PSYB65H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Sensory Neuron, Temporal Lobe, Retina
Document Summary
Specialized cells which have the ability to transduce; which is the transfer of energy into neural signals. All neural systems form these signals, and once they are formed, they carry out different actions depending on the system. These energy forms may come from light, electromagnetic radiation, or mechanical energy within a specific bandwidth/neural wavelength. This depends on how close you are to the sensory stimulus or the source itself. Density is an important part of determining the variability in sensitivity for different receptors. The number of sensory receptors are dense in fingertips and lips, in comparison to the lower trunk and back. All sensory information eventually reaches the cortex, but before it does so, it goes through a number of relays/synaptic connections, and most of these take place in the thalamus. The frequency of firing (action potentials) is related to stimulus intensity, from the external and internal world.
