PS262 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Lateral Geniculate Nucleus, Motor System, Neuropathic Pain
Document Summary
Comel called the skin the monumental fa ade of the human body (it is the heaviest organ in the human body) Skin maintains the integrity of what"s inside and protects us from what"s outside but it also provides us with information about the various stimuli that contact it. Nerve fibers from receptors in the skin travel in bundles called peripheral nerves that enter the spinal cord through the dorsal root. Somatosensory receiving area = s1; secondary somatosensory cortex = s2. An important characteristic of the somatosensory cortex is that it is organized into maps that correspond to locations on the body. The cortical representation of a particular function can become larger if that function is used often. Some experiments showed that increasing stimulation of a specific area of the skin causes an expansion of the cortical area receiving signals from that area of skin.
