Lecture 11: Introduction to Sensory Processing

Question 1

Sensory Processing Basic Steps

Answer 1

Stimulus - Sensation - Perception - Emotion - Memory
- If unimportant it can stop at perception

Question 2

Sensation

Answer 2

The activation of sensory brain pathways by a physical stimulus

Question 3

Perception

Answer 3

The extraction of a mental representation from sensation

Question 4

Psychophysics

Answer 4

How the quantitative aspects of physical stimuli correlate with the perceptions they evoke

Question 5

Sensory Coding

Answer 5

• A response in the receptor cell can evoke a response in the neurons which are synaptically connected to it
• That neuron can evoke a response in the next neuron, etc.

Question 5

Receptor Cells

Answer 5

Specialized cells that electrochemically respond to physical sensory stimuli

Question 6

Response

Answer 6

Number of spikes a neuron fires

Question 6

Electrophysiological Intracellular Recording

Answer 6

Place electrode inside of cell, once neuron fires AP it is recorded. Leads to classic AP graph. Advantage of this method is that it is more reliable and easy to detect. You can also see EPSPs and IPSPs

Question 7

Electrophysiological Extracellular Recording

Answer 7

Place electrode outside of neuron and record AP. Leads to an “inverse” AP graph, with a sharp valley the turns into a moderate peak. Advantages are that extracellular recordings are much easier to get.