Sensations and Receptors: by Dr. D. Fisher

Sensations and Receptors
By
Dr. D. Fisher
SENSATION
• 4 events must occur for a sensation to take place:
1. Sensory receptors or sense organs must respond to

stimulus (Stimulus is capable of activating specific
sensory neurons Specific to that stimulus)
1. Information is then transduced into nerve impulses
1. Sensory neurons conduct nerve impulses to CNS by

first-order neurons translation
1. A region of CNS must translate nerve impulses into

sensation (mostly in cerebral cortex)
CLASSIFICATION OF
RECEPTORS
• Sensory receptors have selectivity (i.e.
they respond vigorously to one particular
type of stimulus OR weakly or not at all
others)
• Different classifications of peripheral

sensory receptors
CLASSIFICATION OF
RECEPTORS
• Simple receptors – associated w/ general (or somatic) senses Vs.
Complex receptors – associated w/ special senses
• Location: near or at surface of body, deep w/in blood vessels,

viscera, or musculoskeletal organs
• Type of Stimulus Detected: mechanical pressure or stretching,

temperature changes, light intensity, chemical changes, damage to
tissues
• Adaptation (i.e. change in sensitivity to long lasting stimuli)
• Structure – encapsulated vs. free nerve endings

LOCATION
• Exteroceptors  external stimuli
• Interoceptors  internal stimuli
• Proprioceptors  position & movement

stimuli
TYPE OF STIMULUS
Receptor Type Modality
• Mechanoreceptor  mechanical
• Thermoreceptor  temperature
• Photoreceptor  light
• Chemoreceptor  chemical
• Nociceptors  pain/tissue damage
STRUCTURE
• Unencapsulated dendritic endings
– Free or naked nerve endings
– Abundant in epithelial tissue and connective
tissue underlying epithelia
• Encapsulated
– Nerve fibers enclosed in capsule of
connective tissue
– Widely shaped, sized, and found throughout
the body
CUTANEOUS RECEPTORS
• Tactile sensation (i.e. touch,
pressure, vibration, itch, tickle)
• Thermal sensations (cold & warmth)
• Cutaneous receptors densely

populate tip of tongue & lips, but few
are found on back of neck
• Dendrites of cutaneous receptors

may or may not be enclosed in
capsule of epithelial or connective
tissue
• Nerve impulses of cutaneous

receptors are transmitted along
somatic afferent neuron in spinal
cord or cranial nerves thru thalamus
to somatosensory are of parietal lobe
of cerebral cortex
CUTANEOUS RECEPTORS
• End organ of Ruffini
 crude touch
• Merkel discs 
discriminative touch
• Root hair plexus 
hair movement
CUTANEOUS RECEPTOR
(FREE NERVE ENDINGS)
• Itch & tickle
• Thermoreceptors
Heat loss & gain
• Nociceptors  pain
NOCICEPTORS
• Free nerve endings
• Tonic receptors
• Detect pain or tissue damage
• Somatic or visceral pain
• Referred pain is a phenomenon in which pain is felt in a surface

area far from a stimulated organ (brain freeze or pain in arm during
heart attack)
• Phantom pain (phantom limb sensation) is phenomenon in which

pain is felt in an amputated (nonexistent, phantom) limb  may feel
itch on toes or fingers/actual pain of lost part
PROPRIOCEPTORS
• Position or movement of body
• Tonic
• Somatosensory area of cerebrum
• Cerebellum via spinocerebellar tracts
• Muscle spindle fibers
• Golgi tendon organs
• Joint kinesthetic receptors
TOUCH
Types of classification
1. Capsulated/ Non-capsulated
2. Fast adapting/ slow adapting-myelin wrapping amount
3. Superficial/ deep layer
Merkel= Slow adapting, superficial layer, non-capsulated
Meissner= Fast adapting, superficial layer, capsulated
Pacinian= Fast adapting, Deep layer, capsulated
Ruffini= Slow adapting, Deep layer, non-capsulated
Nociceptors= Non-capsulated
Thermal= Non capsulated
ADAPTATION TO STIMULI
• Phasic  rapidly adapting  role in

signaling changes in intensity
• Tonic  adapt slowly or not at all  role

in signaling information regarding steady
state
Effects of Stimulus Strength
on AP transmission
MUSCEL SPINDLE FIBERS
• Monitor changes in
length of skeletal
muscle
• Degree of muscle
stretch
• Aid in coordination &
efficiency of muscle
contraction
TENDON ORGANS
(GOLGI TENDON ORGANS)
• Junction of tendon &
muscle
• Monitors force of
muscle contraction
• Detect tension
applied to tendon
• Protects tendon &
muscle from
excessive tension
JOINT KINESTHETIC
RECEPOTRS
• Located in articular capsules & synovial
joints
• Acceleration & deceleration of joint
movement
• Pressure in joint
• Excessive joint strain

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Sensations and Receptors

1. Sensory receptors or sense organs must respond to

1. Information is then transduced into nerve impulses

1. Sensory neurons conduct nerve impulses to CNS by

1. A region of CNS must translate nerve impulses into

• Different classifications of peripheral

• Location: near or at surface of body, deep w/in blood vessels,

• Type of Stimulus Detected: mechanical pressure or stretching,

• Adaptation (i.e. change in sensitivity to long lasting stimuli)

• Structure – encapsulated vs. free nerve endings

• Interoceptors  internal stimuli

• Proprioceptors  position & movement

• Cutaneous receptors densely

• Dendrites of cutaneous receptors

• Nerve impulses of cutaneous

• Referred pain is a phenomenon in which pain is felt in a surface

• Phantom pain (phantom limb sensation) is phenomenon in which

• Phasic  rapidly adapting  role in

• Tonic  adapt slowly or not at all  role

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