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Neural Integration and Sensory Systems in Anatomy & Physiology

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  • What is sensation?

    Sensation is the conscious and unconscious awareness of changes in the external or internal environment.

  • What are the components of sensation?

    Stimulation of sensory receptor → transduction into nerve impulse → conduction to CNS → translation by CNS into sensation.

  • What are the two main classifications of senses?

    General senses (internal conditions) and special senses (smell, taste, vision, hearing, equilibrium).

  • Name the three types of sensory receptors based on structure.

    Free nerve endings, encapsulated nerve endings (e.g., Pacinian corpuscles), and modified nerve endings (e.g., Merkel cells).

  • What are the three classifications of sensory receptors based on location?

    Exteroceptors, interoceptors, and proprioceptors.

  • List the types of sensory receptors based on stimulus type.

    Mechanoreceptors, thermoreceptors, nociceptors, photoreceptors, chemoreceptors, and osmoreceptors.

  • What are the four modalities of somatic sensations?

    Tactile, thermal, pain, and proprioceptive sensations.

  • Which receptors mediate tactile sensations?

    Meissner corpuscles, hair root plexuses, Merkel discs, Pacinian corpuscles, and free nerve endings.

  • Differentiate crude touch and discriminative touch.

    Crude touch detects contact; discriminative touch identifies the exact point touched. Meissner's corpuscle mediates discriminative touch.

  • What receptor is responsible for pressure sensation?

    Pacinian corpuscle detects longer-lasting pressure over a larger, deeper area.

  • Which receptors detect vibration and how do they differ?

    Meissner corpuscles detect low-frequency vibration; Pacinian corpuscles detect high-frequency vibration.

  • What receptors mediate tickle and itch sensations?

    Free nerve endings mediate both; tickle cannot be self-induced.

  • What types of thermoreceptors exist?

    Free nerve endings that detect cold and warm sensations.

  • Describe nociceptors and types of pain they detect.

    Nociceptors are free nerve endings detecting pain; pain types include visceral (organs) and somatic (deep or superficial tissues).

  • What is the role of proprioceptors?

    Proprioceptors monitor body position and movement, aiding balance and posture.

  • Outline the somatic sensory pathway.

    First-order neuron: receptor to brainstem/spinal cord; second-order: brainstem/spinal cord to thalamus/cerebellum; third-order: thalamus to primary somatosensory cortex.

  • Describe the somatic motor pathway.

    Starts at cerebral cortex → cerebellum → medulla oblongata → spinal cord → muscle.

  • What is the function of the Reticular Activating System (RAS)?

    Neurons projecting from reticular formation to cerebral cortex; increased activity causes awakening (arousal) from sleep.

  • What are the two components of sleep?

    Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

  • What occurs during REM sleep?

    Increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature; decreased GI motility and skeletal muscle activity; most dreaming occurs.

  • Define learning and memory.

    Learning is acquiring new information or skills; memory is storing and retrieving learned information.

  • Differentiate short-term and long-term memory.

    Short-term memory is temporary recall with synaptic changes; long-term memory is more permanent with biochemical and anatomical synaptic changes.

  • What factors aid transfer of information into long-term memory?

    Rehearsal, emotional state, association with old data, and automatic memory formation.