Sensory Modalities

• General Senses:
1. Somatic (Exteroceptors)
a. Touch
b. Pressure
c. Temperature
d. Proprioception
e. Pain
2. Visceral (Interoceptors)
a. Pain
b. Pressure
Examples of sensory receptors and their
relationship with 1st order neurons
 Sensory Modalities
• Special Senses
a. Smell or Olfaction
b. Taste or Gustation
c. Sight or Vision
d. Sound or Auditory
e. Balance or Equilibrium
 The Process of Sensations

1. Stimulation of a sensory receptor

2. Transduction of the stimulus
Conversion of the stimulus into a graded
potential
3. Generation of an impulse
Conversion of a graded potential into an
action potential at a trigger zone and
propagation to CNS
4. Integration of sensory input
 Classification of General
Sensory Receptors

Type of Sense Receptor Type Stimulus

Touch Mechanoreceptor Compression
Pressure Mechanoreceptor Compression
Temperature Thermoreceptors Temperature
Proprioception Mechanoreceptor Compression
Pain Nociceptors Irritation
 Summary of Tactile Sensory Receptors
Receptor Sensations Adaptation
Meissner Touch, pressure, slow Rapid
Corpuscles vibrations
Hair root plexuses Touch Rapid
Merkel’s disc Touch and pressure Slow
Ruffini corpuscles Stretching of skin Slow
Free nerve ending Itch/tickle Both
Pacinian Pressure, fast vibrations, Rapid
Corpuscles tickling
 Summary of Sensory Receptors
Receptor Sensations Adaptation
Free nerve ending Temperature Rapid
Free nerve ending Pain Slow
Muscle spindles Muscle length Slow
Tendon organs Muscle tension Slow
Joint Kinesthetic Joint position and Rapid
receptors movement
Somatic Receptors of the Skin
 Classification of
Special Sensory Receptors

Type of Sense Receptor Type Stimulus

Smell Chemoreceptor Binding of Molecules
Taste Chemoreceptor Binding of Molecules
Sight Photoreceptors Light
Sound Mechanoreceptor Sound waves
Balance Mechanoreceptor Movement of head
Olfactory epithelium, Olfactory
receptors, and Olfactory Nerves
Relationship of Gustatory receptors in
Taste Buds to tongue papillae