Somatic Sensory and Motor Pathways

Somatic Sensory and Motor Pathways

The components of brain interact to receive sensory input, integrate and store the information, and transmit motor responses. To accomplish the primary function of nervous system these are neural pathways to transmit impulses from receptors to the circuit of the brain which manipulate the circuitry to form directives that are transmitted by neural pathways to effectors as a response.

The neural pathway are series of neurons where by a nerve impulse can be transmitted from one part of the body to the other part of the body. The direct motor pathway originates in the cerebral cortex. The corticospinal pathway to the limbs and trunk the corticobulbar pathway to the head. The indirect motor pathway originate in the brain stem.

Functions of somatic receptors and sensory pathway receive stimuli and generate action potential. Through sensory pathway these action potential are transmitted to the central nervous system. The function of the motor pathway is to carry action potential from the CNS to its effectors which are either muscles or glands. The neural circuits involving basal ganglia and cerebellum regulate activities of the upper motor neurons. Somatic sensory pathways relay information from somatic receptors to the primary somatic sensory area in the cerebral cortex. Somatic sensory nerves impulses get to the brain stem from the head itself are conducted through cranial nerves.

Sensation is the conscious and subconscious awareness of changes in the external or internal environment. Stimulation to the sensory receptors to the transduction of the stimulus to the generation of nerve impulse to the integration of sensory input.

Sleep is a state of altered consciousness. You have the non rapid eye movement sleep and the rapid eye movement sleep. Sleep consist of four stages, the very lite sleep is the first stage, the start thing of images is the second stage, the sleep much more deeply is the third stage, and the dreaming is the fourth stage which is the deepest sleep of all the stages.

The reticular activating system (RAS) in awakening consist of neurons whose axons project from the reticular formation through the thalamus to the cerebral cortex. Increase activities of the RAS cause awakening from sleep.

Pain is felt in or just deep to the skin that overlies the stimulated organ or on a surface area far from the stimulated organ. Two types of pain are fast and slow pain, fast pain is acute, sharp or pricking pain. Slow pain is chronic, burning, aching. or throbbing pain.

Learning is the ability to acquire new information or skill through instruction or experience. Memory is the process by which information acquired through learning is stored and retrieved. Types of memory are immediate memory, short term memory, long term memory and memory consolidation.

Spinal cord injury can be due to damage