Receptors and Reflexes Notes

RECEPTOR SECTION

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These will be made as flashcards regardless but abit more later so you do you on your own studying for now :3


TYPE OF SENSORY RECEPTOR BY LOCATION:

(Not specific receptors; a general idea of type of receptors that we have)

  • Exteroceptors: @ near the surface of the skin

    This includes

    • touch/pain/temp./vision/hearing/smell/taste


  • Interoceptors:

    • respond to stimuli occurring in the body from visceral organs/blood vessels

      + associated with the Autonomic nervous system


  • Proprioceptors: respond to stimuli happening in the skeletal muscles/tendons/ ligaments/joints

    • collect info abt the body’s position and physical conditions of these locations


SPECIFIC RECEPTORS BY STIMULUS DETECTED:

  • Mechanoreceptors:

    • Respons to physical force and stretch

      EX: pressure (touch or blood pressure)


  • Photoreceptors: respond to light

    EX: when your pupil becomes big in darker areas/ little when there’s more light


  • Thermoreceptors: response to temperature changes

    EX: we have those receptors in our hands to inform us the temp. of things we handle (and whether we should touch it or not, LIKE FIRE.)


  • Chemoreceptors: Respond to dissolved chemicals

    EX: sensations of taste; SPICY, SWEETNESS, etc

    EX: smell: Smelling salts (absolutely horrible)

    EX: changes @ internal body chemistry; Blood O2 lvls, CO2 lvls


  • Nociceptors: respond to a variety of stim. with tissue damage

    • the rain interprets it as pain

    EX: paper cut, stubbing your toe, dental pain



REFLEX SECTION

REFLEX ARC:

  • direct route from a sensory neuron to an interneuron, to an effector

  • These signals don’t have to travel to the brain, speeding up the response time.


Reflex:

  • rapid/predictable/involuntary response to stim.


This occurs over pathways called “reflex arcs”


an idea where those reflx arcs are

TYPES OF REFLEXES:

Somatic Reflex:

  • activated on skeletal muscles

    EX: moving your hand away from hot stoves


Autonomic Reflex:

  • regulation on Smooth muscles/heart or blood pressure/glands/digestive system regulation


EX: Patellar/knee-jerk: two-neuron reflex arc




PHYSIOLOGY OF TOUCH:

  1. Skin receptors: mechanoreceptors (start the process of analyzing skin sensations)


Pain Perception:

  • Nocioceptors: free nerve endings that signal pain

    • location: skin surface, fat layer (punctures)


SOMATOSENSORY PATHWAYS:

  • Dorsal Column Pathway:

    • conveys info. abt fine touch, vibration, proprioception, and 2-discrimination

      + axon that runs along the dorsal column of the spinal cord


  • Spinothalamic Pathway: carries info abt pain/temp./crude touch

    • runs along the side of the body opposite where the receptor is located.




  • Two Point Discrimination: ability of the body to determine if 2 close objects touching the skin are truly two separate objects


  • Receptor Density; how close together receptors are located in a given area


  • Receptive Fluid: the area (in size) that a specific neuron receives info from)

    • larger area decreases 2-point discrimination and vice versa