2007 Sensory Physiology

S&G Figures 10.5 and 10.9

RECEPTIVE FIELD: the spatial region where application of a stimulus causes a sensory neuron to respond

• receptive fields can overlap
• definition applies to higher order neurons, as well as to primary afferents

SENSORY UNIT: a primary afferent and the receptors that define its receptive field

• Information Processing
• Transduction
  • Receptor potential
  • Receptor types
  • Sensory unit
  • Stimulus coding
    • Modality
      • Specificity
      • Coding theories
    • Intensity
      • Coding mechanisms
    • Duration
      • Adaptation
    • Location
      • Lateral inhibition
• Transmission
  • Generic sensory pathway
  • Complex processing
• Perception
  • Awareness