3 major categories of somatosensory receptors
Major CNS destinations for somatosensory information
Local Reflexes at level of
brainstem and spinal cord
local reflexes provide mechanism for
quick, stereotyped responses, to primary afferent input
Cerebellum receives
all types of somatosensory input, particularly proprioceptive input, via spinocerebellar pathways
cerebellum processes
sensory and motor information to regulate on-going motor programs
processing in cerebellum is
subconscious
brainstem circuitry for
generating/ controlling gait depends on somatosensory information
brainstem neuromodulatory systems
brainstem neuromodulatry systems influence activity in many other areas of the brain including
brainstem, hypothalamus, thalamus, limbic structures, cerebellum, and neocortex
neuromodulatory systems play a role in
general activation of the brain (arousal), affect, emotion, motivation, and modulation in pain pathway
forebrain
diencephalon (thalamus and hypothalamus), Basal Nuclei, Cerebral Cortex, and Limbic Structures
Somatosensory pathways to forebrain
2. Non specific pathways
Specific pathways
what are the specific somatosensory pathways to forebrain
Non-specific pathways
what is the non-specific pathway
indirect spinothalamic pathway
where does non-specific pathway synapse
specific information is processed in
forebrain structures for conscious awareness, memory, learning, decision making, motor planning, and other complex behaviors
non-specific sensory information
plays an important role in regulating emotion, affect, motivation, and aspects of autonomic fx by influencing activity in reticular formation, intralaminar nuclei, hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, and limbic pathways
visceral afferents
- sensory info from viscera utilized in CNS in many of same ways somatosensory info is used
visceral afferents regulate
spinal cord, brainstem reflexes, influence activity in neuromodulatory pathways, may be consciously perceived, and afferent complex behaviors via pathways involving hypothalamus cortex and limbic structures
signal from visceral receptors
often not consciously perceived; involved in visceral reflexes and homeostatic regulations
info from visceral receptors
relayed to CNS predominately via Vagus Nerve to the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract or to sacral spinal cord via pelvic nerves