Tutorial title - Somatosensory Pathways

8 important questions on Tutorial title - Somatosensory Pathways

What is the pathway of 1st order sensory neurons?

Sensory receptor → dorsal root ganglion cell, via spinal nerve → dorsal root → grey matter (beginning of 2nd order neurons)

How many cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral dorsal root ganglia are there that take information from the sensory receptors to the spinal cord then the thalamus and brain?

Cervical = 8 pairs
Thoracic = 12 pairs
Lumbar = 5 pairs
Sacral - 5 pairs

Neurons at the circuit level have 3 functional regions, what are these regions called?

  1. Receptive region
  2. Conducting region
  3. Secretory region
  • Higher grades + faster learning
  • Never study anything twice
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Discover Study Smart

How many steps do the mechanosensory pathways have from the face to the primary somatosensory cortex? List these steps in the order of flow

6
Mechanosensory receptors from the face → principal nucleus of trigeminal complex via the trigeminal ganglion → medial lemniscus → trigeminal lemniscus → ventral posterior medial nucleus of the thalamus → primary somatosensory cortex

What 3 purposes do the mechanosensory pathways of the face serve? Through what nerve allows the sense of texture, pressure, and position across the face and mouth.

  1. fine touch discrimination
  2. proprioceptive feedback for jaw movement
  3. protective reflexes

Through the trigeminal nerve

What does the thalamus project into the primary somatosensory cortex and somatosensory association area that results in the conscious image of the stimulus

Project nerve fibers into these to regions passing of sensory information from 2nd order neurons

What does the primary somatosensory cortex do and from where does it receive information from?

allows the brain to identify the stimulated body region, meaning, where in the skin, muscles, joints and internal organs sensory information is coming from

Where is the somatosensory association cortex located
What does it do to the sensory information received from the thalamus into the primary somatosensory cortex?
What is the ultimate result of this processing?

located posterior to the primary somatosensory cortex
  1. integrates various sensory inputs to form a comprehensive understanding of the stimulus
  2. determines the quality, magnitude, size, texture, shape, and pattern of the stimulus, as well as the relationship of its parts
result of this processing is the creation of a conscious image of the stimulus

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

  • A unique study and practice tool
  • Never study anything twice again
  • Get the grades you hope for
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Remember faster, study better. Scientifically proven.
Trustpilot Logo