Sensory, Motor, and Integrative Systems: Bio 137 Antomy & Physiology I

SENSORY, MOTOR, AND
INTEGRATIVE SYSTEMS
BIO 137 ANTOMY & PHYSIOLOGY I
General Sensations
• In this chapter we explore the levels and components of
pathways that convey sensory nerve impulses from the

body to the brain, and the general sensations (somatic
and visceral) that result. We will
also examine the activation of

motor pathways and movements
• In chapter 17 we will look at
the special senses of sight,

hearing, taste, and smell
Special Senses
 Comparing the general senses and the special senses
General Senses Special Senses
– Include somatic sensations –Include smell, taste, vision,
(tactile, thermal, pain, and hearing and equilibrium
proprioceptive) and –Are concentrated in specific
visceral sensations locations in the head
– Are scattered throughout –Are anatomically distinct
the body structures
– Are relatively simple –Form complex neural
structures
pathways
Sensory Receptors
• Receptors detect a stimulus inside or outside a cell
• They transmit a sensory impulse (action potentials) to the

appropriate area of the cerebral cortex
• Each piece of incoming information is combined with other

arriving and previously stored information in a process
called integration
• What is the relay station for this information????

Sensations and Perception
• A sensation is the initial awareness of a stimulus (sensory
impulse)
• Smell something sweet
• Perception is the way the brain interprets a sensation

• Smell of a banana
• Your perception is your reality
• Projection occurs when the cortex projects the sensation

back towards the sensory receptor
• You smell the banana with your nose
Sensory Adaptation
• Adjustment of sensory receptors to continuous stimulation
• Sensory Receptor becomes less responsive to
continuous stimulation
• A stronger stimulus is required to activate receptors
• i.e. entering a very ‘smelly’ location and adapting

Sensory Receptor Types
• Receptors can be classified by the type of stimulus they
detect
• Chemoreceptors
• Photoreceptors
• Mechanoreceptors
• Thermoreceptors
• Pain receptors
• Proprioceptors
Sense Receptors
• Chemoreceptors
• Respond to changes in concentrations of chemicals
• O2 or CO2 levels in blood

• Odorants
• Ions
• Dissolved Food
Receptor Types
• Photoreceptors
• respond to light
• cones and rods in retina of eye
• Pain receptors (nociceptors)

• respond to tissue damage
• distributed along with all receptors above, except in the brain
• Mechanoreceptors
• Sense mechanical forces (pressure, touch)
Thermoreceptors
Heat receptors
• sensitive to temperatures above 25oC (77o F)
• unresponsive to temperature above 45oC (113oF)
• Produce burning sensation near that temperature (PAIN)
Cold receptors
• sensitive to temperatures between 10oC (50oF) and 20oC
(68oF)
• Produce freezing sensation near that temperature
(PAIN)
• Thermoreceptors undergo sensory adaptation

Tactile System: Sense of Touch
• 1st sensory system to develop in the womb and the largest
sensory system in the body
• Touch affects development and expansion of our brains

into adulthood
• Studies show infants deprived of touch show developmental
delays, stunted growth and abnormal cortisol levels
• Tactile receptor locations

• Skin, lining of mouth & throat, digestive system, ear canal, covering
organs…..
Types of Touch
• Light Touch
• Meissner’s Corpuscles
• Feel of sand, washing
your hair or face
• Deep Pressure
• Pacinian Corpuscles
• Bear hugs, massage
• Vibration
• Temperature
• Pain
Sense of Pain
• Detected by nociceptors (DO NOT ADAPT)
• Widely distributed throughout skin and internal tissues (except
nervous tissue of brain)
• Stimulated by tissue damage, chemicals, low blood

volume or O2 or extremes in temperature
• Function is to protect tissues from further damage

Abnormality of Perception
• Visceral pain results from stimulation of nociceptors in
visceral organs
• Visceral Pain may present as considered referred pain
• The pain is felt in or just deep to the skin that overlies the stimulated organ,
or in a surface area far from the stimulated organ.
• Pain is felt in an area of the body that is different than

where the actual stimulus is
• Occurs because of shared common sensory nerve

pathways to the spinal cord from the skin and internal
organs
Referred Pain
• may occur due to sensory impulses from two
regions following a common nerve pathway to spinal
cord
12-11
Nociception
• Common patterns of referred visceral pain are shown in this
graphic
Proprioception
• Sense associated with awareness of position of body
parts in space
• Proprioceptors are mechanoreceptors located within

joints, tendons, ligaments, connective tissue and
muscles that monitor joint movement
• Transmit information about muscle contraction, position

of joints and location of the head to the brain
Proprioception
• No conscious awareness of this sense
• While performing a task, you are not always aware of

where your body parts are (or at least not thinking about
them)
Somatic Sensory Pathways
• Somatic sensory neurons (and their axons that convey
somatic sensations) are not distributed evenly in the body

• The peripheral areas with the highest density
are represented in the brain with the largest

amount of gray matter cortex.
• The most sensitive areas in the body are
therefore the tip of the tongue, lips, and

Fingertips.
Somatic Motor Pathways
• Motor activity begins in the primary motor areas of the
precentral gyrus and other cerebral integrative centers

Sensory Integration or Processing
• All sensory input is processed together in the brain in
many of the same structures
• SI is the neurological process of organizing sensations for

use in everyday life
• refers to how people use this sensory info
• Because the senses are integrated, we assign meaning to

sensory experiences and know how to respond and
behave accordingly
Sensory Integration
• SI usually occurs without conscious thought or effort
• That is, you can multitask while conversing
• Ironing while talking, cleaning while talking
• You can normally tune out unimportant stimuli

Normal Sensory Processing
• As sensory processing skills mature, neural pathways
become stronger and more myelinated
• Can filter out what is not important at a given time so you

can focus on what is needed
Impairments in Sensory Processing
• The senses do not integrate efficiently
• Interferes with learning and development, social
interaction, everyday activities
• Estimated to affect 10-15% of children
• People with SID do not have accurate information about
their senses and may react inappropriately
SI Dysfunction
• Do not have this discriminative ability to filter out senses
• The brain inefficiently processes sensory information
• Sensory Neural pathways are not as developed

‘Seek out a sensation or avoid a
sensation’
Limbic System and SI
• Limbic system must be involved in processing sensory
info
• Controls emotional response to a stimulus
• If can not normally process sensory info, limbic system

shuts down and you can not process ANY more sensory
info
• ‘Hands over the ears’
Proprioception Abnormalities
• Difficulty with motor planning

• What do I do?
• Difficulty with motor control
• How do I do it?
• Poor proprioception in fingers
• Difficulty with fine motor skills
• Manipulation with the wrist and fingers
• Writing, buttoning
• Poor muscle tone
Tactile Abnormalities
• Avoids sticky substances
• Avoids sand, dirt, getting dirty
• Does not like tags in clothing
• Won’t eat certain foods because of the texture
Plasticity
• Capacity for the brain to change at any age
• Decreases with age
• We learn through strengthening or weakening synapses

Sensory Integration Therapy
1. Provide different types of sensory stimulation
2. Through plasticity, strengthen neural pathways for each of
the senses
3. Allows individuals with SID to process sensory stimuli
effectively

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SENSORY, MOTOR, AND

pathways that convey sensory nerve impulses from the

also examine the activation of

the special senses of sight,

• They transmit a sensory impulse (action potentials) to the

• Each piece of incoming information is combined with other

• What is the relay station for this information????

• Perception is the way the brain interprets a sensation

• Projection occurs when the cortex projects the sensation

• i.e. entering a very ‘smelly’ location and adapting

• O2 or CO2 levels in blood

• Pain receptors (nociceptors)

• Thermoreceptors undergo sensory adaptation

• Touch affects development and expansion of our brains

• Tactile receptor locations

• Stimulated by tissue damage, chemicals, low blood

• Function is to protect tissues from further damage

• Pain is felt in an area of the body that is different than

• Occurs because of shared common sensory nerve

• Proprioceptors are mechanoreceptors located within

• Transmit information about muscle contraction, position

• While performing a task, you are not always aware of

somatic sensations) are not distributed evenly in the body

are represented in the brain with the largest

therefore the tip of the tongue, lips, and

precentral gyrus and other cerebral integrative centers

• SI is the neurological process of organizing sensations for

• Because the senses are integrated, we assign meaning to

• Ironing while talking, cleaning while talking

• You can normally tune out unimportant stimuli

• Can filter out what is not important at a given time so you

• The brain inefficiently processes sensory information

• Sensory Neural pathways are not as developed

• If can not normally process sensory info, limbic system

• Difficulty with motor planning

• We learn through strengthening or weakening synapses

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