Sensation Flashcards
Somatosensory?
Touch Pressure Pain Proprioception Thermal
How is the Somatosensory controlled?
Receptors in the PNS (peripheral nervous system)
Proprioceptive receptors in joints & muscles
***How does the sensory signal information travel?
Sensory information is processed through spinal cord & brain
(CNS = central nervous system)
Sensory pathway to brain?
1) We ‘feel’ something
2) Nerve fibres transmit signal up spinal column to brain
3) Fibres cross over at brain stem
4) Travels through Thalamus to Cortex
5) Signal reaches Primary Somatosensory area (Sensory Homunculus) & is processed by cerebellum (perception & cognition)
Parts of the body that have the largest areas of the ‘Sensory Homunculus’?
Lips
Mouth
Fingers
Thumb
CNS dysfunction can cause what neurological conditions?
Multiple Sclerosis
Parkinson’s Disease
Causes:
- Poor sensation & balance that increases risk of injury
Which sensations most critical for function & mobility?
Touch
Proprioception
***Dermatomes?
Bunches of PNS sensory fibers that distribute to certain areas of the skin through a single nerve root
Proprioception?
Awareness of ones own body
Unconscious information about body positions & motions
Pressure?
A deep, protective sensation
Allows perception of vibration
Reflex Arc?
Immediate response to sensation that causes motor function (hammer jerks knee)
‘Rood Approach’?
The use of sensory stimulation to effect motor responses
