General Senses

Vocabulary flashcards covering sensory receptor types, tactile receptors, receptor density tests, adaptation, and referred pain.

Exteroceptors

Receptors that monitor the external environment.

Interoceptors (visceroceptors)

Receptors that monitor the internal environment.

Proprioceptors

Receptors that monitor body position.

Meissner's corpuscles

Tactile receptors located in dermal papillae that perceive light touch.

Pacinian corpuscles

Bulb-like receptor structures deep in the dermis that perceive deep pressure.

Two-point discrimination

A method to determine receptor density using equipment like calipers or scissors to find the two-point threshold.

Two-point threshold

The distance between points that can be perceived as two distinct touches, where a small threshold indicates dense receptors.

Tactile localization

The ability to determine where you have been touched, tested using two different colored pens, with better accuracy in areas with dense receptors.

Adaptation

The loss of receptor sensitivity due to a prolonged stimulus, which occurs quickly in touch receptors while pain receptors do not adapt.

Referred Pain

A phenomenon where a stimulus in one area causes the perception of pain from another area because brain wiring interprets the stimulus as coming from a "normal" area.