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Our sensory system is a system that detects stimuli that we encounter around us and then converts them into a nerve impulse. These are then sent to the brain or spinal cord to produce a sensation (an awareness of a stimulus that you encounter) or perception (the understanding of what that sensation means).
A stimulus will activate a receptor, and that receptor will convert the stimulus to a nerve impulse. Then that nerve impulse will travel to the brain and be interpreted or perceived. There are six different types of receptors found within the human body.
| Types of Receptors | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Mechanoreceptors |
The purpose of mechanoreceptors is to detect changes in pressure, position, and acceleration. If somebody were to tap you on the shoulder, the mechanoreceptors in your skin would detect that change in pressure, and you would be able to know that somebody was tapping you on the shoulder. |
| Thermoreceptors | As the name indicates, thermal means heat, so thermoreceptors can detect temperature. Many thermoreceptors are located within the skin and can detect both heat and cold. |
| Nociceptors |
Nociceptors are free nerve endings that are found throughout our body, especially within your skin and various connective tissues, that help to detect tissue damage. If you were to prick yourself with a pin, nociceptors would be the receptors that are sensitive to pain. So you would feel the pain because of those types of receptors throughout your body. |
| Chemoreceptors |
If you think of the word "chemo", it reminds you of chemistry or chemicals, so chemoreceptors detect chemicals that are dissolved in fluids or gases. Our sense of smell and taste are very prominent chemical senses of the human body. Chemoreceptors on our tongue or in our mouth allow us to taste the different foods that we're eating and chemoreceptors in our nose allow us to detect specific odor molecules within the air we breathe. |
| Osmoreceptors | If you think about "osmo", you might recall "osmosis", which is the movement of water. Osmoreceptors detect changes in water volume and the solute concentration of our body fluids. Changes in the solute concentration of our bodily fluids need to be closely monitored as they can change very rapidly. Osmoreceptors are both sensitive to increases or decreases in our body fluid composition. |
| Photoreceptors | "Photo" means light, so photoreceptors detect visible light. As you can imagine, these come into play, especially with the retina of your eyes. The two major types of photoreceptors in the eyes that detect different types of visible light are cones and rods. |
Source: THIS WORK IS ADAPTED FROM SOPHIA AUTHOR AMANDA SODERLIND
