BIOL 221 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Oval Window, Hair Cell, Color Vision
Document Summary
Characterisitics of sensory systems: transduction, specificity, receptive fields. Transduction- the conversion of one form of energy to another (conversion of stimulus energy (touch, heat, light, sound) to nerve signals (graded/ap"s) Specificity- sense receptors are typically sensitive to only one kind of stimulus: tonic versus phasic receptors. Tonic: adapt slowly, generate nerve signals more steadily. Ap"s at a frequency that reflects the background level of stimulation. When stimulus increases or decreases, rate of ap generation changes. Phasic: adapt and sharply reduce or stop signaling even though the stimulus continues. Adapt quickly, normally inactive but become active for a short time in response to stimuli: receptor potential, generator potential, action potential. Receptor potential: small local electrical change on a receptor brought by an initial stimulus (another name: graded potential (in response to sensory input)) Generator potential: a receptor potential (depolarization) that lead to an ap in a sensory neuron. Action potential: levels of intensity (distortion) changes the level of ap frequency.
