Sensory Receptors and Their Functions

These flashcards summarize key vocabulary related to sensory receptors, their functions, and processing.

Sensations

An action potential that reaches the brain and is consciously perceived.

Perception

The interpretation of sensory information based on past experiences.

Nociceptors

Specialized receptors that detect pain.

Mechanoreceptors

Receptors that respond to mechanical pressure or distortion.

Photoreceptors

Receptors that respond to light.

Thermoreceptors

Receptors that detect changes in temperature.

Chemoreceptors

Receptors that respond to chemical stimuli.

Adaptation

The process where a receptor stops sending signals when a stimulus is constant.

Action Potential

An all-or-nothing electrical signal sent by neurons.

Graded Potential

A variable change in membrane potential that can lead to an action potential.

Phasic Receptors

Fast-adapting receptors that respond quickly to changes in stimulus.

Tonic Receptors

Slow-adapting receptors that continue to respond as long as the stimulus is present.

Receptor Fields

The area in which a receptor can detect a stimulus; smaller = better localization.

Proprioceptors

Receptors that provide information about joint angle, muscle length, and muscle tension.

Exteroceptors

Receptors that detect stimuli from outside the body.

Interoceptors

Receptors that detect stimuli from within the body.

Bipolar Neurons

Neurons found in the special senses that have two extensions, a dendrite and an axon.

Generator Potentials

Graded potentials that occur in response to a stimulus at a sensory receptor.

Somatic Senses

Sensory modalities that provide information from the skin, muscles, and joints.

Visceral Senses

Sensory modalities that provide information from internal organs.

Taste Buds

Structures that house the sensory receptors for taste.

Umami

A taste associated with savoriness, typically triggered by glutamate.

Second Messenger Systems

Biochemical pathways that amplify a sensory signal within a cell.

Adaptation in Smell

A quick decrease in sensitivity to odors due to prolonged exposure.

Thermal Neutral Zone

The range of temperatures that does not evoke a thermal sensation.

Somatosensory Pathways

Neural pathways that convey sensory information from the body to the brain.