Body Senses And Perceptual Plasticity (10) Flashcards
The 3 somatosensory systems
Cutaneous system
Organic (internal) sense
Vestibular
Cutaneous system
Sensitivity to stimuli that involve the skin
Organic (internal) sense
A sense modality that arises from receptors located within the inner organs of the body
Proprioception - ability to sense the position of the body and limbs
Vestibular
Sense of the body’s balance
Types of cutaneous receptors
Free nerve endings - found in both hairy and non-hairy skin
(In hairy skin they surround the hair follicles)
Other specialised receptors - involved in the detection of mechanical stimuli such as stretch vibrations, warmth/coolness and pain
Epidermis
the outer layer of the skin, which is made up of dead skin cells
Dermis
Below the epidermis and contains mechanoreceptors that respond to stimuli such as pressure, stretching and vibration
Two types of mechanoreceptors located close to the surface of the skin
Merkel receptor
Meissner corpuscle
Merkel receptor
Fires continuously while stimulus is present
Responsible for sensing fine details
Meissner corpuscle*
Fires only when a stimulus is first applied and when it is removed\
Responsible for controlling hand grip
Two other types of mechanoreceptors located deeper in the skin
Ruffini cylinder
Pacinian corpuscle
Ruffini cylinder*
Fires continuously to stimulation
Associated with perceiving stretching of the skin
Pacinian corpuscle**
Fires only when stimulus is first applied and when it is removed
Associated with sensing rapid vibrations and fine texture
Muscle spindals
Detect changes in muscle length
Mechanoreceptors
Respond to the movement and angles of our joints
