metabotropic)
Thermoreceptors
heat and cold (ionotropic)
Photoreceptors
photic energy (metabotropic)
Electroreceptors
Electric fields (ionotropic)
Magnetoreceptors
Position or change or magnetic fields (unknown)
Nociceptors
Pain receptors (ionotropic)
Receptor potential in specialized afferent ending sequence
- Sensory receptor (modified ending of an afferent neuron)
- generator potential
1. Stimulus enters the sensory receptor which triggers the opening of the stimulus-sensitive nonspecific cation channel (causes sodium influx)
2. This triggers the voltage-gated Na+ channel a little further down the receptor
3. This causes an action potential to travel down the afferent neuron fiber
Receptor potential in separate receptor cell
- receptor potential
1. Stimulus enters separate receptor cell which triggers the opening of the stimulus sensitive nonspecific cation channels, causing an influx of Na+, leading to the opening of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels which cause Ca2+ to rush in
2. The neurotransmitter in this receptor cell is released
3. The neurotransmitter binds the chemically gated receptor- channel on the neuron which causes an influx of sodium
4. voltage gated Na+ channels further down are triggered to open which leads to an action potential down the afferent neuron fiber
Sensory signals pathways
- Carried by the PNS to the spinal cord or medulla
- Secondary synapses in thalamus
- signal is related to sensory cortex
- brain decodes type, location, and intensity of stimulus
Receptive fields
Each sensory neuron responds to stimuli in a specific area – receptive field
Size of receptive field
The smaller the receptive fields, the greater the density of receptors – smaller receptive fields produce greater acuity or discriminative ability (fingertips)
Receptor density
- greater density with smaller receptive fields
- amount of cortical representation on the sensory homunculus corresponds with receptor density
Lateral inhibition
Strong signal in center of receptive field inhibits pathways in fringe areas
- Inhibitory interneurons stop transmission to second-order neurons so that the frequency of action potentials is lessened in fringe areas
Pain corpuscle – Mechanoreceptor
Deep pressure – located in dermis (middle layer)
Touch sensors – Mechanoreceptors
Highly sensitive, closer to skin surface; has cell receptors near the dorsal root ganglion – located throughout dermis and epidermis
Touch mechanoreceptors – Mechanoreceptors
Base of hairs – in dermis
Layers of skin
Epidermis (top), dermis, hypodermis (bottom)
Stretch receptors – Proprioceptors
Muscle spindles, golgi tendon organs
-largely in ear
Statocysts – Proprioceptors
Gravity receptors
-statoliths move in direction of body movement, bending sensory hairs
- simplest organs of equilibrium
- this opens gated channels, generating action potentials
-fluid in ear and sensory hair in ear
Depolarization of receptor hair cell
- Tip links stretch and open mechanically gated cation channel when stereocillia bend towards tallest member
- K+ enters; cell depolarizes
- Depolarization opens voltage gated Ca2+ channels
- Ca2+ entry causes greater than basal release of neurotransmitter
- More neurotransmitter going to afferent fiber leads to higher rate of action potential
Hyperpolarization of receptor hair cell
- Tip links stretch and open mechanically gated cation channel when stereocillia bend towards shortest member
- No K+ enters; cell hyperpolarizes
- Hyperpolarization closes voltage gated Ca2+ channels
- No neurotransmitter is released
- No action potential
Vestibular apparatus of inner ears
- Serve as sensory functions of acceleration and balance
- Semicircular canals
- Otolith organs
- Signals from vestibular apparatus are carried through vestibulocochlear nerve to cerebellum and vestibular nuclei
Semicircular canals
-Detect rotation or angular acceleration or deceleration of the head
- Receptive hair cell in ampulla (each ear contains 3 semicircular canals arranged in 3D planes at right angles to each other and provide information to the CNS)
Otolith organs
Head position; provide information to CNS about position of head relative to gravity and changes in rate of linear motion (utricle and saccule are the otolith organs)
Direction of fluid movement in semicircular canals when head turns
Opposite the direction of head turning
Direction of fluid movement in semicircular canals when head angles down/up
Same direction of where the head moves (head forward- fluid moves forward)
Direction of fluid movement in otoliths when head moves forward/backwards
Opposite the direction of head movement
Vestibular nuclei (in brain stem)
Gets sensory input directly from receptors in eyes, skin, joints and muscles. Gets sensory input both directly and indirectly from receptors in semicircular canals and otolith organs. Coordinates with the cerebellum
What receptor type detects sound waves
mechanoreceptors
External ear
- Tympanic membrane (eardrum): vibrates as sound hits
- Pinna (external ear - what you see)
- External auditory meatus
Middle Ear
- Transfer vibration of tympanic membrane to the fluid of the inner ear
- Moveable chain of three small bone (ossicles)
- Reflex response tightens tympanic membrane during loud sound for protection
Ossicles
Malleus, Incus, Stapes
amplify sound
Malleus
Small bone attached to tympanic membrane
Incus
Bone between malleus and stapes
Stapes
Attached to oval window
Organ of Corti
Structure in inner ear with hairs of hair cells displayed on surface
Sense organ for hearing
15,000 hair cells
Transform cochlear fluid vibration into action potential
Hair bends trigger receptor cells to trigger release of neurotransmitter which will trigger action potential
Stereocilia (hair cells)
Movement of fluid that opens mechanically gated channels
Cochlea
Coiled tubular system with 3 longitudinal fluid filled compartments
-Scala vestibuli: perilymph (outer top)
-Scala media/cochlear duct: endolymph (middle)
-Scala tympani: perilymph (outer bottom)
Fluid movement in the perilymph
- 2 pathways
- set up by vibration of the oval window (top)
- can go through the perilymph (through oval window through scala vestibuli and down through scala tympani through round window)
- through endolymph
Mechanism for Organ of Corti
-Fluid movements in the cochlea cause deflection of the basilar membrane
- the hairs from the hair cells of the basilar membrane contact overlying tectorial membrane. There hairs bend and thus open mechanically gated channels leading to ions movements that result in receptor potential
Steps of hearing
- Sound waves enter ear
- Tympanic membrane vibrates
- vibrations amplified across ossicles
- vibrations against oval window set up standing wave in fluid of vestibuili/cochlea
- pressure bends the membrane of the cochlear duct at a given point of max. frequency, causing hair cells in the basilar membrane to vibrate
- Graded potential changes in receptor cells and changes in rate of action potentials generated in auditory nerve
- Propagation of action potentials to auditory corext
Vibration of round window causes
Dissipation of energy (no sound perception)