Major types of sensory receptors

Nociceptors: pain receptors

Thermoreceptors: heat
Mechanoreceptors: physical stimuli
Chemoreceptors: specifc chemicals
Nociceptors: pain receptors
Found in superfcial portions of the skin, in joint capsules, within
periostea of bones and around the walls of blood vessels
Few are found in the visceral orans and the brain itself is free of
such receptors!
"enerally found as free nerve endins with lare receptors felds!
These are tonic receptors!
Two types of pain
Fast pain (prickling pain)
Felt as sharp acute pain
Carried by myelinated a#ons type $
%timuli reach the cns &uickly often
Trierin somatic re'e#es
"enerally location of receptor can be determined within a short
distance
Slow pain (burning and aching pain)
Felt as chronic achin pain
Carried by type c a#ons
Cause enerali(ed activation of the reticular formation and
thalamus
"enerally location of the receptor cannot be determined with
precision!
The kind of pain you feel internally!
)ain:
)erception of the CN%
CN% neurotransmitters are lutamate and or substance )
*ndividuals may release endorphines and enkepalins as
neuromodulation whose release inhibits activity alon pain
pathways
+on,t accommodate to pain receptions
Thermoreceptors
Free nerve endins located in the dermis in skeletal muscle in the
liver and in the hypothalamus
Cold receptors are three or four times more numerous than warm
receptors
There are no structural di-erences between cold and warm
receptors
Temperature sensations are conducted alon the same pathways
that carry pain sensation
%timuli are sent to the reticular formations the thalamus and the
primary sensory corte#
)hasic receptors
$ctive when temperatures chane rapidly but adapt to stable
temperature
)arado#ical cold response: when you take a warm rod to a nerve
that stimulates the sinals that it is cold, you will feel that it is
cold instead of warm!
Mechanoreceptors:
.espond to stimuli that distort their plasma membranes
Membranes contain mechanically ated ion channels whose
ates open or close in response to:
%tretchin
Compression
Twistin
/ther physical distortions of the membrane
There are three classes of mechanoreceptors
Tactile receptors: (touch receptors)
%ensations of:
Touch: information about shape and te#ture
)ressure: indicate deree of mechanical distortion
0ibration: indicate pulsin pressure
aroreceptors:
+etect pressure chanes in the walls of blood vessels and
in portions of the diestive, reproductive and urinary tract
!roprioceptors:
Monitor the positions of joints and skeletal muscle and
contraction which informs the brain as to positions in other
elements of the body
Types of Tactile "eceptors in the skin
Free ner#e endings
sensitive to touch and pressure
12ocated between epidermal cells1 tonic receptors 3 small
receptor feld
"oot hair ple$us
Monitors distortion and movements across the body
surface1 adapt rapidly
Tactile discs (Merkels discs)
fne touch and pressure receptors1 tonic receptors1
very small receptor felds1 sinle myelinated a-erent
fber make close contact with unusually lare
epithelial cell in the statum basale of the skin
Tactile corpuscles ( meissner%s corpuscles )
)erceive sensations of fne touch4 and pressure and
low fre&uency vibration
$dapt to stimulate rapidly
2are structures 5 677uM in lenth and 87 uM in
width9
$bundant in eyelids, fnertips, nipples and e#ternal
enitalia
&amellated corpuscles (!acinian corpuscle)
%ensitive to deep pressure
Fast adaptin
%ensitive to pulsin or hih fre&uency vibratin stimuli
%inle dendrites lie within a series of concentric layer of collaen
fbers and supportin cells
2ocated in the dermis in fners, mammary lands, and e#ternal
enitalia
"u'ni corpuscles
%ensitive to pressure and distortion of the skin
2ocated in the reticular dermis 5 deep portions9
.eceptors are tonic and show little adaption
Capsule sounds a core of collaen fbers that are continuous with
those of the surroundin dermis
$ network of dendrites is intertwined with collae fbers within
the capsule
Tension or distortion of the dermis , tus or twist the capsular
fber stretchin or compressin the attached dendrites and
alterin the activity of the a-erent fber!
aroreceptors:
:aroreceptors monitor chanes in pressure in an oran
.eceptors consist of free nerve endin that branchin within the
eleastic tissues in the walls of distensible orans
2ocated in blood vessel portions of the respirator diestive or
urinary tract1 aortic sinus and carotid sinus
;ith pressure chanes the elastic walls of the tract recoil or
e#pand
Movement distorts the dendritic branches and alters the rate of
action potential eneration
.espond immediately to chanes in pressure and adapt rapidly
!roprioceptors
Monitor the position of joints the tension in tendons and
liaments state of muscular contraction
There are three major roups of proprioceptors
Muscle spindles
"oli tendon orans
.eceptors in joint capsules
!roprioceptors: muscle spindles
Muscle spindles monitor skeletal muscle lenth and trier stretch
re'e#es! Muscle spindles work when the muscle contracts or rela#es!
!roprioceptors: golgi tendon organs
%imilar in function to ru<ni corpuscles and located at the
junction between skeletal muscle and its tendon
"oli tendon oran, dendrites branch repeatedly and wind
around the densely pack collaen fbers of the tendon
The receptors are stimulated by tension in the tendon1 monitor
tension developed durin muscle contraction
!roprioceptors: receptors in joint capsules
Free nerve endins that detect pressure, tension and movement
at the joint
=sed to sense body position by interation of information from
these receptors and information provided by muscle spindles,
oli tendon orans and receptor of the internal ear!
(hemoreceptors
%peciali(ed chemoreceptive neuron can detect small chanes in
the concentration of specifc chemicals or compounds
.espond only to water soluble and lipid soluble substances that
are dissolved in body 'uids 5interstitial 'uid , plasma, and csf9
*nformation is sent to the brain stem center that deal with the
autonomic control of respiratory and cardiovascular functions!
.espiratory centers of the brain respond to hydroen ion
concentration and levels of carbon dio#ide molecules in C%F!
>ydroen ion concentration of the blood re'ects how much
carbon dio#ide is in it!
Chemoreceptive neurons in the carotid bodies and in the aortic
bodies monitor p>!, carbon dio#ide and o#yen levels in arterial
blood! The increase in carbon dio#ide will increase respiratory
rate!
Carotid or aortic bodies reach the respiratory centers by travelin
with cranial nerves 5*?9 lossopharyneal and ? 5vaus9
)utonomic Ner#ous System: Sympathetic di#ision
*nvolved with e#penditure of enery
Counteracts the parasympathetic e-ects
=nder stress the sympathetic system dominates over the
parasympathetic system
"eneral adaptation response: fht or 'iht
Fear or stress stimulates a sympathetic response (adrenergic
response):
+ilate pupils of the eye
*ncrease heart rate, blood vessels of the skin and viscera,
constrict blood 'ow to the periphery! Conserve blood for the
heart lun and muscle!
*ncrease blood pressure because it constricts the vessel!
+ilates of the periphery vasculature also increases blood 'ow to
skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, lun, brain involved in fhtin!
.apid breathin occurs as bronchioles dilates to allow faster
movement of air in and out of the luns
:lood suar rises response to hormone release
!arasympathetic di#ision response
)rimarily concerned with activities that restore and conserve
body enery
)arasympathetic impulses dominate over the sympathetic
system in diestive lands, smooth muscle of diestive system
*n areas that are innervated by only one system the lack of
stimulation from that system cause an opposite response
o i!e! capillary are not innervated by the parasympathetic
division 3 lack of sympathetic division1 lack of a
sympathetic stimulus, the vessel dilates 5opposite e-ect9
$drenal lands ,post anlionic neurons of the sympathetic nervous
system, releases adreneric compounds! *ntensity and prolon 'iht or
fht response!

(holinergic *bers: release acetylcholine
$ll preanlionic fbers of the parasympathetic and sympathetic
divisions release acetyl choline to the post anlionic neurons
$ll post anlionic fber of the parasympathetic divisions release
acetylcholine to e-ector cells
$ few post anlionic fbers of the sympathetic division release
acetylcholine 5retina9 to e-ector cells
Types of acetylcholine receptors:
Nicotine "eceptors :
Found on postsynaptic neurons of both division
.esponds to acetylcholine
%mall amounts seem to stimulate while lare amounts block
Nicotine mimics the action of acetylcholine at these receptors1
block by bunro to#ic
Muscarine receptors :
Found on the e-ector cells of parasympathetic division and a few
e-ectors of the sympathetic division1 found in heart, smooth
muscle and sweat land
.espond to acetylcholine
Cause muscle contraction and land secretion
.eceptors mimic action of substances made by certain
mushrooms
:locked by atropine!
Types of adrenergic receptors: norepinephrine
Most post anlionic a#ons release adreneric substance
norepinephrine
Two basic types of receptors e#ist:
$lpha receptors: enerally e#citatory
:eta receptors : enerally inhibitory
Types of adrenergic receptors
)lpha receptors:
2iands : N@ 3 @
smooth muscle contractions
$ction: indirect "& protein, phospholipase C 5works on
membrane lipids and can create two active compounds 1A ,
activate ipB +$" and rise in calcium
>ave e-ects that increase heart rate
)lpha + receptions:
2iands: epinephrine1 norepinephrine
%mooth muscle mi#ed e-ects, neurotransmitters inhibitor,
cardiac muscle rela#ation, platelet activation
"i, adenalate cyclase inactivation, c$M) down
eta , receptors:
2iands: isoprenalin1 epinephrine1 norepinephrine
>eart muscle contraction
$ction1 indirect: adenylate cyclase activations c$M) up
eta + receptors:
2iands: isoprenalin1 epinephrine1 norepinephrine
%mooth muscle rela#ation
"i adenylate cyclase activation, c$M) up
eta - receptors:
liands isoprenalin1 epinephrine1 norepinephrine
enhance lypolysis 5enhance enery production9 , promotes
rela#ation of detrusor muscle in the bladder
i adenylate cyclase activation c$M) up