Somatosensory system

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Somatosensory System

The Somatosensory System (pronunciation: /ˌsoʊmətoʊˈsɛnsəri/), is a complex system of sensory neurons and pathways that responds to changes at the surface or inside the body. The system is responsible for the detection of wide array of stimuli, including touch, temperature, body position, and pain.

Etymology

The term "somatosensory" is derived from the Greek words "soma" meaning body and "sensory" referring to the senses. It was first used in the late 19th century to describe the bodily senses distinct from the five traditional senses.

Function

The Somatosensory System is a part of the sensory nervous system. It is made up of receptors and processing centers to produce the sensory modalities such as touch, temperature, proprioception (body position), and nociception (pain). The sensory receptors cover the skin and epithelia, skeletal muscles, bones and joints, internal organs, and the cardiovascular system.

Related Terms

  • Nociception: The sensory nervous system's response to certain harmful or potentially harmful stimuli.
  • Proprioception: The sense of the relative position of one's own parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement.
  • Thermoreception: The sense by which an organism perceives temperature.
  • Mechanoreception: The physiological process by which an organism responds to pressure or distortion.

See Also

External links

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