 Can you explain an example of touch or skin related disorder?  Can you notice the differences between vestibular, kinesthetic and cutaneous sense?

 Vestibular Sense- a sensory system located in structures of the inner ear that registers the orientation of the head  Inner ear- The semicircular canals and cochlea, which form the organs of balance and hearing and are inside the temporal bone.  Semicircular canals- Three fluid-filled channels in the inner ear and they provide information about maintaining balance  Utricle- The larger of the two fluid-filled cavities forming part of the maze of the inner ear  Somato Sensory Cortex- A strip of the parietal lobe which controls the sense of touch

 Kinesthetic sense- the sense of body position and movement of body parts relative to each other  Also called kinesthesis  Provides constant sensory feedback about what your muscles in your body are doing motor activities  The receptors for kinesthetic are in your joints, muscles, and tendons  The process happens naturally without any thought- Unless you are purposely learning movements for a new physical skill, like learning a new dance trick or swinging a golf club › This sense tells you which hand is closer to the phone when it rings › Makes you aware of you crossing your legs › Tells you whether to continue reaching for your cup before you knock it over

 Phantom Limb- the sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached to the body and is moving appropriately with other body parts but it’s not physically there › 2 out of 3 combat veterans report this feeling  This part of the brain is found in the parietal lobe

 Cutaneous Sense- the faculty by which external objects or forces are perceived through contact with the body  Pain- dominates all other senses › Dealing with the pain- aspirin, ibuprofen, prescription narcotics- Morphine- mimics Endorphins › Pain tolerance- one study showed that people who were given the same electric shock, some were unaffected by it, where some felt a very painful sensation › Brain scans of people who have a very low tolerance for pain have a very active thalamus than people who have a high tolerance  Gate Control Theory- An explanation for pain control that proposes that we have a neural “gate” that can, under some circumstances block incoming pain signals

 Cutaneous Receptors- A type of sensory receptor found in the dermis or epidermis. They are a part of the somatosensory system.  Cutaneous receptors include cutaneous mechanoreceptors, nociceptors (pain) and thermo receptors (temperature).  Mechanoreceptors- A sense organ or cell that responds to mechanical stimuli such as touch or sound  Thermoreceptors- a sensory receptor that responds to hot and cold  Nocireceptors- receptors that are sensitive to pain

This illustrates the different types of Mechanoreceptors

 Julie Malloy- Hereditary sensory neuropathy type 2 (HSN2), a genetic disorder so rare that only 50 cases were reported in medical literature as of 2004 ›

 Acupuncture- A system of complementary medicine that involves pricking the skin or tissues with needles, used to alleviate pain and to treat various physical, mental, and emotional conditions  Lamaze- relating to a method of childbirth involving exercises and breathing control to give pain relief without drugs