NRSC 335 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Sensory Neuron, Cortical Map, Neural Coding
20 Mar 2017
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Star nosed mole: height of sensory adaptation, o ptimal foraging. S pecialized star shaped nose with 11 fleshy appendages: uses touch for sensation; nose has become hand like. C ortical map (like the whisker barrels in mouse) What does a sensory system need: discriminate different intensities of energy, e nergy impinging on sensory systems is graded. S ystem should discriminate large differences in intensity - limited by receptor properties. S ystems respond more to changes in stimulus intensity, than to absolute value of stimulus. E yes pay more attention to contrast, edges: r eliability. Sensory receptors: r eceptor cells transduce outside energy into a neural signal. First stop in getting info into the brain (change in membrane potential: typically e p s p s, may yield action potential, g raded (reflect intensity of stimulus, membrane potentials in receptors are called generator potentials. P acinian c orpuscle (pressure: o nion deforms.
