How is our somatic sensory system different from other sensory systems?
Somatic sensation is the most widespread and diverse of the body’s sensory systems (soma means “body” in Greek). Its receptors are distributed throughout the body instead of being condensed into small and specialized sensory surfaces, as most other sensory systems are arranged.
What are your special senses?
Humans have five special senses: olfaction (smell), gustation (taste), equilibrium (balance and body position), vision, and hearing. Additionally, we possess general senses, also called somatosensation, which respond to stimuli like temperature, pain, pressure, and vibration.
What do the somatic senses do?
The somatic sensory system has two major components: a subsystem for the detection of mechanical stimuli (e.g., light touch, vibration, pressure, and cutaneous tension), and a subsystem for the detection of painful stimuli and temperature.
What are the different types of somatic sensation?
There are several forms of somatic sensation, Exteroceptive, including mechanoreception, thermoreception and nociception, Proprioception, and Interoception.
What is the main difference between somatic and autonomic nervous systems?
The somatic nervous system has sensory and motor pathways, whereas the autonomic nervous system only has motor pathways. The autonomic nervous system controls internal organs and glands, while the somatic nervous system controls muscles and movement.
What are special sensory receptors?
Sensory receptors occur in specialized organs such as the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, as well as internal organs. Each receptor type conveys a distinct sensory modality to integrate into a single perceptual frame eventually.
Why are special senses special?
Special senses have specialized sense organs that gather sensory information and change it into nerve impulses. Special senses include vision (for which the eyes are the specialized sense organs), hearing (ears), balance (ears), taste (tongue), and smell (nasal passages).
What are the special senses quizlet?
What are the five special senses? olfactory (smell), gustation (taste), vision, equilibrium (balance), and hearing.
What is an example of a somatic sense?
somatic sensation Sensations arising from the skin — such as touch, pressure, cold, warmth, and pain — and from the muscles, tendons, and joints — such as the position of the limbs and pain — are known as somatic sensations.
What is sensory somatic sensation?
The somatic sensory system is one of the phylogenetically oldest sensory systems, evolving before the specialized senses of vision and hearing. This complex system provides information on the spatial limits of the organism by communicating information about the body to the brain through distinct receptors and pathways.
What is the primary difference between the somatic?
Somatic nerves relay information from touching to the brain. There is one primary difference between the somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system includes all the functions of the body that are done voluntarily, like moving a leg or finger.
How does the autonomic nervous system differ from the somatic nervous system quizlet?
The ANS differs from the somatic nervous system in that it can stimulate or inhibit its effectors. Compare the somatic and autonomic nervous systems relative to effectors. The effectors of the somatic nervous system are skeletal muscles, while the ANS innervates cardiac and smooth muscles and glands.