OTHY200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Lateral Geniculate Nucleus, Dorsal Root Ganglion, Auditory Cortex
Document Summary
Week 9 - somatosensory system and pathways, special senses. Sensory information from the skin and musculoskeletal systems. Information from the skin is superficial (touch, pain, temperature) or cutaneous. Information from the musculoskeletal system includes proprioception and pain. Information in the somatosensory system proceeds from the receptor through a series of neurons to the brain. A sensation is a sensory experience and occurs when neurons in a sensory area of the cerebral cortex are being stimulated. Occurs in the primary somatosensory cortex in parietal lobe. Are specialized and respond only to a specific type of stimulus, adequate stimulus, and under normal conditions. Mechanoreceptors: mechanical deformation of the receptor by touch, pressure, stretch, or vibration (physical) Chemoreceptors: substances released by cells, including damaged cells after injury or infection (chemical environment) -> taste. Respond to touching the skin, pressure, vibration, noxious (painful) stimuli and temperature. Categorized as fine (ability to distinguished between fine touch) and coarse touch (knowing something is touching you)
