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Tory Sparks, Ryan Main, Phoebe Wegmann
Vestibular Sense
System located in the inner ear that allows us to make
adjustments to bodily movements and postures.
Disorders of this sense can cause extreme dizziness or
disorientation.
Tells us how our bodies are postured and when we are
moving.
Utricles
 Fluid filled chamber in the
inner ear that detects changes
in gravity.
 Head movement activates
vestibular system
 Orienting ourselves to the
environment.
Semicircular Canals
Fluid filled passages in
the inner ear that detect
movement of the head.
Movement causes hair
cells to bend, sending
information to the brain.
Saccule
A bed of sensory cells
situated in the inner ear.
Translates head
movements into neural
impulses which the brain
can interpret.
Kinesthetic Sense
 System of receptors located in the muscles and
joints that provides information about the
location of the extremities.
 Sense receptors located in the joints and
muscles send information to the brain
concerning muscle tension and joint
perception: determine location of limbs.
 Receptors connect to processing regions in the
parietal lobe.
 Highly involved in skilled activity, such as
sports.
Phantom Limb Sensation
The sensation that an
amputated or missing limb
is still attached to the body
and is in moving in
accordance with the other
limbs.
People with this condition
also feel sensations from
the missing limb, usually
painful.
Cutaneous Sense
System of receptors
located in the skin that
provides information
about touch, pressure,
pain and temperature.
Pain: harmful stimulusheat/cold, chemicals,
break or invasion of
skin.
Receptors
A receptor is a free nerve
ending.
Mechanoreceptors:
touch/pressure
Thermoreceptors:
temperature
Nocioreceptors: pain
Cutaneous receptors:
receptors on the skin that
provide sensory
information.
Gate Control Theory
Theory of pain stating
that the release of
substance P in the spinal
cord produces the
sensation of pain.
Endorphins block the
release of substance P.
(i.e. “Runner’s High”)
Acupuncture
 Endorphins are responsible for
the pain-relieving effects of
acupuncture.
 Acupuncture is an alternative
medicine methodology
originating in ancient China that
treats patients by manipulating
thin, solid needles that have been
inserted into acupuncture points
in the skin
Lamaze Method
A method that prepares a
mother for natural
childbirth; the pregnant
woman (in classes and at
home) practices (usually
with the help of a coach) and
learns about the physiology
of childbirth and techniques
of relaxation, concentration,
and breathing.
Congenital Analgesia
One or more
conditions where
a person cannot
feel and has never
felt physical pain.