The General and Special Senses

General Sensory Receptors

Detect touch, pressure, temperature, pain, stretch, and vibration

Special Sensory Receptors

Detect vision, hearing, equilibrium, smell and taste

Nociceptors

Pain receptors. Nociceptors are found everywhere in the body except for the brain.

Root Hair Plexus

free nerve ending wrapped around hair root detects hair movements or distortion

Proprioception

The cumulative sensory input to the central nervous system from all mechanoreceptors that sense body position and limb movement.

Nasal Cavity

the interior portion of the nose

Oral Cavity

contains the lips, hard and soft palates, salivary glands, tongue, teeth, and the periodontium

Tongue

manipulates food for chewing and swallowing; a taste organ

Optic Nerve

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

Five Tastes

1. Sweet

2. Sour

3. Bitter

4. Umami

5. Salty

5 Types of Receptors

1. mechanoreceptors

2. thermoreceptors

3. proprioceptors

4. pain receptors

5. chemoreceptors

Pain Receptors

Nociceptors that only respond to intense stimulation either by chemical, mechanical, or thermo stimulation.

there are 3 types located throughout the body

1. Cutaneous (skin)

2. somatic (joints & bones)

3. visceral (body organs)

Referred Pain

pain felt in a part of the body other than its actual source.

Adaptation vs. Projection

-Projected Pain is pain that has been localized incorrectly due to the ascending pain pathway

-Pain Adaptation is your body builds up tolerance for a consistent pain stimuli

Special Senses vs. General Senses

Special sense receptors are structurally more complex than general sense receptors and localized in special sense organs.

Examples of Special Senses:

Smell (olfaction)

taste (gustation)

balance (equilibrium)

hearing

vision

General sense receptors are scattered throughout the body.

Examples of General sensations of:

temperature

pain

touch

pressure

vibration

proprioception (body position)