Part 2: General Senses

What are the three groups that divide the general senses?

Exteroceptive senses, Interoceptive senses, Proprioceptive senses

Exteroceptive Senses

Detect changes in the surface of the body: touch, pressure, temperature, and pain

Interoceptive Sense

Detect changes in the viscera

Proprioceptive Senses

Detect changes in the position and movement of our body parts

What are the 3 types of receptors that senses touch and pressure?

Free nerve endings, Tactile corpuscles, Lamellated corpuscles

Free Nerve Endings

Simple sensory receptors found in epithelial tissues; responsible for the sensation of itching and other sensations

Tactile Corpuscle

Sensory receptors found in hairless areas of skin; responsible for sensation of fine touch

Lamellated Corpuscles

Sensory receptors found in the deeper dermis tissues of hands, feet, penis, urethra, and breasts; responsible for the perception of pressure

What type of receptors consists of thermoreceptors?

Free nerve endings

What are the two groups of free nerve endings of thermoreceptors?

Warm and cold receptors

what type of receptors consist of pain receptors?

Free nerve endings

Visceral Pain

Pain receptors in the viscera stimulated by mechanical force, concertation of certain chemicals, and lack of blood flow

What are the only type of receptors in the visceral that provide sensations?

Pain receptors

Referred Pain

Pain that feels as if it’s originating from a part other than the site being stimulated

What are the two main types of pain fibers?

Fast pain fibers and slow pain fibers

Fast Pain Fibers

Myelinated; impulses associated with the immediate sensation of sharp pain

Slow Pain Fibers

Unmyelinated; impulses associated with the delayed, dull, aching pain sensation

What is the role of cerebral cortex in regards to pain?

It responsible for the intensity, its source, and the motor response to pain

What is the role of limbic system in regards to pain?

It responsible for the emotional response to pain

What pain-relieving substances are released by neurons caused by impulses descending from the brain?

Enkephalins and serotonin

What is the pain-relieving biochemical produced in the brain?

Endorphins

Muscle Spindles

Stretch receptors that detect changes in muscle length

Stretch Reflex

Muscle contraction in response to stretching the muscle

Golgi Tendon Organs

Sensory receptors that stimulate reflexes that oppose stretch reflexes; help maintain posture, protects muscle attachment from being pulled loose

What are the type of receptors in internal organs?

Lamellated corpuscles and free nerve endings