2. Senses II: Touch/skin Flashcards

1
Q
  1. What is the skin?
A
  • it is an organ of tactility
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2
Q
  1. What does the skin allow?
A
  • it allows us to feel and sense our environment in different ways
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3
Q
  1. What three distinct senses does the skin account for?
A
  • responding to pressure
  • responding to temperature
  • responding to pain
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4
Q
  1. What are the four reasons for dividing the skin into three different senses?
A
  1. the skin responds differently to a distinct class of stimuli
  2. the skin has the ability to discriminate among these
    stimuli
  3. the skin possesses a distinct set of receptors
  4. this leads to experiences that differ phenomenologically
    when the sense is stimulated
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5
Q
  1. Provide a definition for pressure.
A
  • physical pressure on the skin
  • this is the stimulus for sensed pressure
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6
Q
  1. Provide a definition for temperature.
A
  • the temperature on our skin
  • this is the stimulus for temperature
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7
Q
  1. Provide a definition for pain.
A
  • this is any stimulus that is intense enough to cause tissue damage
  • it may be in the form of:
    - pressure
    - temperature
    - electric shock
    - irritant chemicals
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8
Q
  1. What three main layers does the skin consist of?
A
  • the epidermis
  • the dermis
  • the hypodermis
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9
Q
  1. What do the terms “epi” and “dermis” mean in Greek?
A
  • “epi” = over / upon
  • “dermis” = skin
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10
Q
  1. What does the Epidermis form?
A
  • it forms the water proof, protective wrap
  • this wrap is found over the body’s surface
  • this wrap serves as a barrier to infection
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11
Q
  1. What is the protective Epidermis wrap over the body’s surface made up of?
A
  • it is made up of stratified squamos epithelium
  • it has an underlying basal lamina
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12
Q
  1. Where is the Dermis located?
A
  • it is the skin layer beneath the epidermis
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13
Q
  1. What does the Dermis consist of?
A
  • it consists of epithelial tissue
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14
Q
  1. What is the function of the dermis’s epithelial tissue?
A
  • it cushions the body from stress and strain
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15
Q
  1. What tightly connects the dermis to the epidermis?
A
  • a basement membrane
  • this membrane harbours many nerve endings
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16
Q
  1. What does the basement membrane provide?
A
  • it provides a sense of touch and heat
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17
Q
  1. Is the Hypodermis a part of the skin?
A
  • NO
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18
Q
  1. Where is the Hypodermis located?
A
  • it lies below the dermis of the cutis
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19
Q

19.What is the purpose of the Hypodermis?

A
  • it is to attach the skin to the underlying bone and muscle
  • it also supplies the skin with blood vessels and nerves
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20
Q
  1. What is found in the Dermis?
A
  • various nerve fibres
  • various nerve corpuscles
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21
Q
  1. What do the nerve fibres and the nerve corpuscles of the dermis target?
A
  • they target the detection of environmental/external stimuli
    on the surface of the skin
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22
Q
  1. What are different peripheral sensory receptors sensitive to?
A
  • particular types of stimulus
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23
Q
  1. What happens when the peripheral sensory receptors detect particular sensations?
A
  • they are sensitive to these sensations
  • they generate new nerve impulses
24
Q
  1. Where will these new nerve impulses go to if the stimulation is on the lower part of the body?
A
  • they will go to the spinal cord
25
Q
  1. Where will these new nerve impulses go to if the stimulation is on the upper part of the body or the face?
A
  • they will go to the brain
  • via the cranial nerves
26
Q
  1. Where will all the information regarding stimulation end up?
A
  • the sensory cortex of the brain
27
Q
  1. Where is the stimulation felt?
A
  • in the brain
28
Q
  1. Where are the nerve impulses generated?
A
  • in the dermis
29
Q
  1. Where will the information of the stimulations felt on the right side of the body end up?
A
  • in the left sensory cortex
  • in the parietal lobe of the brain
30
Q
  1. Where will the information of the stimulations felt on the left side of the body end up?
A
  • in the right sensory cortex
  • in the parietal lobe of the brain
31
Q
  1. What is located at the very bottom of the epidermis?
A
  • the Merkel Cells
  • they are very small sensory cells
32
Q
  1. What connects the Merkel cells to each other?
A
  • Merkel cell discs
33
Q
  1. Are there any other nerve fibres in the epidermis, other than the Merkel cells?
A
  • NO
34
Q
  1. What are the Merkel cells sensitive to?
A
  • light touch
35
Q
  1. What do the Merkel Cells do when they detect light touch?
A
  • they detect this type of information in the epidermis
  • they carry this information to the brain
36
Q
  1. What do Merkel cells provide information on?
A
  • pressure
  • position
  • deep static touch features
    (shapes / edges)
37
Q
  1. What detects all mechanical stimuli?
A
  • mechanoreceptors
38
Q
  1. What is an example of mechanoreceptors in the epidermis?
A
  • Corpuscular Peripheral Sensory Receptors
39
Q
  1. What size are Corpuscular Peripheral Sensory Receptors (mechanoreceptors)?
    Where are they located?
A
  • they are moderately small
  • they are located in the dermal papillae
  • this is near the surface of the dermis
40
Q
  1. What is the specific name of these Corpuscular Peripheral Sensory Receptors?
A
  • Meissner Corpuscles
41
Q
  1. What are Meissner Corpuscles responsible for?
A
  • they are responsible for transmitting the sensations of:
    - fine
    - discriminative (accurate distinctions)
    - touch and vibrations
42
Q
  1. What are Pacinian Corpuscles responsible for?
A
  • sensitivity to vibration and pressure
43
Q
  1. What are the Pacinian Corpuscles connected to?
A
  • dendrites of sensory neurones
44
Q
  1. What does the connection between the Pacinian Corpuscles and the dendrites of sensory neurons result in?
A
  • mechanical information can now be transferred towards the brain
45
Q
  1. What exactly do Pacinian Corpuscles detect?
A
  • the pressure on the skin
  • NOT the touch
46
Q
  1. Why are the Pacinian Corpuscles near the base of the dermis?
A
  • they only fire off to generate new nerve impulses when
    there is significant pressure
47
Q
  1. What allows the skin to be sensitive to temperature?
A
  • thermoreceptors
48
Q
  1. What are the two types of thermoreceptors?
A
  • those that detect heat
  • those that detect cold
49
Q
  1. Are thermoreceptors corpuscular.
    Why or why not?
A
  • they are not
  • they are just free nerve endings
  • they can be situated close to each other
50
Q
  1. What allows the skin to be sensitive to pain?
A
  • specialised pain receptors
51
Q
  1. What are these specialised pain receptors called?
A
  • nociceptors
52
Q
  1. What do Nociceptors detect?
A
  • they detect noxious stimuli
    (NOXIOUS= harmful, poisonous)
  • they detect the extent of pain
53
Q
  1. Are Nociceptors corpuscular?
A
  • no
  • they are just free nerve endings in the dermis
  • the presence of these nociceptors in the dermis
    is what makes it sensitive to pain
  • this is why partial thickness injuries are so painful
54
Q
  1. What are two examples of partial thickness injuries?
A
  • cuts
  • burns
55
Q
  1. Do the Nociceptors go into the epidermis?
A
  • no
56
Q
  1. What can be found deeper down in the dermis?
    (it can be found even in the hypodermis)
A
  • quite large receptors
  • they consist of numerous layers
  • they are made up of specialised Schwann cells
  • they are laminated sensory corpuscles
  • they are called Pacinian Corpuscles