Physio B GENERAL SENSES 1

FEU-NRMF Institute of Medicine

Lecturer: Felipe Barbon, MD 2.3.14 1B-Medicine

SENSATION
- Ability to know what is happening in the environment or o Stimulus intensity
determine the different changes in the environment
- Dependent on functioning of sensory receptors activated
by stimuli (may be internal or external)

SENSORY RECEPTORS

Characteristics of Sensory receptors:

o Excitable structures first to be affected by changes inside
or outside the body
- Changes may be mechanical, chemical or thermal
If sensory receptors are exposed to subtreshold
o Considered as BODY TRANSDUCERS (intensity lower than threshold):
- Can convert one form of energy to another form of - It will not allow the cell to create the change that will
energy but can only develop on type of electrical reach the threshold
change - develops RECEPTOR POTENTIAL or GENERATOR
POTENTIAL or LOCAL POTENTIAL
o Response to stimulus: creation of action potential (AP)
- An AP is created because it is the language of the higher
centers so they can immediately detect & analyze the
transmitted information

o Very sensitive to a specific stimulus (lower threshold =

sensitive)
ADEQUATE STIMULUS
- stimulus that excites the receptor with the lowest
threshold
- different for each receptor) If effectively stimulated:
SENSITIVITY: receptors react even on low threshold so - a single stimulus will enable receptor to develop
theres no need to increase stimulus REPETTITIVE FIRING of AP
SPECIFICITY: every receptor is designed to react to a - purpose of this continuous AP discharge is to have a
specific type of stimulus continuous sensation of change
- frequency if firing is directly related to stimulus
o Name of receptor depends on the stimulus they are intensity (weak stimulation = less frequency of firing)
sensitive to *importance: you will be aware of the stimulus intensity
Chemoreceptors
Mechanoceptors
Photoreceptors
Thermoreceptors
Nociceptors/Pain receptors

o Can be a part of a nerve or a special group of cells that

can function as receptors
If part of a nerve: usually the nerve endings
Ex. Free nerve endings, olfactory nerves (the endings
are its receptors)
Special group of cells: examples are Rods & Cones,
Pacinian, Merkels
o Ability to adapt: ability to disrupt firing of AP if
continuously affected by adequate stimulus causing now
absence of sensation
SENSORY ARM OF THE REFLEX ARC
- includes the first 3 parts of the reflex arc
- activation of these structures will lead to sensation
- injury to these will cause loss of sensation which will lead
to absence of response
- sensory threshold/sensitivity will depend on capacity of
sensory arm to process stimulus
*sensitivity can be altered by experience/previous exposure

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Physio B GENERAL SENSES 1
FEU-NRMF Institute of Medicine
Lecturer: Felipe Barbon, MD 2.3.14
SENSORY UNIT: sensory receptor + sensory neuron
TYPES OF SENSATION
Classification based on location of stimulus:
1. Exteroceptive: external stimulus
2. Interoceptive: internal stimulus (ex. Abdominal pain)
Classification based on ability to localize the body part:
1. Protopathic: poorly localized (ex. Abdominal or chest
pain)
2. Epicritic: easily localized (ex. Touch)
Classification based on distribution of receptors used:
1. General Sense (Somatic sense)
- utilize receptors that are present in almost all parts of
the body
- ex. Pain, touch, temperature, proprioception
2. Special Sense
- utilize receptors present only in specific parts of the
body
- ex. Vision, auditory, olfaction, gestation
Classification based on onset of sensation:
1. Immediate (Acute): gives immediate sensation (less than
one second)
2. Delayed (Chronic): more than one second
CLASSIFICATION OF SENSORY NEURONS:
A. Based on conduction velocity
1. Type A: fast conducting due to larger diameter &
myelination (responsible for acute sense)
Type A alpha fastest conducting (120m/s)
Type A beta 70m/s
Type A gamma 40m/s
Type A delta 15m/s
2. Type B: not for sensation but for autonomics
3. Type C: (0.5m/s to less than 15m/s)
- slow conducting due to small diameter & absence of
myelin (responsible for chronic or lingering sensation)
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1B-Medicine
B. Based on function & size (dinaanan lang)
PARAMETERS/ATTRIBUTES OF SENSATION:
(These are immediately known upon stimulation except duration)
Quality or Modality of Sensation
Stimulus intensity
Location: body part stimulated
Timing
Duration of sensation: will be known after stimulation
QUALITY/MODALITY OF SENSATION
- determines type of sensation received (ex. pain, crude
touch, pressure etc)
- Explained by: Law of specific nerve energies, Mullers
doctrine, Labelled line principle, Coding mechanisms
LAW OF SPECIFIC NERVE ENERGIES
- Specificity enables easy determination of modality
- Specificity is not only seen in receptors but also in the
sensory neurons & higher centers
- Explains specificity from receptor to sensory nerve to
center
- Example:
Rods & Cones in retina (specific for presence of light)
optic nerve (specific sensory nerve) Occipital cortex/
Brodmann area 17 (specific part of higher center)
Destruction will cause loss of sensation:
-destruction of rods & cones causes peripheral blindness
-destruction of center causes central blindness
*Cones: activated/sensitive to light vision
*Rods: activated/sensitive to dark vision making it more
sensitive to light (small amt of light will affect it); used for
night vision
MULLERS DOCTRINE: similar with law of specific nerve
energies
LABELLED LINE PRINCIPLE
- Describes the pathway followed by the sensory neuron in
transmitting impulses
- Impulse transmission follows a labelled line toward the
higher center
- Only explains specificity of sensory nerve fibers
- Example: Visual pathway (properly labelled)
Physio B GENERAL SENSES 1
FEU-NRMF Institute of Medicine
Lecturer: Felipe Barbon, MD 2.3.14 1B-Medicine

CODING MECHANISMS: *RECEPTIVE FIELD

o Temporal coding pattern
- You see a change in transmission of AP
- Effective stimulation usually causes continuous firing of
AP but there are times that there will be a pulsatile firing
of AP called BURST OF AP DISCHARGE & that is
interpreted as a different stimulus
- Example are thermoreceptors:
At temperatures < 30C: burst firing
At temperatures > 30C: continuous firing
- area wherein there is a single or group of receptors that
if you stimulated anywhere within its range will cause
an AP
- if there is greater # of receptors activated there will be
broader stimulus w/c causes the surrounding receptive
fields to be activated now causing greater sensation

o Spatial coding pattern

- Will depend on number of receptors or sensory neurons
activated
- Examples:
Taste perception
sour taste is due to activation of 3 neurons LOCATION
salty taste is due to activation of 2 neurons - explained by a persons ability of Topognosis, Law of
Color perception of Cones projection & enhanced by sensory unit &lateral inhibition
There are 3 types of color sensitive cones: red, process
blue & green sensitive
If a person sees red: mostly red cones are TOPOGNOSIS
activated; only slight activation of the other - ability to localize body part stimulated
Simultaneous activation of 2 color sensitive cones - there is a PRESICE LOCALIZATION of part stimulated with
will give a combination (ex. Blue & red cones you eyes open or closed
will see bluish red or reddish blue) - this is explained by the presence of the SENSORY
White is due to equal stimulation of all 3 cones HOMUNCULUS in the parietal lobe
*this is a mixture of receptor activity, not mixture of colors
The Sensory Homunculus
STIMULUS INTENSITY
- present in the Brodmann areas 1,2 & 3 or the primary
- Weber-Fechner Law, Steven Power Law, Number of
somatic sensory area or primary somesthetic cortex
receptors
- these are neural areas representing different parts of
the body
WEBER-FECHNER LAW
- representation is not equal: the larger the
- Ability to determine intensity (you will know if stimulus is
representation, the greater # of sensory neuron, the
weak or strong)
more sensitive to somatic stimulation
- you will also know if stimulus is constant
- Best represented areas: Face (especially the lower lips)
- States that magnitude of sensation felt is directly related
& Hands
to the logarithm of stimulus intensity: if change is minimal,
- Representation is contralateral
you will not be aware of it
- Example: coin exercise in lab

POWER LAW / STEVEN POWER LAW

- Observed by Dr. Steven
- Concerned w/ rate of firing
- Greater intensity of stimulus = more frequency of AP
discharge

NUMBER OF RECEPTORS ACTIVATED

- lower stimulation = lesser # of receptors stimulated
- removed for stimulus intensity determination
- there is recruitment of receptors or sensory units
*Sensory Units
- most are composed of many receptors to one neuron
- theres also a 1:1 type, these are very sensitive /specific
neurons (ex. Vision)

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Physio B GENERAL SENSES 1
FEU-NRMF Institute of Medicine
Lecturer: Felipe Barbon, MD 2.3.14 1B-Medicine

LAW OF PROJECTION - The TWO-POINT THRESHOLD is recorded (it is the smallest

- Explains why you are capable of knowing part of body distance wherein 2 stimuli are perceived as 2 points)
directly affected - There is inverse relationship: lesser distance = greater
- No matter where a sensory neuron is stimulated along its sensitivity
course to the sensory cortex, the conscious sensation - Two-point thresholds:
produced is referred to the location of the sensory Lips: 1mm
receptors using the activated sensory neuron Fingertips: 1cm
- Everytime you stimulate a sensory receptor , you send AP Back: 1 in
to specific area of cortex where you have the
representation
- If you now destroy the pathway (eg receptors) & you
stimulate the sensory neuron, you will feel something on
the site of the receptor
- Example: Phantom limb pain or Ghost pain (even an
amputated limb can still feel pain if you stimulate the
sensory neuron that innervates it)

SENSORY UNIT/ RECEPTIVE FIELD

- Sensory unit helps in localization
- Smaller receptive field = better localization
- Bigger receptive field = wider or diffused sensation, so its
harder to localize

LATERAL INHIBITION PROCESS/ SURROUND INHIBITION

MECHANISM
- Activated sensory receptors or neurons try to inhibit the
adjacent sensory nerves by sending lateral inhibitory
signals
- This is essential to block lateral spread of the excitatory
impulses & increases the degree of contrast in the sensory
pattern received by the cerebral cortex
- Improves discrimination & localization STEREOGNOSIS
- Ability to identify objects or its characteristics by touch
without the aid of vision
- Familiarity with the object enhances stereognosis

GRAPHESTESIA
- Ability to recognize writing (letters or numbers) on skin
purely by sensation of touch
- DERMATOGRAPHIA: Inability to recognize writing due to
rough skin

ADAPTATION / DESENSITIZATION
- when there is continuous exposure to stimulus, sensory
receptors have the ability to disrupt firing of AP causing
loss of sensation

SENSITIVITY TYPES OF ADAPTING RECEPTORS

- Two-point discrimination, Stereognosis, Graphestesia
TWO-POINT DISCRIMINATION
- Determines sensitivity of a certain body area to somatic
stimulation
- Two pointed objects are simultaneously pressed lightly on
the skin& subject determines whether 2 points are felt or
only one
1. Fast adapting/Phasic receptors/Rate
receptors/Movement receptors
- Adapts in less than a second, or at most, more than a
minute
- These receptors stop AP firing even if they are
continuously stimulated but are still sensitive to their
adequate stimulus
- show a decline in frequency of AP in time until it stops

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Physio B GENERAL SENSES 1
FEU-NRMF Institute of Medicine
Lecturer: Felipe Barbon, MD 2.3.14 1B-Medicine

Cont. Fast adapting receptors

- called Phasic receptors because activity is on & off
- called Movement receptors because youll know if the
stimulus is moved
- Example: touch receptors, photoreceptors- dark
adaptation

2. Slow adapting & Non-adapting Receptors

- Also called TONIC RECEPTORS
- Generate AP repetitively up to end of stimulation
- Will take days before they stop the firing
- Example:
Slow adapting: Baroreceptors-can adapt but will last
for a week
Non-adapting: Nociceptors what changes is the
threshold of pain only (for protection)

MECHANISM OF ADAPTATION
1. Readjustment in the shape or structure of sensory
receptor
- When receptors change their structure or change, they
stop AP firing
- When stimulus is stopped, the receptors will go back to
their original configuration
- Ex. Pacinian is oval shaped & when it is deformed, it will
stop firing AP

2. Change in chemical agent used

- Example: Vision
Light & dark visions use different chemical agents

3. Accommodation in the terminal/afferent nerve fiber

(inactivation of Na channels)
- When you activate a receptor, Na gated channels open
so as to create an AP, but when stimulus is continuous
these channels will be deactivated to stop AP firing

IMPORTANCE OF ADAPTATION
- Adaptation allows brain to rest lessening activity of CNS &
to allow us to concentrate to incoming new stimuli

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADAPTATION

- Stimulation must be continuous & adequate
- Stimulus must be constant & non changing
- Stimulus intensity must be low to moderate