BIO 205 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Ciliary Muscle, Bulbous Corpuscle, Lamellar Corpuscle
23 Mar 2017
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Document Summary
Receptors are nervous tissue structures that are specialized to receive environmental stimuli and generate nerve impulses. Receptors initiate nerve impulses and these impulses are conducted to the central nervous system (cns). Sensation and interpretation of stimuli are dependent on interpretation by the brain. All receptors act as transducers that transform one form of energy into another. For example, the mechanical force of compressing the skin is transduced into a nerve impulse (action potential). The impulse is conveyed by the receptor to the central nervous system for interpretation of the initial stimulus. Receptors can be classified into 6 types: chemoreceptors, mechanoreceptors, proprioceptors, thremoreceptors, nociceptors, photoreceptors. Some receptors are widely distributed throughout the entire body while others are isolated to specific organs. Chemoreceptors are sensitive to chemical substances in the immediate area. Chemoreceptors detect chemicals dissolved in fluid within the internal and external environments of our body. Taste buds on the tongue are chemoreceptors that detect specific molecules dissolved in saliva.
