SENSORY ORGANS FUNCTIONS The brain’s interpretations of the sensations determined by the sensory system are called perception. Perception is the brain’s method of determining whether the information sent to the brain is pleasurable, painful, dangerous, or joyful. These perceptions explain to the body how to respond to the stimuli. Without this communication, the sensory system is useless. Perception applies to internal stimuli as well. Perception tells the body of hunger, thirst, itching, or other bodily needs. This state of perception keeps the body alive. Without the perception of thirst, the body would dehydrate. Without the perception of hunger, the body would starve. The perception of sensation requires stimulus that is strong enough for the information to be sent to the brain and interpreted. It also requires a receptor, which converts the stimulus from simple and basic stimulus into a nerve pulse in order for the brain to receive the information. A receptor is located at the end of a sensory nerve fiber and is a highly specialized peripheral dendritic which operates the nerve cells. Finally, it requires the nerve impulse to travel to the brain and the brain’s ability to interpret the information. The cerebral cortex is the part of the brain responsible for the interpretation of impulses and responds to the transmission of information sent via nerve impulses and creates the necessary perception. If the nerve impulses do not reach the cerebral cortex, the brain is not able to interpret the information transmitted and the stimulus remains uninterpreted. Impulses that may be interrupted and lost in the brain stem or the central spinal cord may create an unconscious reflex or unintentional motor response but do not create awareness or decisive action from the brain. Ascending tracts are created when the stimulus which requires interpretation via the nerve pulse’s transmission only when they reach the cerebral cortex. Nuclei, which are tiny groups of neuron cells, produce synaptic sites along the central nervous system. The central nervous system houses these synaptic sites along the sensory tracts. In its simplest explanation, it is much like a series of railroad tracks with stations along the way. The information must be passed from station to station in order to reach the final destination, the cerebral cortex. The most vital “stations” that the sensory information must pass through on its way to the central cortex include the medulla oblongata, pons, and thalamus, which are conveniently located in the spinal cord. Aminu M Barambu
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 08:53:26 +0000
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