ipl-logo

Essay On Somatic Senses

992 Words4 Pages

Somatic Senses

Somatic Senses are the components of the central and peripheral nervous systems that receive and interpret sensory information from organs in the joints, ligaments, muscles, and skin. This system processes information about the length, degree of stretch, tension, and contraction of muscles; pain; temperature; pressure; and joint position. Along with these are sensory receptors. Sensory Receptors function to detect changes in the environment and stimulate neurons to send nerve impulses to the brain.
Sensory Receptors are categorized into 5 types according to their sensitivities. Chemoreceptors: Stimulated by changes in the chemical concentration of substances. Painreceptors: Stimulated by tissue damage. Thermoreceptors: Stimulated by changes in temperature. Mechanoreceptors: Stimulated by changes in pressure or movement. Photoreceptors: Stimulated by light energy.
One repeated concept when it comes to physiology is the body’s adaptive responses to changes in order to achieve homeostasis. When it comes to senses, the body responds to stimuli via sensory adaptation. This is the ability to ignore unimportant stimuli. This is important because the brain needs a way to prioritize the sensory input it recieves or it would be overwhelmed with unimportant information. Sensory Adapation may involve receptors becoming …show more content…

They are responsible for the body’s sensitivity to light touch. This type of nerve endings is found all over the skin but is concentrated in areas such as the fingertips, palms and the face. Their superficial location in the dermis causes these corpuscles to be particularly sensitive to touch and vibrations. However, this also limits their detection since they can only signal that something is touching the skin. In particular, Meissner corpuscles have highest sensitivity when sensing vibrations lower than 50 Hertz. They are rapidly adaptive

Show More
Related

  • Thermodynamics: Neuromuscular Therapy

    605 Words  | 3 Pages

    These hypersensitive points have been called noxious nodes in the past and are currently known as myofascial trigger points or simply trigger points. Active and passive

    Read More

  • Nt1310 Unit 9 Lab Report

    1392 Words  | 6 Pages

    1. Identify the range of senses involved in communication • Sight (visual communication), Touch (tactile communication), Taste, Hearing (auditory communication), Smell (olfactory communication) 2. Identify the limited range of wavelengths and named parts of the electromagnetic spectrum detected by humans and compare this range with those of THREE other named vertebrates and TWO named invertebrates. Figure 1: the electromagnetic spectrum source: www.ces.fau.edu Vertebrates Human Japanese Dace Fish Rattlesnake Zebra Finch Part of electromagnetic spectrum detected ROYGBV (visible light) detected by light sensitive cells in the eye called rods and cones.

    Read More

  • Homarus Research Paper

    2504 Words  | 11 Pages

    The ganglia of neighboring segments are linked by connectives, while the hemi-ganglia are connected by commissures. Overall, the structure of this nervous system appears as a ladder-like chain consisting of a brain, two connectives, and a ventral nerve cord. Because lobsters lack a cerebral cortex, they rely on this complex nervous system to translate pain impulses into the sensation of pain

    Read More

  • Nt1310 Unit 3 Major Study

    942 Words  | 4 Pages

    Indeed, much sensory processing, essential for the regulation of the body, was involved in all those

    Read More

  • Trichechus Manatee Case Study

    912 Words  | 4 Pages

    Vibrissae or tactile hairs present on the entire body may allow them to differentiate vegetation (Marshall and Huth, 1998). Tactile hairs possess innervated blood filled sinuses that transmits an automatic feedback from their environment (Gaspard et al., 2013; Reep et al., 2002). However cranial and post-cranial vibrissae

    Read More

  • Congenital Analgesia Case Study

    720 Words  | 3 Pages

    The purpose of my paper is to discuss the history of Congenital Analgesia and its presence in the human body. Congenital Analgesia, also referred to as Congenital Insensitivity to Pain or CIP, is a rare neurological disorder of the nervous system that prevents a person from being able to feel pain. Congenital Analgesia results from the “lack of ion channels that transport sodium across sensory nerves. Without these channels, nerve cells are unable to communicate pain” (Hamzelou, 2015, p. 1). While the body does not respond to extreme changes in temperature or bodily harm and damage, those with Congenital Analgesia can still process normal sensations such as body-to-body contact or joint movement.

    Read More

  • Reflexes Uncovered Research Paper

    651 Words  | 3 Pages

    The reflex process begins when the tack, or stimulus, makes contact with the integument on the bottom of the foot; this is the arrival of a stimulus. The stimulus’ pathway starts at the epidermis, where it will penetrate all five layers, from the outermost stratum corneum, it travels through the stratum lucidum, stratum granulosum, and stratum spinosum, all the way to the innermost stratum basale. From there, it will continue into the dermis, where there is an extensive network of nerve endings and nerve fibers throughout the two layers of the dermis. The papillary layer contains Meissner’s corpuscles, touch receptors that are sensitive to light touch, which would be able to sense the feeling of the tack making contact with the epidermis. Within the reticular layer are Pacinian corpuscles, touch receptors that can detect deep pressure and vibration, such as the pressure of the tack against the foot.

    Read More

  • Hooked On A Myth Analysis

    509 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the article paragraph three Braithwaite explains how us humans have specialized nerve endings called nociceptors that alert us to damage or pain on the body. When fishes get hooked do they feel the pain of the sharp end point that grabs onto the inside of the mouth ? In

    Read More

  • Ulcerative Colitis Research Paper

    1532 Words  | 7 Pages

    South University Jane Emond NTR 2050 Dr. Weintraub August 3, 2015   The five senses, sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. All amazing on their own, but when all are working independently of each other properly people can function pretty well. However, when the slightest disruption interferes with how our senses work properly life can become pretty unbearable at times. Just to name a few issues such as the common cold, seasonal allergies, conjunctivitis, and ear infections can very easily cause the balanced system to go out of whack.

    Read More

  • Neuroscience Concept Map

    954 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are actually two types of our nervous system. These are the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system, but we will talk about

    Read More

  • Information Processing Theory: A Case Study

    974 Words  | 4 Pages

    99). There are three structures involved in the information processing model; sensory register, short-term store and long-term store (Tangen & Borders 2017, p. 99). The sensory model is a way of attaining information through any of the five senses; smell, sound, taste, sight and touch (Tangen & Borders 2017, p. 101). Most information attained through the senses only lasts for up to three seconds (Tangen & Borders 2017, p. 101). However, if attention is paid to the information, it can be processed to the short-term store/ short term memory (Tangen & Borders 2017, p. 101).

    Read More

  • Summary Of A Natural History Of The Senses By Diane Ackerman

    613 Words  | 3 Pages

    ‘A Natural History of The Senses’ by Diane Ackerman allows the readers truly appreciate the sense smell. Ackerman goes throughout history, scientific evidence and different colorations on varying aspects of smell. She therefore allows the readers believe in smell as though it was a touchable sensation. She also allows the readers to creatively visualize memories, ideas and so forth. Ackerman allows the readers to think more in depth with how smell can be used in the daily lifestyle.

    Read More

  • Essay On Skin Receptors

    1021 Words  | 5 Pages

    The different types of sensory receptors through the skin allow us to sense contact. These receptors provide important information to the brain through sensory neurons. With this, the brain is able to analyze the temperature, pain and pressure of the object which had contact to the skin.

    Read More

  • Hodgkin-Huxley Model Essay

    895 Words  | 4 Pages

    Below is an annotated diagram of what a neuron looks like. A sensory neuron- http://www.memrise.com/user/bex1308/ Action potential occurs in the cell body region of the neuron. Biologically, action potentials occur when a stimulus causes the cell membrane of the cell body to decrease in potential difference (a difference

    Read More

  • Visual Sensory Adaptation

    607 Words  | 3 Pages

    A noticeable example of visual sensory adaptation that I have experienced is when I turn off all my lights before going to bed. The room becomes pitch dark and for a temporary moment, it’s hard to make out my surroundings. Rapidly, my pupils dilate and I can see the blinking light coming from my alarm clock. Within seconds, I adapt to my surroundings.

    Read More

More about Essay On Somatic Senses

Open Document