MIDTERM #2 Flashcards
tactile acuity
- found in cutaneous receptors
ability to distinguish between two points
small receptive field permit…
high resolution of spatial detail
- can tell difference between two point vs one point with little separation
- perceives touch well
superficial cutaneous receptors
meissners corpuscles
deep cutaneous receptors
pacinian corpuscles
What cutaneous mechanoreceptor would be most likely
responsible for tactile acuity?
merkel cells
what determines tactile acuity
- receptive field size
- density of receptors
- representation within somatosensory cortex
How do the 4 receptor types vary across the skin different regions
the relative densities of the 4 receptor types will vary
tip of finger has high concentrations of
- SA1s, FA1s
(merkel cells)
Palm of hand has concentration of equally distributed
SA2s and FA2s
merkel receptors densely packed on
fingertips
two point discrimination threshold
minimum distance at which a person can perceive two distinct points of contact on the skin rather than one
cutaneous receptors allow the body to have
- increased density of receptors
- smaller receptive fields
- lower two point discrimination thresholds
what correlates with tactile spatial acuity
receptive field sizes correlate
sensation physiology
occurs when the peripheral receptors are stimulated
perception physiology
occurs when the brain interprets the sensory stimulation
thalamus
relay information from the sensory receptors to areas of the cortex
thalamus relay physiology
somatosensory physiology
peripheral nerve fibres travel in bundles to the spinal cord
two major somatosensory physiology pathways
- medial lemniscal
- spinothalamic
Medial lemniscal pathway
consists of large fibers that carry proprioceptive and touch information
spinothalamic pathway
consists of smaller fibers that carry temperature and pain information
- cross over to the opposite side of the body and synapse in thalamus and then on to somatosensory cortex (S1)
somatosensory information
ascends in afferent tracts in spinal cord
- projects to primary somatosensory (S1) and parietal cortex
primary somatosensory cortex
located in a ridge of cortex (postcentral gyrus) which is found in the parietal love
homunculus
distorted visual representation of the human body based on the sensory or motor cortex in the brain
- lips, tongue, hands, feet, genitals: more sensitive than other parts of the body