Week 5 - Autonomic nervous system/mechanisms of pain

Question 1

What are the 7 sensory receptors

Answer 1

1. Mechanoreceptors
2. Chemoreceptors
3. Thermoreceptors
4. Nociceptors
5. Photoreceptors
6. Osmoreceptors
7. Proprioceptors

Question 2

What is the function of Mechanoreceptors?

Answer 2

• Detects change in position of receptor

- Stretch, pressure, touch

Question 3

What is the function of Chemoreceptors?

Answer 3

• Detect change in concentration of chemicals

- C02, glucose

Question 4

What is the function of Thermoreceptors?

Answer 4

• Detect change in temperature

- Hot/cold

Question 5

What is the function of Nociceptors?

Answer 5

• Detects tissue damage

- Burns/trauma

Question 6

What is the function of Photoreceptors?

Answer 6

• Detects change in light

- Only found in the retina of the eye

Question 7

What is the function of Osmoreceptors?

Answer 7

• Detects change in osmotic pressure (blood pressure)

- Found in the hypothalamus

Question 8

What is the function of Proprioceptors?

Answer 8

• Its the sense of orientation or body position, so that means you can locate a body part without looking at it
• Helps maintain posture and coordination of body movement

Question 9

Name the different types of somatic senses

Answer 9

• Touch
• Pain
• Temperature
• Vibration
• Motion (Proprioceptors)

Question 10

Name the different types of pain

Answer 10

• Acute
• Chronic
• Somatic
• Visceral
• Referred
• Phantom

Question 11

What is Acute pain?

Answer 11

It begins suddenly and is usually sharp in quality. It serves as a warning of disease or a threat to the body. Acute pain might be caused by many events or circumstances, including: Surgical Pain. Traumatic Pain, example: broken bone, cut, or burn.

Question 12

What is Chronic Pain?

Answer 12

A disease in its own way - not a warning to prevent injury. It has a poor response to pain relief and it persists for months beyond the time of healing

Question 13

What is Somatic Pain?

Answer 13

It results from nociceptor activation in the skin tissue and muscle and is activated by pressure and temperature

Question 14

What is Visceral pain?

Answer 14

it results from nociceptor activation of thoracic, pelvic and abdominal organs and is activated by pressure, stretching and chemical changes.

Question 15

What is Referred pain?

Answer 15

Pain felt in a place different to where it has originated as a result of shared sensory nerve pathways that supply different tissue

Question 16

What is Phantom Pain?

Answer 16

Ongoing sensation (Pain, itching, tingling) perceived by the brain to be located in the part of the body no longer there. The person may still experience the sensation (Intermittent or constant) despite amputation.

Question 17

Define adaption

Answer 17

The decrease in perception of a nerve impulse even though the stimulation is constant

Question 18

State the function and control of the Autonomic Nervous system

Answer 18

• Receives a continual supply of sensory input from sensory receptors which monitor the internal body environment to achieve homeostasis
• Operating via reflex arcs in the hypothalamus, brain stem and spinal cord.
• Motor signals are sent to autonomic effectors, which are subconsciously
  regulated and include
  • Smooth muscle
  • Cardiac muscle
  • Certain glands

Question 19

Divisions of the ANS

Answer 19

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems

Question 20

Structures involved in the ANS

Answer 20

• The autonomic nervous system is a component of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary physiologic processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and digestion
• It contains three anatomically distinct divisions: sympathetic, parasympathetic and enteric.

Question 21

Age-related changes to the nervous system and the nursing implications for these changes

Answer 21

- Decreased myelin so conduction of
impulses slows (NI = Voluntary movements slow, Reflexes reactions slower and less intense and Slower at processing of thoughts

• Loss of some synaptic connections (NI= Memory is reduced and takes longer to learn new information)
• Size & volume of the brain reduces (NI= Motor control of precise movements diminishes which means it takes longer to carry out actions and more prone to falls)
• Autonomic NS becomes less efficient (NI= Blood pools in the feet/legs. Vasoconstriction delayed, so the older person may feel dizzy, unless they get up
  slowly)