BIOC32H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Signal Transduction, Sensory Neuron, Nociception
Document Summary
Processing of sensory stimuli: hypothalamus senses ph, blood pressure and temperature, pain nociception. General properties of sensory systems: physical energy, sound waves. Imagine a set of compasses that prick the skin to induce a sensation. Large receptive fields all synapse onto the same secondary sensory neurons cannot discriminate two point stimuli as well. Two-point discrimination: small receptive field: small receptive fields synapse onto different secondary receptive fields better two-point discrimination. Lateral inhibition increases contrast between activated receptive fields and inactive neighbours. Lateral inhibition ability of neurons to inhibit each other. Increases the contrast between different areas of the skin. Intensity : duration , modality is it adequate stimuli or not, reason we see stars in eyes stimulation of visual receptors is decoded in the visual cortex. Mechanic stress activates photoreceptors which can only perceive the sense of light (because it terminates in the specific visual cortex that perceives light labelled line coding)