Neuro - Week 1 Flashcards
What types of Stimulus do general sensory receptors encode? (4)
1) Quality: brush, pressure, vibration, temperature, pain
2) Intensity: light stroke vs. intense pressure
3) Duration:
4) Location:
What is a Receptive Field?
Area in periphery (ex. skin) where an adequate stimulus causes a response in a neuron.
How does a sensory neuron encode intensity? (2)
Rate Code: Frequency of AP’s firing per neuron. The more action potentials firing, the higher the intensity
Spatial Summation Code: Number of neurons firing. The more neurons firing, the higher the intensity
What factors influence conduction velocity? (2)
1) AXON DIAMETER (higher = faster)
2) MYELINATION (thicker = faster)
Which fibers have the LARGEST myelin and FASTEST conduction? (2)
1) A alpha fibers: muscle spindle
2) A beta fibers: light touch, vibration, pressure
Which fibers have THIN myelin and MEDIUM conduction? (1)
A delta fibers: Nociceptors (fast pain), cooling receptors
Which fibers are UNMYELINAED and have the SLOWEST conduction? (1)
Nociceptors (slow pain) and warm receptors
What is a Remap Bundle?
a bundle of Nociceptors
What would a Compound AP from a nerve look like if there was a loss of access to a particular nerve fiber?
The magnitude of the peak corresponding to the fiber that has damage would be reduced.
What would a Compound AP from a nerve look like if there was a decrease in the conduction velocity of a fiber?
The peak corresponding to the fiber that has damage would shift to the right.
What would most likely cause a decrease in conduction velocity of a nerve?
De-myelination. Diseases that cause this include Diabetes, Herpes Zoster. and Guillian-Barre
What are the CHARACTERISTICS and PURPOSE of a SLOWLY ADAPTING response?
Characteristics: Fires throughout stimulus: Sustained, unchanging stimulus
Purpose: Pressure and the Shape of Objects
What are the CHARACTERISTICS and PURPOSE of a RAPIDLY ADAPTING response?
Characteristics: Fires only when stimulus changes: Fires at the beginning and end of stimulus
Purpose: Impact, motion of objects, on/off stimuli
What does SPATIAL RESOLUTION depend on? (2)
1) Receptive field size (smaller = more sensitive and higher spatial resolution)
2) Innervation Density
What is a 2-point discrimination threshold?
Minimum distance between two detectable stimuli
What are the characteristics of MECHANORECEPTORS? (4)
1) Very sensitive to force (low threshold)
2) Doesn’t respond to painful stmiuli
3) Silent without stimulation (doesn’t fire without stimulation)
4) Myelinated axons (fast conduction velocity)
What are 5 types of mechanoreceptors?
1) Merkel Disks
2) Meisnner’s corpuscles
3) Ruffini corpuscles
4) Pacinian Corpuscles
5) Hair follicle receptors
What are the following characteristics of MERKEL DISKS?
Type of information encoded?
Fine touch, 2 point discrimination, resolution of texture (bumpy vs smooth)
What are the following characteristics of MERKEL DISKS?
Receptive field characteristics (size, number, name)?
Several small, sensitive spots called “Touch Domes”
What are the following characteristics of MERKEL DISKS?
Location and skin level?
superficial, high density in finger tips, lips and mouth
What are the following characteristics of MERKEL DISKS?
Adaption Response?
Slowly adapting response and the number of action potentials indicates indentation force
What are the following characteristics of MERKEL DISKS?
Axon characteristics?
Myelinated, several disks are innervated by a single axon
What are the following characteristics of MEISSNER’S CORPUSCLES?
Type of information encoded?
Type of information encoded: Fine touch, 2-point discrimination, senses abrupt changes in edges, bumps, corners of objects
What are the following characteristics of MEISSNER’S CORPUSCLES?
Receptive field characteristics (size, number, name)?
single spot