Sensation & Perception Lecture 3

Mechanical pressure: ear, skin and body

Sensory Transduction
Transforming physical information into neural signals. Four types of receptors in humans: 1. Photoreceptors sense light 2. Mechanoreceptors sense mechanical pressure 3. Chemoreceptors sense molecules 4. Thermoreceptors sense temperature

Mechanical pressure

Mechanoreceptors
Physically deforming a mechanoreceptor causes ion channels to open, which causes the cell to fire. Mechanical forces can provide a wide range of information
1. Movement of hair cells in the inner ear
hearing inertia gravity Light touch Texture Stretch Pain Body position Body movement Interoception

2. Pressure and stretch receptors in the skin, muscles, and organs

1. Hair cells in the inner ear

Three functions - Sound perception (cochlea) - Head motion perception (semicircular canals) - Gravity perception (vestibular labyrinth)

Sound is a (sine) wave of moving air.

PS1009 Perception: Sensory Transduction

The range of human hearing: variable, but ~12Hz to 20KHz

The function of the ear is to channel and amplify sound waves.

PS1009 Perception: Sensory Transduction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jyxhozq89g

Auditory Hair Cells

Ion channels on adjacent hairs are connected by a tip link. Movement of the hair cells pulls the ion channels open, depolarizing (activating) the cell.

PS1009 Perception: Sensory Transduction

Hearing damage prolonged exposure to >85dB, or sudden exposure to 120-145dB

PS1009 Perception: Sensory Transduction

Mechanoreceptors in the cochlea provide:

Loudness amplitude of sound wave increases firing rate Pitch which part of the cochlea is activated Timbre composite frequencies simultaneous activation of multiple locations on the cochlea NOT Location this comes from time and volume differences between the two ears (more on this later!)

Hair cells in the semicircular canals: head motion

Semicircular canals contain endolymph Acceleration and deceleration of rotational head movement endolymph movement lags behind the hair cells, causes them to bend Changes in viscosity of endolymph can interfere with perception: alcohol, Mnire's disease

Hair cells in the vestibular labyrinth: gravity

Inner ears also contain the otolith organs Gravity shifts the otoliths (small crystals) against hair cells Provides sense of head position relative to upright, and inertia

2. Mechanoreceptors in the skin

Multiple systems: light touch, firm pressure, vibration, pain, and skin stretch All types respond to physical deformation
Receptors shapes are specialized for different types of pressure

Skin is also specialized

High sensitivity to light touch

High acuity for texture

Less slippery when wet

Haptic touch: exploring objects with your cutaneous mechanoreceptors Vibrations = roughness/texture Pressure = firmness Position of fingers around object = shape Skin stretch = weight

Pain (nociception)
Free nerve endings respond to tissue damage But pain experience is not well correlated with activity in free nerve endings Highly influenced by context and emotion Pain signals are gated from entering the brain -- can be blocked by endorphins

Distribution of touch receptors

The two-point discrimination threshold
Touch the skin with one or two points. Gradually move the points closer together. At some point two will feel like one. This distance is the two-pointdiscrimination threshold. If two points stimulate two different receptors, you will feel two points. If two points stimulate only one receptor, you will feel only one. Density of receptors in the skin is highest on the hands and face, lowest on the upper arm, calf, etc.

Proprioception (body position), kinesthesis (body movements) and interoception (body state)
Stretch receptors in muscles and tendons: lowlevel (spinal/brain stem) control + perceptual input

Also, stretch receptors in smooth muscle (e.g. lungs, bladder, stomach, bowels): low level (spinal/brain stem) control + perceptual input

Mechanoreceptors - summary
Physically deforming mechanoreceptors changes their firing Mechanical forces provide a wide range of sensory information: sound, gravity, pressure, texture, and body state Hair cells in the cochlea move in response to sound waves amplified by the ear, the basis for audition Other hair cells in the ear provide the vestibular sense Mechanoreceptors in skin and body provide somatosensation Different shapes, sizes, depths, and sensitivity of receptors in the skin provide tactile information, including nociception Other stretch receptors in the body provide kinesthesis, proprioception, and interoception
PS1009 Perception: Sensory Transduction

Sensory Transduction
Transforming physical information into neural signals. Four types of receptors in humans: 1. Photoreceptors sense light 2. Mechanoreceptors sense mechanical pressure 3. Chemoreceptors sense molecules 4. Thermoreceptors sense temperature

Chemoreceptors
Function like a lock and key: specific classes of receptors are sensitive to specific molecule types. Found in three locations (among others):
a) tongue (gustation) b) nasal epithelium (olfaction) c) the respiratory system (breathing)

PS1009 Perception: Sensory Transduction

The tongue (gustation)

Each of the papillae on the tongue contains multiple taste buds Each taste bud contains multiple chemoreceptors Five (known) receptor types: salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and savory (AKA umami).

PS1009 Perception: Sensory Transduction

Aguesia: inability to taste

Temporary loss of taste is common. Permanent aguesia is rare. Usually caused by nerve damage or deformity

PS1009 Perception: The Sensory Brain