🧠 PROPRIOCEPTION & SENSORY SYSTEMS

What is proprioception?

A: The awareness of body position, movement, and force using internal sensory receptors.

What is exteroception?

A: Sensory information coming from outside the body (e.g., vision, touch, sound).

What is exproprioception?

A: External sensory information (mainly vision) used to guide movement.

What is an adequate stimulus?

A: The specific type of energy a receptor is most sensitive to.

What is transduction?

A: The process of converting sensory energy into neural signals.

What are rapid (phasic) receptors?

A: Receptors that respond quickly to changes in stimuli (onset/offset).

What are slow (tonic) receptors?

A: Receptors that respond continuously to sustained stimuli.

What is specificity in sensory coding?

A: Different receptors respond to specific types of stimuli (labeled lines).

What is spatial location coding?

A: Identifying where a stimulus occurs on the body.

How is intensity coded?

A: By firing rate and number of neurons activated.

What is temporal summation?

A: Increased firing from repeated stimulation over time.

What is spatial summation?

A: Increased firing from multiple receptors activated at once.

What is a sensory homunculus?

A: A distorted map of the body in the brain showing sensory importance.

Where are Golgi Tendon Organs (GTOs) located?

In tendons.

What do GTOs detect?

A: Muscle tension/force.

What is the function of GTOs?

A: Prevent excessive force by inhibiting muscle contraction.

Where are muscle spindles located?

A: Inside muscle fibers.

What do muscle spindles detect?

A: Muscle stretch and rate of stretch.

What is the function of muscle spindles?

A: Help regulate muscle length and reflexes.

Where are joint receptors located?

A: In joint capsules and ligaments.

What do joint receptors detect?

A: Joint position and pressure (especially at extremes).

Where is the vestibular apparatus located?

A: Inner ear.

What does the vestibular system detect?

A: Balance, head movement, and spatial orientation.

What do skin receptors contribute to?

A: Touch, pressure, vibration, and movement awareness.