Sensory Pathways and Somatic Nervous System – Fill-in-the-Blank Flashcards

Seventy-five fill-in-the-blank flashcards reviewing key concepts from the sensory pathways and somatic nervous system lecture.

The series of neurons that relays sensory information from receptors to the CNS is called a __.

sensory pathway

The __ division of the nervous system carries motor commands to peripheral effectors.

efferent

The somatic nervous system specifically controls contractions of __ muscles.

skeletal

Arriving information at the CNS is known as __.

sensation

Conscious awareness of a sensation is termed __.

perception

Temperature, pain, touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception are collectively called the __ senses.

general

Smell, taste, vision, equilibrium, and hearing are classified as __ senses.

special

The ability of a receptor to respond only to certain stimuli is called receptor __.

specificity

The area monitored by a single receptor cell is its __ field.

receptive

Conversion of a stimulus into an action potential by a receptor is called __.

transduction

Reduction in receptor sensitivity during a constant stimulus is called __.

adaptation

Receptors that are always active and show little peripheral adaptation are called __ receptors.

tonic

Receptors that are normally inactive but become active when conditions change are __ receptors.

phasic

Receptors that provide information about the external environment are __.

exteroceptors

Receptors that report positions of skeletal muscles and joints are __.

proprioceptors

Receptors that monitor visceral organs and functions are __.

interoceptors

Pain receptors are technically known as __.

nociceptors

Temperature receptors are called __.

thermoreceptors

Mechanoreceptors respond to __ of their plasma membranes.

physical distortion

Receptors that detect chemical concentrations in body fluids are __.

chemoreceptors

Fast pain is carried by myelinated __ fibers.

Type A

Slow pain is carried by unmyelinated __ fibers.

Type C

Thermoreceptors are free nerve endings found in the dermis, skeletal muscles, liver, and __.

hypothalamus

Mechanoreceptors that provide sensations of touch, pressure, and vibration are called __ receptors.

tactile

Mechanoreceptors that detect pressure changes in blood vessels and hollow organs are __.

baroreceptors

Mechanoreceptors that monitor positions of joints and muscles are __.

proprioceptors

__ are free nerve endings situated between epidermal cells that provide touch sensations.

Free nerve endings

The tactile receptors that adapt rapidly and detect initial contact with hairs are the __ plexus.

root hair

Tactile discs are extremely sensitive __-touch and pressure receptors.

fine

Bulbous (Ruffini) corpuscles are tonic receptors located in the __ dermis.

reticular

Lamellar (Pacinian) corpuscles are most sensitive to pulsing pressure or high-frequency __.

vibration

Tactile (Meissner) corpuscles are most abundant in ___, ____, ____, ____, and __ genitalia.

external. eyelids, lips, fingertips

Baroreceptors branch within __ tissues of distensible organs such as blood vessels.

elastic

Muscle spindles monitor skeletal muscle __ and trigger stretch reflexes.

length

Golgi tendon organs monitor __ during muscle contraction.

tension

Joint capsule receptors detect pressure, tension, and __ at the joint.

movement

Chemoreceptors near the origin of the internal carotid arteries are called __ bodies.

carotid

Chemoreceptors between branches of the aortic arch are called __ bodies.

aortic

A first-order neuron is a __ neuron that delivers sensations to the CNS.

sensory

The interneuron that receives information from the first-order neuron is the __ neuron.

second-order

For awareness of a sensation, information must reach a __-order neuron in the thalamus.

third

The somatic sensory pathway that carries crude touch, pressure, pain, and temperature is the __ pathway.

spinothalamic

The anterior spinothalamic tract carries crude touch and __ sensations.

pressure

The lateral spinothalamic tract carries pain and __ sensations.

temperature

Feeling pain in an uninjured area when it originates elsewhere is called __ pain.

referred

Fine touch, vibration, pressure, and proprioception travel in the __ pathway.

posterior column

After decussation, axons of the posterior column pathway enter the __ lemniscus.

medial

The functional map of the primary somatosensory cortex is the sensory __.

homunculus

The spinocerebellar pathway conveys __ information that never reaches consciousness.

proprioceptive

Visceral sensory information travels in cranial nerves V, VII, IX, and __.

X

The major processing and sorting center for visceral sensory information is the __ nucleus.

solitary

Somatic motor pathways always involve an upper motor neuron and a __ motor neuron.

lower

The cell body of the upper motor neuron lies in a __ processing center.

CNS

Damage to a lower motor neuron __ voluntary and reflex control of its motor unit.

eliminates

The corticospinal (pyramidal) pathway provides __ control of skeletal muscles.

voluntary

Axons visible as the pyramids on the anterior medulla belong to the __ tracts.

corticospinal

The lateral corticospinal tracts contain axons that decussate at the __.

pyramids

The __ corticospinal tracts cross over at their targeted spinal segments.

anterior

The corticobulbar tracts allow conscious movement of the eyes, jaw, face, and some muscles of the neck and __.

pharynx

The functional map of the primary motor cortex is called the motor __.

homunculus

The medial pathway helps control __ movements of the trunk and proximal limbs.

gross

The lateral pathway helps control distal limb muscles that perform __ movements.

precise

Upper motor neurons of the medial pathway are located in vestibular nuclei, colliculi, and the __ formation.

reticular

Vestibulospinal tracts originate from nuclei receiving input via cranial nerve __.

VIII

Axons from the superior and inferior colliculi descend in the __ tracts.

tectospinal

Axons from red nuclei descend in the __ tracts.

rubrospinal

The cerebellum fine-tunes movements based on proprioceptive, visual, and __ sensations.

vestibular

Patterns of cerebellar activity are learned by __ and error over many repetitions.

trial

The basal nuclei provide background __ of movement for voluntary actions.

patterns

Some basal nuclei axons project to the __ cortex, influencing primary motor commands.

premotor

Referred pain from the heart is often felt in the __ arm.

left

Painful sensations perceived in an amputated limb illustrate __ limb syndrome.

phantom

The nervous system quickly adapts to __, constant stimuli.

painless

Fast-adapting receptors respond strongly at first but then their activity __.

decreases

The frequency and pattern of action potentials convey information about the strength, __, and variation of a stimulus.

duration

Each labeled line in a sensory pathway carries information about one __ of stimulus.

modality