the location and function of the different sensory receptors

Question 1

free nerve endings

Answer 1

• pain receptors
• protective function - respond to any excessive stimulation
• found all over he body (skin and internal organs)

Question 2

Ruffini’s end organ

Answer 2

• heat receptors
• determine changes in environmental, internal temperature
• respond to increase in temperature (heat)
• most common on ventral abdominal surface and less on the dorsal surface: occur freely on palms of hands

Question 3

Meissner’s corpuscle

Answer 3

• touch receptors
• communicative function and sense textures
• respond to touch or delicate contact
• mostly on tips of tongue, fingers, delicate parts of body

Question 4

Pacinian corpuscle

Answer 4

• pressure receptors
• communicative function; sense potentially harmful pressure
• respond to increase in general/localised deep pressure or stonger touch

Question 5

Krause’s end bulb

Answer 5

• cold receptors
• determine changes in environmental, internal temperature
• respond to a decrease in temperature (cold)
• most common on dorsal surface and less on ventral abdominal surface; occur freely on arms and palms of hands

Question 6

Taste buds (papillae)

Answer 6

• chemoreceptors in taste buds (papillae)
• determine taste: saltiness, bitterness, sweetness, sourness
• respond to concentrations of chemicals
• back of tongue: bitterness, front of tongue: sweetness, back sides of tongue: sourness, front sides of tongue: saltiness.

Question 7

rods and cones (eye)

Answer 7

• photoreceptors in retna of eye
• determine sight and vision: black, white and colour
• respond to light
• rods sense low light intensity, black, white, no colour
• cones sense colour: highest concentration in fovea centralis

Question 8

hair cells (ear)

Answer 8

-proprioceptor hair cells in inner ear
- determine sound, position of orientation and balance
respond to fluid movement and effect of gravity
found in the maculae, cristae and organ of Corti