Sensory System
By Levi Clancy for Student Reader on
updated
All sensory pathways require a stimulus (eg light, sound, etc) and a sensory receptor. Each type of sensory receptor has an adequate stimulus that is unique to that receptor. Receptors, specialized nerve endings of sensory neurons, where sensory impulses originate. Sensory receptors are divided into 5 major types based on the type of stimulus to which they are most sensitive:
| Chemoreceptors | respond to chemical ligands |
|---|---|
| Mechanoreceptors | respond to various forms of mechanical energy such as pressure, vibration, sound. |
| Thermoreceptors | respond to temperature |
| Nociceptors | respond to noxious (painful) stimuli |
| Photoreceptors | respond to light |