Sensory System: A Tutorial Study Guide

By Nicoladie Tam, Ph.D.

“Sensory System” is a part of the Principles of Biology course series and the Neuropsychopharmacology course series textbooks. It is a tutorial written in questions and answers format. It is a study guide with in-depth explanations. Each section is a modular unit that is self-contained for easy reading. The principles and concepts are introduced systematically so students can learn and retain the materials intuitively.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicoladie Tam, Ph.D.
• Release date: Aug 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301660070

Nicoladie Tam, Ph.D.

Dr. Nicoladie Tam, Ph.D., is an author and a university professor with a Ph.D. degree in Physiology and 3 bachelor's degrees in Computer Science, Physics, and Astrophysics.She uses innovative teaching methods to challenge students and engage them to participate in learning. The books she has written are intuitive, easy-to-read and understand because she applies the theories of learning gained from her neurobiological research.The pedagogy uses immediate feedback to provide answers to questions instantly to accelerate the rate of learning and knowledge acquisition. The interactive and self-paced method allows students to explore knowledge modularly and incrementally without a pre-defined path of exploration.The brain-compatible pedagogy was inspired by the results of her brain research, which identified how decisions are affected by emotions using a neurobiological model of emotions she has created.She has teaching experience in physiology, neuroscience, and neuropsychopharmacology.

Book preview

Sensory System

A Tutorial Study Guide

Nicoladie Tam, Ph. D.

Copyright © 2015 by Nicoladie Tam, Ph.D.

ISBN 978-1-301-66007-0

All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means without prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations in critical review articles.

Authored by: Nicoladie Tam, Ph.D.

Published by: Nicoladie Tam, Ph.D.

First Published: August 17, 2013

Revision Date: June 16, 2015

eBook ISBN: 9781301660070

Book statistics: 18,500 words

Keywords: sensory system, vision, audition, balancing, cutaneous sense, proprioception, thermoreception, baroreception, olfaction, chemoreception, electroreception, magentoreception, nociception, synesthesia, biology, study guide, tutorial

Produced in the United States of America

The printed version of this eBook is also available in PDF format in 67 pages.

*~*~*~*~*

Preface

Sensory System is a part of the college-level Principles of Biology course series textbooks. It is a tutorial written in questions and answers format to describe the anatomy and physiology of the sensory system, including vision, hearing, touch, temperature sense, muscle sense, olfaction, electroreception, magnetoreception, nociception, pain, echolocation, and infrared sense.

It is a study guide with in-depth explanations. Each section is a modular unit that is self-contained for easy reading. The principles and concepts are introduced systematically so students can learn and retain the materials intuitively.

*~*~*~*~*

Textbooks by Nicoladie Tam, Ph.D., in the Principles of Biology course series:

Principles of Biology textbook in one volume:

Principles of Biology: Animal Systems

ISBN 9781301691739

Individual chapters of the Principles of Biology textbook series:

Biological System

ISBN 9781301003891

Scientific Methods

ISBN 9781301898688

Biological Principles

ISBN 9781310803666

Origin of Species

ISBN 9781301352456

Nervous System

ISBN 9781301053025

Neuron

ISBN 9781301119646

Action Potential

ISBN 9781301115372

Synapse

ISBN 9781301374120

Reflex

ISBN 9781301991266

Neurotransmitter

ISBN 9781301268610

Sensory System

ISBN 9781301660070

Motor System

ISBN 9781301500895

Endocrine System

ISBN 9781301642939

Reproductive System

ISBN 9781301424078

Circulatory System

ISBN 9781301262410

Respiratory System

ISBN 9781301805389

Immune System

ISBN 9781301452309

Renal System

ISBN 9781301927111

Digestive System

ISBN 9781301317097

Textbooks by Nicoladie Tam, Ph.D., in the Neuropsychopharmacology course series:

Neuropsychopharmacology textbook in one volume:

Neuropsychopharmacology

ISBN 9781311596178

Individual chapters of Neuropsychopharmacology textbook series:

Neuropsychopharmacology: An Introduction

ISBN 9781301482733

Scientific Methods

ISBN 9781301898688

Mind-Brain Connection

ISBN 9781301903405

Pharmacology: In Introduction

ISBN 9781301843534

Pharmacokinetics

ISBN 9781301010776

Dose-Response Curve

ISBN 9781301541812

Learning Mechanisms

ISBN 9781301729531

Cognitive Learning

ISBN 9781301966455

Experimental Methods in Neuropsychopharmacology

ISBN 9781301966455

Brain Imaging Techniques

ISBN 9781311863638

Nervous System

ISBN 9781301053025

Neuron

ISBN 9781301119646

Action Potential

ISBN 9781301115372

Synapse

ISBN 9781301374120

Reflex

ISBN 9781301991266

Neurotransmitter

ISBN 9781301268610

Neurotransmitter Pathways

ISBN 9781301696666

Cytoplasmic Release of Neurotransmitters

ISBN 9781311978615

Executive Functions

ISBN 9781301125968

ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ISBN 9781301318445

Schizophrenia

ISBN 9781301972692

Affective Disorders: Depression, Mania and Bipolar Disorder

ISBN 9781311988416

Anxiety Disorders

ISBN 9781311060419

*~*~*~*~*

Table of Contents

Cover Page

Preface

Sensory System

Sensory Transduction

Sensory Receptor Cells

Sensory Encoding

Vision

Lensed Eyes

Optics

Retina

Color Vision

Sterovision

Phototransduction

Audition

Hearing

Echolocation

Balancing

Cutaneous Sense

Proprioception

Thermoreception

Baroreception

Olfaction

Chemoreception

Electroreception and Magnetoreception

Nociception

Synesthesia

Sensory System: Review

About the Author

Other Books Published by the Author

*~*~*~*~*

1.Sensory System

Objectives

Understand the functions of sensory system in transduction of energy

Understand the representation and encoding of sensory stimuli

Concepts to Learn

Sensory transduction

Sensory encoding

Sensory representation

Sensory modality

Photoreception

Visual representation

Stereovision

Mechanoreception

Tactile representation

Auditory representation

Echolocation

Olfactory representation

Kinesthetic representation

Proprioception

Thermoreception

Chemoreception

Baroreception

Nociception

Electroreception

Synesthesia

Sensory Transduction

Transduction is the process of converting one form of energy to another. Different sensory modalities are conveyed by different physical energies. The stimulation of the body by these physical energies gives us the senses we feel. These physical energies include mechanical, thermal, photo, electrical, and magnetic energy.

The brain processes different senses by converting the signals conveyed by these physical energies into neurotransmitter release and/or action potential firing. Once these energy signals are converted into action potentials, then the brain can process the original stimulus using a common language encoded by action potentials.

Thus, the first step in the sensory process is the transduction of energy, and the second step is encoding into action potentials. All senses are processed using these similar steps, even though they provide us with different properties of sensation.

Sensory Receptor Cells

Sensory receptor cells are the sensors of the body. They transduce various kinds of energy into action potentials for the neurons to process the information. Receptor cells are specialized cells to transduce energy. Some receptor cells are independent cells that release neurotransmitters to stimulate the post-synaptic neurons, while other receptor cells are specialized neurons that transduce energy as well as generating action potentials. Release of neurotransmitters or firing of action potentials by these receptor cells will activate the next neurons that provide the brain with quantitative information about the external environment.

Sensory Encoding

The type of sensation is encoded by specific neurons in the circuitry. So long as these neurons are stimulated, the brain will interpret that as the specific sensation conveyed by that nerve, even if the neurons were stimulated by other type of stimuli other than the stimuli that the receptor cells are transducing.

On the other hand, the intensity of the stimulus is often encoded by the firing rate of the neuron. The larger the stimulus, the higher the firing frequency will be. This type of encoding is called frequency code. Even though action potentials are of the