THE SENSORY SYSTEM

PURPOSE OF SENSATIONS

to detect changes in the external or
internal environment to enable the body
to respond appropriately to maintain
homeostasis

SENSORY PATHWAY
PATHWAY OF IMPULSES FOR A SENSATION

1. Receptorsdetect a change (usually very
specific) and generate impulses.
2. Sensory neuronstransmit impulses from
receptors to the CNS.
3. Sensory tractswhite matter in the CNS.
4. Sensory areamost are in the cerebral
cortex; feels and interprets the sensation.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SENSATIONS

1. Projectionthe sensation seems to come from the area where
the receptors were stimulated, even though it is the brain that
truly feels the sensation.
2. Intensitythe degree to which a sensation is felt; a strong
stimulus affects more receptors, more impulses are sent to the
brain and are interpreted as a more intense sensation.
3. Contrastthe effect of a previous or simultaneous sensation
on a current sensation as the brain compares them.
4. Adaptationbecoming unaware of a continuing stimulus; if
the stimulus remains constant, there is no change for receptors
to detect.
5. After-imagethe sensation remains in the consciousness after
the stimulus has stopped.

CUTANEOUS SENSES
PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXTERNAL
ENVIRONMENT AND THE SKIN ITSELF
1. The dermis has free nerve endings that are receptors for pain,
heat, and cold, and encapsulated nerve endings that are
receptors for touch and pressure
2. Sensory areas are in parietal lobes.
3. Referred pain is visceral pain that is felt as cutaneous pain.
Common pathways in the CNS carry both cutaneous and
visceral impulses; the brain usually projects sensation to the
cutaneous area.

CUTANEOUS SENSES
PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXTERNAL
ENVIRONMENT AND THE SKIN ITSELF
1. The dermis has free nerve endings that are receptors for pain,
heat, and cold, and encapsulated nerve endings that are
receptors for touch and pressure
2. Sensory areas are in parietal lobes.
3. Referred pain is visceral pain that is felt as cutaneous pain.
Common pathways in the CNS carry both cutaneous and
visceral impulses; the brain usually projects sensation to the
cutaneous area.

MUSCLE SENSE
KNOWING WHERE OUR MUSCLES ARE WITHOUT
LOOKING AT THEM
1. Stretch receptors in muscles detect
stretching.
2. Sensory areas for conscious muscle sense
are in parietal lobes.
3. Cerebellum uses unconscious muscle sense
to coordinate voluntary movement.

SENSE OF TASTE
1. Chemoreceptors are in taste buds on the
tongue; detect chemicals (foods) in solution
(saliva) in the mouth.
2. Five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter,
and savory; foods stimulate combinations of
receptors.
3. Pathway: facial and glossopharyngeal nerves
to taste areas in parietal-temporal lobes.

SENSE OF SMELL
1. Chemoreceptors are in upper nasal cavities;
several hundred different ones; detect
vaporized chemicals (many combinations
possible).
2. Pathway: olfactory nerves to olfactory bulbs
to olfactory areas in the temporal lobes.
3. Smell contributes greatly to what we call
taste.

HUNGER AND THIRST
VISCERAL (INTERNAL) SENSATIONS
1. Receptors for hunger:
in hypothalamus,
detect changes in GI hormones and
nutrient levels in the blood;
hunger is projected to the stomach;
adaptation does occur.
2. Receptors for thirst:
in hypothalamus,
osmoreceptors detect changes in body
water (watersalt proportions);
thirst is projected to the mouth and
pharynx; adaptation does not occur.
THE EYE
1. Eyelids and eyelashes keep dust out of eyes; conjunctivae line
the eyelids and cover white of eye.
2. Lacrimal glands produce tears, which flow across the eyeball to
two lacrimal ducts, to lacrimal sac to nasolacrimal duct to nasal
cavity. Tears wash the anterior eyeball and contain lysozyme to
inhibit bacterial growth.
3. The eyeball is protected by the bony orbit (socket).
4. The six extrinsic muscles move the eyeball; innervated by the
3rd, 4th, and 6th cranial nerves.
5. Scleraoutermost layer of the eyeball, made of fibrous
connective tissue; anterior portion is the transparent cornea,
the first light-refracting structure.
6. Choroid layermiddle layer of eyeball; dark blue pigment
absorbs light to prevent glare within the eyeball.

THE EYE-cont.
1. Ciliary body (muscle) and suspensory ligamentschange shape of lens,
which is made of a transparent, elastic protein and which refracts light.
2. Iristwo sets of smooth muscle fibers regulate diameter of pupil, that
is, how much light strikes the retina.
3. Retinainnermost layer of eyeball; contains rods and cones.
Rodsdetect light; abundant toward periphery of retina.
Conesdetect color; abundant in center of retina.
Foveain the center of the macula lutea; contains only cones;
area of best color vision.
Optic discno rods or cones; optic nerve passes through eyeball.
4. Posterior cavity contains vitreous humor (semisolid) that keeps the
retina in place.
5. Anterior cavity contains aqueous humor that nourishes the lens and
cornea; made by capillaries of the ciliary body, flows through pupil, is
reabsorbed to blood at the canal of Schlemm.
PHYSIOLOGY OF VISION
1. Refraction (bending and focusing) pathway of light: cornea, aqueous
humor, lens, vitreous humor.
2. Lens is adjustable; ciliary muscle relaxes for distant vision, and lens is
thin. Ciliary muscle contracts for near vision, and elastic lens thickens
and has greater refractive power.
3. Light strikes retina and stimulates chemical reactions in the rods and
cones.
4. In rods: rhodopsin breaks down to scotopsin and retinal (from vitamin
A), and an electrical impulse is generated. In cones: specific
wavelengths of light are absorbed (red, blue, green); chemical
reactions generate nerve impulses.
5. Ganglion neurons from the rods and cones form the optic nerve, which
passes through the eyeball at the optic disc.
6. Optic chiasmasite of the crossover of medial fibers of both optic
nerves, permitting binocular vision.
7. Visual areas in occipital lobeseach area receives impulses from both
eyes; both areas create one image from the two slightly different
images of each eye; both areas right the upside-down retinal image.
THE EAR
1. Outer earauricle or pinna has no real function for people; ear canal
curves forward and down into temporal bone.
2. Middle eareardrum at end of ear canal vibrates when sound waves
strike it. Auditory bones: malleus, incus, stapes; transmit vibrations to
inner ear at oval window.
1. Eustachian tubeextends from middle ear to nasopharynx; allows
air in and out of middle ear to permit eardrum to vibrate; air
pressure in middle ear should equal atmospheric pressure.
3. Inner earbony labyrinth in temporal bone, lined with membranous
labyrinth. Perilymph is fluid between bone and membrane; endolymph
is fluid within membrane. Membranous structures are the cochlea,
utricle and saccule, and semicircular canals.
4. Cochleasnail-shell shaped; three internal canals; cochlear duct
contains receptors for hearing: hair cells in the organ of Corti; these
cells contain endings of the cochlear branch of the 8th cranial nerve.
PHYSIOLOGY OF HEARING
1. When hair cells bend, impulses are generated
and carried by the 8th cranial nerve to the
auditory areas in the temporal lobes.
2. Round window prevents pressure damage to
the hair cells.
3. Sound waves stimulate vibration of eardrum,
malleus, incus, stapes, oval window of inner
ear, perilymph and endolymph of cochlea,
and hair cells of organ of Corti.
UTRICLE AND SACCULE
1. membranous sacs in the vestibule; each
contains hair cells that are affected by gravity.
2. When position of the head changes, otoliths
bend the hair cells, which generate impulses
along the vestibular branch of the 8th cranial
nerve to the cerebellum, midbrain, and
cerebrum.
3. Impulses are interpreted as position of the
head at rest.
SEMICIRCULAR CANALS
1. Three membranous ovals in three planes;
enlarged base is the ampulla, which contains
hair cells (crista) that are affected by
movement.
2. As body moves, hair cells bend in opposite
direction, generate impulses along vestibular
branch of 8th cranial nerve to cerebellum,
midbrain, and cerebrum.
3. Impulses are interpreted as movement of the
body, changing speed, stopping or starting.
ARTERIAL RECEPTORS
DETECT CHANGES IN BLOOD
1. Aortic archcurves over top of heart.
Aortic sinus contains pressoreceptors;
aortic body contains chemoreceptors;
sensory nerve is vagus (10
th
cranial).
2. Right and left carotid arteries in the neck;
carotid sinus contains pressoreceptors;
carotid body contains chemoreceptors;
sensory nerve is the glossopharyngeal (9th cranial).
3. Pressoreceptors detect changes in blood pressure;
4. Chemoreceptors :
detect changes in pH or oxygen and CO2 levels in the blood.
This information is used by the vital centers in the medulla
to change respiration or circulation to maintain normal
blood oxygen and CO2 and normal blood pressure.