BIOL 316 - Neurons and Sensory Processes 2 Test Questions Answered Correctly Latest
Update 2025-2026
sensory systems - Answers provide animals with all of the information they have about their
external and internal environments
-sense organs for a category of stimulus and all of their associated CNS processing systems
what do sensory systems rely on - Answers sensory receptor cells
sensory receptor cells - Answers respond to stimuli
-these cells can vary in sensitivity and specificity
-a cell that is specialized to transform the energy of a stimulus (chemical, electrical, or
electromagnetic) into an electrical signal
-commonly clustered together in sense organs
sense organs - Answers anatomical structures that re specialized for reception of particular
kinds of stimuli
sensitivity of sensory cells - Answers ability to distinguish among stimuli of different intensities
specificity of sensory cells - Answers ability to distinguish among stimuli of different types
classification of sensory receptor cells - Answers -sensory modality
-form of stimulus energy
-mechanism of transduction
-location of source of stimulus relative to animal body
sensory modality - Answers subjective nature of the sensory stimulus
-aristotle classified these as vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste
-however, we know that animals also respond to balance, UV radiation, temp, magnetism, and
electric fields
form of stimulus energy - Answers different forms of electromagnetic energy and mechanical
energy can stimulate different sensory receptor cells
mechanism of transduction - Answers ionotropic or metabotropic
ionotropic transduction - Answers sensory stimuus is transduced into an electrical signal
directly via increased membrane permeability to ions
, metabotropic transduction - Answers sensory stimulus is transduced into an electrical signal
indirectly via a metabolic cascade that eventually leads to changes in membrane permeability
location of source of stimulus relative to animal body - Answers exteroceptors
interoceptors
exteroceptors - Answers sensory cells that respond to stimuli outside the body
interoceptors - Answers respond to internal stimuli
how do sensory cells encode information for PNS and CNS to get processed - Answers
segregating the axons from different sensory systems into different parts of the CNS to "keep
the wiring straight"
labeled lines principles - Answers states that the quality of sensation associated with a stimulus
depends solely on which receptor cells are stimulated, not on how they are stimulated
-ex: if i poke you in your eye, your brain will still perceive it as a change in light bc the eye is
wired into that part of the brain
describe axons in the region of the CNS that are wired to a set of receptor cells - Answers -
mirror the geometric arrangement of the receptor cells
-sensory input to the PNS can be mapped onto the appropriate region of the CNS
Forms of mechanoreception - Answers touch and hearing
describe sensory receptors of insects - Answers insect exoskeleton are covered with sensory
bristles (or hairs) called sensilla
-many are mecahnosensors (some are chemosensory and some are both)
movement of mechanosensory sensillium activates - Answers dendrite of a sensory neuron at
the base of the hair via stretch-activated channels
-influx of ions triggers a train of APs to the CNS
stretch activated channels - Answers change membrane permiability to ions
what codes for intensity of stimulus - Answers frequency of APs
in mammals, touch is mediated by - Answers nerve cells called dorsal root ganglion
dorsal root ganglion - Answers mediates touch
-cell bodies are adjacent to spinal cord
-distal ends are embedded in the skin epithelium
Update 2025-2026
sensory systems - Answers provide animals with all of the information they have about their
external and internal environments
-sense organs for a category of stimulus and all of their associated CNS processing systems
what do sensory systems rely on - Answers sensory receptor cells
sensory receptor cells - Answers respond to stimuli
-these cells can vary in sensitivity and specificity
-a cell that is specialized to transform the energy of a stimulus (chemical, electrical, or
electromagnetic) into an electrical signal
-commonly clustered together in sense organs
sense organs - Answers anatomical structures that re specialized for reception of particular
kinds of stimuli
sensitivity of sensory cells - Answers ability to distinguish among stimuli of different intensities
specificity of sensory cells - Answers ability to distinguish among stimuli of different types
classification of sensory receptor cells - Answers -sensory modality
-form of stimulus energy
-mechanism of transduction
-location of source of stimulus relative to animal body
sensory modality - Answers subjective nature of the sensory stimulus
-aristotle classified these as vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste
-however, we know that animals also respond to balance, UV radiation, temp, magnetism, and
electric fields
form of stimulus energy - Answers different forms of electromagnetic energy and mechanical
energy can stimulate different sensory receptor cells
mechanism of transduction - Answers ionotropic or metabotropic
ionotropic transduction - Answers sensory stimuus is transduced into an electrical signal
directly via increased membrane permeability to ions
, metabotropic transduction - Answers sensory stimulus is transduced into an electrical signal
indirectly via a metabolic cascade that eventually leads to changes in membrane permeability
location of source of stimulus relative to animal body - Answers exteroceptors
interoceptors
exteroceptors - Answers sensory cells that respond to stimuli outside the body
interoceptors - Answers respond to internal stimuli
how do sensory cells encode information for PNS and CNS to get processed - Answers
segregating the axons from different sensory systems into different parts of the CNS to "keep
the wiring straight"
labeled lines principles - Answers states that the quality of sensation associated with a stimulus
depends solely on which receptor cells are stimulated, not on how they are stimulated
-ex: if i poke you in your eye, your brain will still perceive it as a change in light bc the eye is
wired into that part of the brain
describe axons in the region of the CNS that are wired to a set of receptor cells - Answers -
mirror the geometric arrangement of the receptor cells
-sensory input to the PNS can be mapped onto the appropriate region of the CNS
Forms of mechanoreception - Answers touch and hearing
describe sensory receptors of insects - Answers insect exoskeleton are covered with sensory
bristles (or hairs) called sensilla
-many are mecahnosensors (some are chemosensory and some are both)
movement of mechanosensory sensillium activates - Answers dendrite of a sensory neuron at
the base of the hair via stretch-activated channels
-influx of ions triggers a train of APs to the CNS
stretch activated channels - Answers change membrane permiability to ions
what codes for intensity of stimulus - Answers frequency of APs
in mammals, touch is mediated by - Answers nerve cells called dorsal root ganglion
dorsal root ganglion - Answers mediates touch
-cell bodies are adjacent to spinal cord
-distal ends are embedded in the skin epithelium
