Anatomy ch 12 vocabulary

baroreceptor

Baroreceptors are mechanoreceptors located in the carotid sinus and in the aortic arch. Their function is to sense pressure changes by responding to change in the tension of the arterial wall. The baroreflex mechanism is a fast response to changes in blood pressure.

muscle spindles

Muscle spindles are sensory receptors within the belly of a muscle that primarily detect changes in the length of this muscle. They convey length information to the central nervous system via sensory neurons. This information can be processed by the brain to determine the position of body parts.

exteroceptive senses

That responds to external stimuli

golgi tendon organs

The Golgi organ (also called Golgi tendon organ, GTO, tendon organ, neurotendinous organ or neurotendinous spindle) senses changes in muscle tension. It is a proprioceptive sensory receptor organ that is at the origins and insertion of skeletal muscle fibers into the tendons of skeletal muscle.

stretch reflex

The stretch reflex (myotatic reflex) is a muscle contraction in response to stretching within the muscle. It is a monosynaptic reflex which provides automatic regulation of skeletal muscle length. When a muscle lengthens, the muscle spindle is stretched and its nerve activity increases.

photoreceptor

There are 2 types of photoreceptors in the retina: rods and cones. The rods are most sensitive to light and dark changes, shape and movement and contain only one type of light-sensitive pigment. Rods are not good for color vision.

sensation

a physical feeling or perception resulting from something that happens to or comes into contact with the body.

chemoreceptor

also known as chemosensor, is a sensory receptor that transduces a chemical signal into an action potential. In more general terms, a chemosensor detects certain chemical stimuli in the environment.

projection

an estimate or forecast of a future situation or trend based on a study of present ones.

ischemia

an inadequate blood supply to an organ or part of the body, especially the heart muscles.

proprioceptor

are sensors that provide information about joint angle, muscle length, and muscle tension, which is integrated to give information about the position of the limb in space. The muscle spindle is one type of proprioceptor that provides information about changes in muscle length.

hypoxia

deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues.

enkephalins

either of two compounds that occur naturally in the brain. They are peptides related to the endorphins, with similar physiological effects.

free nerve endings

is an unspecialized, afferent nerve ending, meaning it brings information from the body's periphery toward the brain. They function as cutaneous receptors and are essentially used by vertebrates to detect pain

referred pain

pain felt in a part of the body other than its actual source.

General senses

pain, temperature, touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception. Receptors for those sensations are distributed throughout the body.

Special senses

specialized organs devoted to them: vision (the eye) hearing and balance (the ear, which includes the auditory system and vestibular system) smell (the nose) taste (the tongue)

perception

the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.

visceroreceptive senses

the perception of the existence of the internal organs

Meissner's Corpuscle

Tactile corpuscles (or Meissner's corpuscles) are a type of mechanoreceptor.[1] They are a type of nerve ending in the skin that is responsible for sensitivity to light touch.

nociceptor

A nociceptor is a sensory neuron (nerve cell) that responds to potentially damaging stimuli by sending signals to the spinal cord and brain. This process, called nociception, usually causes the perception of pain.

pain receptor

A nociceptor is a sensory neuron (nerve cell) that responds to potentially damaging stimuli by sending signals to the spinal cord and brain. This process, called nociception, usually causes the perception of pain.

acute pain fibers

An A delta fiber or Aδ fiber is a type of sensory nerve fiber. A delta fibers carry cold, pressure and some pain signals. Because A delta fibers are thinly myelinated, they send impulses faster than unmyelinated C fibers, but more slowly than other, more thickly myelinated "A" class fibers.

Pacinian corpuscle

An encapsulated receptor found in deep layers of the skin that senses vibratory pressure and touch.

chronic pain fibers

Group C nerve fibers are one of three classes of nerve fiber in the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. The C group fibers are unmyelinated and have a small diameter and low conduction velocity. They include Postganglionic fibers in the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and nerve fibers at the dorsal roots (IV fiber). These fibers carry sensory information.

mechanoreceptor

Image result for mechanoreceptor A mechanoreceptor is a sensory receptor that responds to mechanical pressure or distortion. Normally there are four main types in glabrous skin: Pacinian corpuscles, Meissner's corpuscles, Merkel's discs, and Ruffini endings.

proprioceptive senses

Proprioception meaning "one's own", "individual," and capio, capere, to take or grasp, is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement.

sensory adaptation

Sensory adaptation is the process in which changes in the sensitivity of sensory receptors occur in relation to the stimulus. All senses are believed to experience sensory adaptation. However, some experimental psychologists say that the sense of pain does not experience this phenomenon. .

serotonin

Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, blood platelets, and the central nervous system of animals, including humans.