Somatosensory System

Objectives
1. Define somatosensory system
2. Describe sensory function of the nervous system
3. Describe general somatosensory pathway
4. Basic components & functions of somatosensory system
5. Sensation and perception
6. Classification of sensory receptor
Objectives (cont.)
7. Describe the composition of the somatosensory cortex
8. Discuss the origin, neuronal components, and destination of the
dorsal column-medial lemniscus and spinothalamic (anterolateral)
pathways
9. Explain the neural pathways for pain and temperature; light touch
and pressure; and discrimination touch, proprioception and
vibration
Somatosensory System
System transmits and analyzes information from environments
(internal/external) to the CNS (somatosensory cortex)
CNS
(cortex,
brain stem,
1. MONITORS: somatoreceptors (R) spinal
2. INTEGRATES: cord)
 posterior horn of the spinal cord (for spinal nerves)
 brain stem (for cranial nerves)
3. SENSES & PERCEIVES:
somatosensory cortex ENVIRONMENTAL
(internal/external) STIMULUS R
CHANGES
(in the somatic tissues)
Sensory Function of the Nervous System
1. MONITORS the environment (internal, external):
SOMATORECEPTORS

2. INTEGRATES
INTEGRATES: the way the nervous system interpret sensory
information

3. APPROPRIATE RESPONSE
Location of Integration
1. in the posterior horn of spinal cord: spinal nerve

2. in the brain stem: cranial nerve

3. in the higher brain (cerebral cortex): sensation

SENSATION PERCEPTION

a state of awareness of external or • conscious registration of a

internal conditions of the body sensory stimulus
• a recognition that is the end-
product of the processing of
sensory information during
sensation
For sensation to occur, four prerequisites must be satisfied:

1. STIMULUS (change in the environment) capable of initiating a response by the

nervous system must be present

2. RECEPTOR (sense organ) must pick up the stimulus and transduced (convert) it to a
nerve impulse
(Receptor: specialized nervous tissue that is extremely sensitive to internal and
external conditions)

3. The impulse must be conducted along a NEURAL PATHWAY (afferent fibers) from
the receptor (sense organ) to the brain

4. REGION OF THE BRAIN (cortical region: sensory area must translate the impulse
into a sensation)
Classification of Sensory Receptors

EXTEROCEPTORS (received from the outside: the skin) (touch-pressure,

pain, temperature)

LOCATION TELECEPTORS (received from a distance)/special exteroceptors (eyes, ears,

nose)

INTEROCEPTORS (received from inside/visceroceptors)

(changes in blood pressure, CO2, O2, H ion concentration in the blood)

PROPRIOCEPTORS (received from one’s own self: position and movement)

(deep body structures: joints, tendons, muscles, vestibular apparatus in the ear)
Sensing: - the position of parts of the body in relation to each other
- the position of the body in space
Types of Receptor According to its Stimulus
RECEPTOR STIMULUS
THERMORECEPTOR THERMAL (cold/warm)

NOCICEPTOR NOCICEPTIVE (harmful stimuli that produce

pain)

CHEMORECEPTOR CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE (smell,

taste)
PHOTORECEPTOR LIGHT
MECHANORECEPTOR MECHANICAL
(physical stimuli: touch-
pressure, muscle tension,
joint position changes, air
vibration (in the cochlear
system of the ear), head
BARORECEPTOR movement)IN BLOOD PRESSURE
CHANGES
 SENSORY RECEPTORS
(modification of dendrite)

1
2

3 4 5
Sensory neuron
1. Pacini (pressure)
2. Meissner (touch)
3. Free-nerve ending (pain, temp.)
4. Ruffini (touch) 6 7
5. Krause
6. Muscle spindle (proprioception)
7. Golgi tendon organ
(proprioception)
1 2 3 4 5

Cutaneous Receptors
1. Merkel’s disc (tactile)
2. Free-nerve ending (pain, temp.)
3. Meissner’s corpuscle (touch)
4. End organ of Ruffini (touch)
5. Pacinian (lamellated) corpuscle
(pressure, vibration)
6. Root hair plexus (peritrichial
arborization/receptor)

6
 PROPRIOCEPTORS

Muscle spindle:
annulospiral
receptor
Joint/articular capsule
Tendon: Golgi tendon organ
Types of Somatosensory Receptors

Pacinian corpuscle 3
1 THERMO- Warm receptor
Meissner’s corpuscle Cold receptor
MECHANO- RECEPTORS
RECEPTOR Merkel’s disk
S
Ruffini’s ending

Mechanical nociceptor

2 Thermal nociceptor 4 Muscle spindle

NOCI- Chemically sensitive, PROPRIO-
CEPTOR Golgi tendon
S mechanically insensitive CEPTORS organ
Polymodal nociceptor
 C C General Somatosensory Pathway
III
T T CNS SOMATORECEPTORS
(sensory/afferent)
Spinothal.
pathway R
RF (RAS) & T:
II F arousing/consciousness
(activate the cortex)
• Skin
• Skeleton, periosteum
Spin./cran.gang • Proprioceptive:
. L
 Skeletal muscle
R L SOMATI  Tendon
SOMATORECEPTOR C  Fascia
SPINAL C I
ORD TISSUES  Articular capsule
Post.
R: right; L: left; RF: reticular formation; T:
midlinehorn thalamus;
C: cortex; I, II, III: orders of neurons
 Information from receptor to the cortex is conveyed
through 3 orders of neurons
3. Cortex
3 3rd SENSATION
(Thal. Cortex
3 classes/ ) Interpret.
orders
of PERCEPTION
(COMPREHEND)
neurons

Interneuron (2nd order)

2
(post. horn of spinal Thal.
1 cord )

1. Afferent neuron (1st order)

RECEPTOR (spinal gang./cranial gang. post. horn of
the spinal
STIMULUS cord)
Somatosensory Pathway
The pathways that conduct somatic sensations upward to the
sensory cortex follow the generalizations noted earlier:
• Consists of 3 orders of sensory neurons: 1st, 2nd, 3rd
• 1st order neuron: spinal ganglion (for spinal nerves); cranial ganglion (for
cranial nerves)
• 2nd order neuron crosses over (decussates)
• There are two pathways that conduct somatic sensations (spinothalamic
systems):
 DCML (dorsal column-medial lemniscus) system
 ALS (anterolateral system)
• Spinothalamic tracts(ascend the spinal cord, brain stem) terminate in the
somatosensory cortex
BASIC COMPONENTS BASIC FUNCTIONS
3. CNS SOMATOSENSORY 3. PROCESS &
CENTERS ANALYZE INFO.
(thalamus, cerebral cortex) (in the brain)

2. SENSORY AFFERENT
2. CONVEY INFO.
NEURONS & ASCENDING
PATHWAYS TO CNS & CARRY IT TO THE
BRAIN

1. SOMATOSENSORY 1. DETECT OF STIMULUS:

RECEPTORS SITE OF TRANSDUCTION

Basic components & functions of somatosensory system

PRIMARY AFFERENT FIBERS
Dorsal root ganglia (spinal gang.): Pseudounipolar Peripheral
process Central
Fibers: large/small; spinothalamic tract: DCML and ALS process
 DCML ALS
Skin: touch, vibration INFO. Pain, temperature, non
Limbs: proprioceptive descriminative touch

On PVN (posterior ventral nuc.) SYNAPSE On PVN (different region)

(then projects to S1/primary (THALAMUS) (then projects to intralaminar

somatosensory cortex) nuclei)

At the level of the DECUSSATION Earlier in the spinal cord

medulla obl.*

Large diameter NERVE FIBERS Small diameter

More medially More laterally

Send one branch to the dorsal horn, One Send branches to the dorsal horn,
branch to the dorsal column (the same side) then sends an axon across the cord,
* Decussatio lemnisculorum and into the spinothalamic tract
1
DCML SYSTEM
(Dorsal column-medial lemniscal
VPL (2) system)

Medial lemniscus

Medial lemniscus Gracile nucl. (in clava) (GN)

Cuneate nucl. (in tuberc. cuneatum) (CN)

CN
Decussatio lemnisculorum
GN

VT - Proprioception, position
6
- Touch, pressure, vibration
Cerebral
cortex
postcentral gyrus

Non-specific thalamic
nuclei (centromedian)

VPL (ventral
posterolateral)
nuc.
of thalamus
ALS system
(Anterolateral system)
Spinothalamic/ (from the body)
spinoreticular
system

Pain, temperature
 Cerebral
ALS system cortex
postcentral gyrus
(from the head) Ventral posteromedial
1. Spinal
descending nucl. of thalamus
trigeminal nucl.
2. Spinal descending
trigeminal tract
Ventral trigeminal lemniscus

Semilunar trigeminal
ganglion (Gasser)
Trigeminal n. (N V):
- Ophthalmic n.
- Maxillary n.
2
- Mandibular n. 1
Facial n. (N VII)
Glossopharyngeal n. (N IX)
Vagus n. (N X)
CUTANEOUS SENSATIONS 1. Tactile receptors:
• root hair plexus/perifollicular receptor: movement of the
skin hairs
• free (naked) nerve ending: pain
1. Tactile sensations
(touch, pressure, • tactile (Merkel’s) disc: touch
vibration)
• corpuscle of touch (Meissner’s corpuscle): touch (in the
2. Thermoreceptive
sensations (cold, dermal papillae of the skin: fingertips, palms of the hands,
warm) and soles of the feet; also abundant in: the eyelids, tip of the
3. Pain tongue, lips, nipples, clitoris, tip of penis)
• type II cutaneous mechanoreceptor (end organ of Ruffini):
heavy and continuous touch
2. Pressure stimulation of tactile receptor (in deeper tissues, longer lasting, felt
over a larger area than touch)

Receptor: free nerve endings, type II cutaneous receptors, Pacinian corpuscle

(Pacinian corpuscles located in: the subcutaneous tissues under the skin, deep
subcutaneous tissues under mucous membrane, in serous membrane, around joints and
tendons, in the perimycium of muscles, in the mammary glands, in the external genitalia
of both sexes, and in certain viscera)

3. Vibration rapidly repetitive sensory signals from tactile receptors

Receptor: corpuscle of touch and laminated (Pacinian) corpuscles (detect higher-

frequency vibration)
4. Thermoreceptive sensations heat and cold

Receptor: free nerve endings (?)

5. Pain sensations tissue-damage stimuli

Receptor: free nerve ending (nociceptor) (branching ends of dendrites of certain

sensory neuron)
Nociceptor responds to any type of stimulus (if it reaches certain threshold 
stimulate the sensation of pain)
 PAI
N

SOMATIC PAIN VISCERAL PAIN

Superficial Deep
somatic somatic
pain pain

NOCICEPTORS NOCICEPTORS NOCICEPTORS

(in the skeletal muscle,
(in the skin) (in the viscera)
joint, tendon, fascia)

NOCICEPTOR/NOCIRECEPTOR ( pain receptor): - FREE NERVE ENDING

- Responsive to stimuli that potentially cause injury
- Polymodal stimuli: mechanical, chemical, thermal
 P AI N

When nociceptors become sensitized (i.e., more responsive):

their thresholds are reduced hyperalgesia
(i.e., hypersensitivity to pain)

Many substances (bradykinin, histamine, leucotrienes,

prostaglandins, serotonin, and K+ ) that are often released near
damaged or dying cells sensitize nociceptors
 ANTEROLATERAL SYSTEM (ALS)
(PAIN PATHWAY)

1. DIRECT SPINOTHALAMIC PATHWAY/SYSTEM

(NEOSPINOTHALAMIC PATHWAY/SYSTEM) (LATERAL
SYSTEM)

Sharp nociception (sharp pain)

2. INDIRECT (PALEOSPINOTHALAMIC)
PATHWAY/SYSTEM
(MEDIAL SYSTEM)
Dull/diffuse nociception (dull/diffuse pain)
(info is transmitted through RETICULAR FORMATION
(RF alert) of the brainstem and the
LIMBIC SYSTEM Emotional sensation
LS
Pain signals are transmitted to
the brain by two main
pathways:
A. Neospinothalamic/
lateral /direct system
B. Paleospinothalamic/
medial/indirect system
(pass through the
limbic system/LS)
SENSOR
System that transmits and analyzes information
YSYSTE from external and internal environments
M CNS PERIPHERAL (Receptors) (info)

SOMATOSENSORY (GSA Somatic structures:

) skin/skeletal muscles/bones/joints
(From the body & head)

VISCEROSENSORY (GVA) From the visceral organs

(GSA: General Somatic Afferent; GVA: General Visceral Afferent)

 SOMATOSENSORY CORTEX
(primary somesthetic/general sensory area)
Somatosensory cortex
(somaesthetic sensation
and proprioception)
SENSORY HOMUNCULUS
Represents the body parts on the
somatosensory area, located on
the postcentral gyrus
Somatosensory cortex/area
(postcentral gyrus)

Sensory homunculus