Introduction to sensory systems

Two broad categories of senses

1. Special senses:
vision, hearing, taste, smell, equilibrium

2. Somatic senses:
touch, temperature, pain, proprioception
 Sensory Physiology

Transduction Central processing

Stimulus (Convert stimulus resulting in sensation
energy into Vm)

Psychophysics
Phototransduction in the retina

-40 mV

Light
Mechanotransduction in the skin

A model of touch transduction in the

Merkel cellneurite complex. (i) Gentle
pressure on the skin or hair deformation
of the whisker opens
mechanotransduction channels,
hypothesized to be Piezo2, in slowly
adapting type I (SAI) afferents to initiate
SAI action potential firing. (ii)
Simultaneously, it opens Piezo2
channels in Merkel cells, which causes
Merkel cell depolarization. (iii) Voltage-
gated calcium channels (VGCC) in
Merkel cells are subsequently activated,
and (iv) neurotransmitters are released
as a result and contribute to SAI firing.
 Transduction Central processing
Stimulus (Convert stimulus resulting in sensation
energy into Vm)

General anatomical pathways of sensory systems:

Stimulus sensory receptors (signal transducers)

primary sensory neurons
secondary sensory neurons in the CNS
cortex
General anatomical pathways of sensory systems:
Stimulus sensory receptors (signal transducers)
primary sensory neurons
secondary sensory neurons in the CNS
cortex
 General anatomical pathways of sensory systems:
Stimulus sensory receptors (signal transducers)
primary sensory neurons
secondary sensory neurons in the CNS
cortex

Retinal Retinal
photoreceptors ganglion neurons Lateral geniculate Visual cortex
nucleus (LGN)
 Transduction Central processing
Stimulus (Convert stimulus resulting in sensation
energy into Vm)

APs are more or less the same, so how can our brain
perceive a particular stimulus?

1. Location of the stimulus

2. Which type of receptors are activated
 Transduction Central processing
Stimulus (Convert stimulus resulting in sensation
energy into Vm)

Sensory receptor cell

Stimulus
R
Mechanical

mV
Thermal
Receptor Potential
AP - frequency

Chemical
Sensory receptor cells transduce the physical
characteristics (attributes) of the stimulus (e.g., the
frequency and amplitude of vibration of the air, or
Electromagnetic
chemical structure) into electrical signals.
 Sensory receptor cell

Stimulus

Receptor cells
muscle/joint R proprioception Somatosensory
Receptors Merkel, Meissner touch Somatosensory
Ruffini, Pacinian
Mechanical Mechanoreceptor
balance Vestibular
hair cells
hearing Auditory
pain Somatosensory
Thermal Thermoreceptor
cold & warm R temperature Somatosensory
nociceptors itch Somatosensory
Chemical Chemoreceptor taste buds taste Gustatory
olfactory neurons smell Olfactory

Electromagnetic Photoreceptor rods, cones vision Visual

 Transduction Central processing
Stimulus (Convert stimulus resulting in sensation
energy into Vm)

Stimuli have four attributes that we register:

MODALITY (QUALITY) = the type (nature) of stimulus; submodality

INTENSITY = lux, decibel, psi, etc.

LOCATION = part of body touched, part of retina stimulated

TIMING = start, end, duration, speed of intensity change

 Encoding of MODALITY

Type of receptor stimulated

Neural pathway stimulated
Labeled Line Coding
Neural pathway is the line
Neural pathway is labeled
vision or touch or
sweet or sour etc.
 Encoding of MODALITY

Type of receptor stimulated Sub-modalities (e.g., taste)

Neural pathway stimulated Stimulus has to be adequate
Labeled Line Coding
Stimulus has to be threshold

RECEPTOR TUNING CURVE

 Encoding of MODALITY
RECEPTOR TUNING CURVE
Photoreceptor (cone) current

Photoreceptor
 Encoding of MODALITY
RECEPTOR TUNING CURVE
 Encoding of INTENSITY

Number of receptors active

AP frequency (depends on receptor potential amplitude)

Receptor potential

Time (ms)
 Encoding of TIMING

Tonic receptors
Slowly adapting

On
Off

Phasic receptors
Fast adapting
Encoding of LOCATION
Encoding of LOCATION
 Encoding of LOCATION

Cone

Horizontal cell

Bipolar cell

Ganglion cell