LAB 3 Flashcards
(206 cards)
what are sensory receptors?
specialized cells or dendrites of sensory neurons that provide CNS w/ info abt body’s internal/external conditions
why are photoreceptors in retina stimulated by light rays but not smells or sounds?
most receptors are sensitive to one particular stimulus but relatively insensitive to others
what are the general senses?
- pain, warmth, cold, tactile, proprioception
- stretch, chemical, pressure
what are the special senses?
- vision
- olfaction
- gustation
- hearing
- equilibrium
what must happen for a sensation to be consciously perceived?
nerve impulse initiated by sensory receptor must be conducted to CNS and must reach region of brain where stimulus perceived and interpreted
what happens to nerve impulses that reach cerebral cortex?
they are consciously perceived as sensations
what happens to nerve impulses that are interpreted at the level of the spinal cord or brainstem
they do not reach cerebral cortex, so they cause a reflex response but conscious perception does not occur
what are the somatic senses?
- tactile
- warmth
- cold
- pain
- proprioception
where are somatic sense receptors located?
in the skin, or embedded in muscles, tendons, and joints
what are cutaneous sensations?
sensations perceived by somatic sense receptors located in the skin
where are receptors for visceral senses located?
in the internal organs
what are the visceral senses?
- stretch
- chemical
- pressure
where are stretch receptors found?
walls of hollow organs
where are chemical receptors found?
in epithelium of hollow organs
what are the two structural types of somatic sensory receptors?
- free nerve endings
- encapsulated nerve endings
what is special about encapsulated dendrites’ capsule?
type of connective tissue capsule around encapsulated nerve endings enhances its sensitivity or specificity to a stimulus
what structural type of neurons are the free and encapsulated nerve endings?
pseudounipolar neurons
what are tactile corpuscles?
- encapsulated nerve endings
- **detect onset of touch
- detect low frequency vibration**
- found in dermal papillae of highly sensitive areas of hairless skin
what are hair root plexuses?
free nerve endings wrapped around hair follicles
- detect movement that disturb hairs
what are nonencapsulated sensory corpuscles?
- Merkel discs/tactile discs
- free nerve endings
- associate w/ tactile epithelial cells in stratum basale of highly sensitive areas of hairless skin
- detect pressure and continuous touch
- numerous in fingertips, hands, lips
what are bulbous corpuscles?
- ruffini corpuscles
- encapsulated receptors deep in dermis, in ligaments and in tendons
- detect stretching and steady pressure
what are lamellar corpuscles?
- encapsulated dendrites
- in dermis and subcutaneous regions
- detect high frequency vibrations
- detect steady pressure
what are free nerve endings?
- stimulated by certain chemicals
- tickling is result of stimulation of a free nerve ending
- found in skin
- senses pain, itch, cold, warmth
Describe how to detect touch/test the hair root plexus
- observe fine hairs on arm or back of hand
- gently move one hair in multiple directions w/ pencil tip
- flick hair rapidly several times