Systems • Stimulus – Internal – External • Receptors – Sense organs – Transducer • Afferent pathway • CNS integration General Properties of Sensory Systems
Figure 10-4: Sensory pathways
Type of sensoris system General sensoris Special sensoris • temperature • smell • pain • touch • sight • pressure • taste • vibration • proprioception • hearing Sensoris Receptor interface between environment and the body translate stimulus into an AP
receptors distributed throughout the body
relatively simple receptors send info to CNS : • arriving info is called sensation • our awareness of it is perception Receptor Potential • Membrane potential of the receptor • A change in the receptor potential is associated with opening of ion (Na+) channels • Above threshold as the receptor potential becomes less negative the frequency of AP into the CNS increases Adaptation • reduction in sensitivity in the presence of a constant stimulus
Pheriferal : change in receptor activity
Central : inhibition of nuclei in pathway • adaptation reduces the amount of information reaching the cerebral cortex
about 1% of sensory information
coming in reaches our awareness Adaptation • Slow-provide continuous information (tonic)- relatively non adapting-respond to sustained stimulus – joint capsul – muscle spindle – Merkel’s discs • punctate receptive fields – Ruffini end organ’s (corpusles) • activated by stretching the skin Adaptation • Rapid (Fast) or phasic • respond to vibration – hair receptors 30-40 Hz – Pacinian corpuscles 250 Hz – Meissner’s corpuscles- 30-40 Hz Sensory Receptor Types
Type sensoris receptor based on nature stimulus • Nociceptors : pain • Thermoreceptors : heat flow • Mechanoreceptors : physical distortion • Chemoreceptors : chemical consentration Nocireseptor • common in: – skin – joint capsules – coverings of bones – around blood vessel walls
•free nerve endings
•large receptive fields
• sensitive to: –extreme temperature –mechanical damage –dissolved chemicals • (like those release by damaged cells) • two fiber types convey info • type A – fast pain (cut, etc.,) – easy to localize • type C – slow pain (“burning, aching”) – difficult to localize • tonic receptors no significant peripheral adaptation as long as the stimulus is present, it will hurt. but central adaptation can occur (perception of pain may decrease) • sensory neurons bringing in pain info use glutamate and/or substance P as their neurotransmitter
• pain can be reduced by endorphins and
enkephalins (inhibit activity in pathway) Pain vs. Nociception • Nociception-reception of signals in CNS evoked by stimulation of specialized sensory receptors (nociceptors) that provide information about tissue damage from external or internal sources – Activated by mechanical, thermal, chemical • Pain-perception of adversive or unpleasant sensation that originates from a specific region of the body – Sensations of pain • Pricking, burning, aching stinging soreness Sensitization of Nociceptors • Potassium from damaged cells-activation • Serotonin from platelets- activation • Bradykinin from plasma kininogen-activate • Histamine from mast cells-activation • Prostaglandins & leukotriens from arachidonic acid-damaged cells-sensitize • Substance P from the 1o afferent-sensitize Nociceptive pathways • Spinothalamic-major – neo- fast (A delta) – paleo- slow (C fibers) • Spinoreticular • Spinomesencephalic • Spinocervical (mostly tactile) • Dorsal columns- (mostly tactile) Pain and Itching
Figure 10-12: The gate control theory of pain modulation
Thermoreceptor free nerve endings in the dermis, skeletal muscle, hypothalamus and liver warm receptors or cold receptors phasic receptors active when temperature is changing, quickly adapting to stable temperature detect transfer of heat heat loss from skin : cool heat gain to skin : warm Mechanoreceptor • contain mechanically regulated ion channels
3 type of mechanoreceptor: • Tactil receptor : touch, pressure, vibration • Baroreceptor : pressure changes (gut, genitourinary) • Propioreceptor : position of joints/muscles Touch (pressure)
Figure 10-11: Touch-pressure receptors
Mechanoreceptors in the Skin • Rapidly adapting cutaneous – Meissner’s corpuscles in glabrous (non hairy) skin- (more superficial) • signals edges – Hair follicle receptors in hairy skin – Pacinian corpuscles in subcutaneous tissue (deeper) Mechanoreceptors in the Skin • Slowly adapting cutaneous – Merkel’s discs have punctate receptive fields (superficial) • senses curvature of an object’s surface – Ruffini end organs activated by stretching the skin (deep) • even at some distance away from receptor Baroreceptor • free nerve endings in the walls of organs that stretch –e.g., blood vessels when pressure changes they expand or contract Proprioreceptor 1. Type of proprioreceptor: • Muscle spinde: stretch reflex • Golgi tendon organ : monitor tendon tension • Receptor in joints capsule : free nerve endings in joints 2. no adaptation 3. continuously send info to CNS 4. most processed at subconscious level Somatosensory Cortex • Two major pathways – Dorsal column-medial lemniscal system • Most aspects of touch, proprioception – Anterolateral system • Sensations of pain (nociception) and temperature • Sexual sensations, tickle and itch • Crude touch and pressure • Conduction velocity 1/3 – ½ that of dorsal columns A spinal nerve
• A spinal nerve is a mixed nerve, which carries motor,
sensory, and autonomic signals between the spinal cord and the body. • In the human body there are 31 pairs of spinal nerves, one on each side of the vertebral column. • These are grouped into the corresponding cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccygeal regions of the spine. • There are eight pairs of cervical nerves, twelve pairs of thoracic nerves, five pairs of lumbar nerves, five pairs of sacral nerves, and one pair of coccygeal nerves. • The spinal nerves are part of the peripheral nervous system. Spinal cord and spinal nerves. Tortora, G.J. and Derrickson, B.H. Esentials of Anatomy and Physiology. 2013, Wiley. This material i s reproduced with permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc The cervical nerves
• The cervical nerves are the spinal nerves
from the cervical vertebrae in the cervical segment of the spinal cord. • Although there are seven cervical vertebrae (C1-C7), there are eight cervical nerves C1– C8. • All cervical nerves except C8 emerge above their corresponding vertebrae, while the C8 nerve emerges below the C7 vertebra. • Elsewhere in the spine, the nerve emerges below the vertebra with the same name. • The posterior distribution includes the suboccipital nerve (C1), the greater occipital nerve (C2) and the third occipital nerve (C3). • The anterior distribution includes the cervical plexus (C1-C4) and brachial plexus (C5-T1). • The cervical nerves innervate the sternohyoid, sternothyroid and omohyoid muscles The thoracic nerves
• The thoracic nerves are the twelve spinal nerves emerging
from the thoracic vertebrae. • Each thoracic nerve T1 -T12 originates from below each corresponding thoracic vertebra. • Branches also exit the spine and go directly to the paravertebral ganglia of the autonomic nervous system where they are involved in the functions of organs and glands in the head, neck, thorax and abdomen. • Anterior divisions: The intercostal nerves come from thoracic nerves T1-T11, and run between the ribs. • At T2 and T3, further branches form the intercostobrachial nerve. • The subcostal nerve comes from nerve T12, and runs below the twelfth rib. • Posterior divisions: The medial branches (ramus medialis) of the posterior branches of the upper six thoracic nerves run between the semispinalis dorsi and multifidus, which they supply; they then pierce the rhomboid and trapezius muscles, and reach the skin by the sides of the spinous processes. This sensitive branch is called the medial cutaneous ramus. • The medial branches of the lower six are distributed chiefly to the multifidus and longissimus dorsi, occasionally they give off filaments to the skin near the middle line. This sensitive branch is called the posterior cutaneous ramus The lumbar nerves
• The lumbar nerves are the five spinal
nerves emerging from the lumbar vertebrae. They are divided into posterior and anterior divisions. The sacral nerves
• The sacral nerves are the five pairs of
spinal nerves which exit the sacrum at the lower end of the vertebral column. • The roots of these nerves begin inside the vertebral column at the level of the L1 vertebra, where the cauda equina begins, and then descend into the sacrum.[2][3] • The sacral nerves have both afferent and efferent fibers, thus they are responsible for part of the sensory perception and the movements of the lower extremities of the human body. • From the S2, S3 and S4 arise the pudendal nerve and parasympathetic fibers whose electrical potential supply the descending colon and rectum, urinary bladder and genital organs. • These pathways have both afferent and efferent fibers and, this way, they are responsible for conduction of sensory information from these pelvic organs to the central nervous system (CNS) and motor impulses from the CNS to the pelvis that control the movements of these pelvic organs. Coccygeal nerve
• The coccygeal nerve is the 31st pair of
spinal nerves. It arises from the conus medullaris, and its anterior root helps form the coccygeal plexus. It does not divide into a medial and lateral branch. It is distributed to the skin over the back of the coccyx. THANK YOU