Neural Integration

Chapter 15

Introduction Through the chapters covered to date we

have looked at the nervous system from its component pieces

However, our nervous system typically acts as an integrated whole, gathering sensory inputs, processing information and effecting a motor response

Integration is the process by which the nervous system processes and interprets sensory input and makes decisions about what should be done at each moment

Sensory Integration Our survival needs depend upon

– Sensation• Awareness of changes in our internal and

external environment

– Perception• Conscious interpretation of stimuli

Perception determines how we will respond to the stimuli

Organization of Somatosensory System

The somatosensory system receives inputs from exteroreceptors, proprioceptors, and interoreceptors

It transmits information about several different sensory modalities via a system of ascending sensory pathways between receptors and the cerebral cortex

The pathways between receptor and cerebral cortex follow a chain of three neurons

Organization of Somatosensory System

The typical chain of neurons involves– The cell body of the afferent (1st order)

neuron in the dorsal root ganglion– The second order neuron in the dorsal horn

of the spinal cord or medulla oblongata– The third order neuron in the thalamus

Although this is the basic pattern for the upward flow of information, collateral synapses occur along the pathway

Organization of Somatosensory System

First order– Cell body of the afferent

neuron in the dorsal root ganglion

Second order– Neuron in the dorsal

horn of spinal cord or medulla oblongata

Third order– Neuron in the thalamus

Organization of Somatosensory System

There are three main levels of neural integration in the somatosensory system – Level I: The receptor level corresponding to

the sensory receptors– Level II: The circuit level corresponding to

the ascending pathways– Level III: The perceptual level corresponding

to the awareness of the incoming stimuli

Organization of Somatosensory System Receptor level

– Information about internal and external environment

Circuit level– Ascending pathways

to the brain Perceptual level

– Allows us to be aware of stimuli and discriminate about their characteristics

Processing at the Receptor Level Information about the external and

internal environments presents itself as different forms of energy (sound, light)

The sensory receptors respond to these stimuli; the rest of the nervous system responds chiefly to neurotransmitters

The process by which a stimulus is transformed into an electrical response at a receptor is called transduction

Processing at the Receptor Level If the receptor potential is of threshold

strength, it triggers an action potential along the axon of the afferent neuron

Nerve impulse conduction continues as long as a threshold stimulus is applied

The strength of the stimulus is encoded in the frequency of the impulses sent, stronger stimuli cause more impulses per second to reach the CNS

Processing at the Circuit Level The central processes of sensory neurons,

carrying impulses from cutaneous receptors of the skin and proprioceptors branch diffusely as they enter the spinal cord

Some branches take part in local spinal cord reflexes and directly initiate motor activities

The remaining sensory afferents synapse with second order neurons in the dorsal horn or continue upward in the dorsal column to synapse in medullary nuclei

Processing at the Circuit Level Small-diameter pain fibers synapse with

superficially located substantia gelatinosa neurons in the dorsal horn

The large myelinated fibers from pressure and touch receptors make collateral synapses with interneurons in the dorsal horns

Processing at the Circuit Level The somatosensory

cortex receives sensory information via two major ascending routes; the nonspecific and specific pathways

These pathways relay information to the brain for three purposes: perception, arousal and motor control

Nonspecific Ascending Pathways The nonspecific

ascending pathways receive inputs many different types of sensory receptors and make multiple synapses in the brain stem

These anteriolateral pathways are formed by the lateral and anterior spinothalamic tracts

AnteriorSpinothalmic

Specific Ascending Pathways Specific ascending

pathways (lemniscal) are concerned with precise, straight- through transmission of inputs from a single (or related) sensory receptor

These pathways are formed by the dorsal column of the spinal cord and the medial lemniscal tracts

Lemniscal

Processing at the Perceptual Level Perception is the final stage of sensory

processing which allows us to be aware of stimuli and discriminate about their characteristics

As sensory information reaches the thalamus, they are perceived in a crude sense

Full appreciation of their qualities and sharp localization awaits the arrival of the input at the somatosensory cortex

Processing at the Perceptual Level The entire sensory cortex is arranged in

columns of cortical neurons with each column representing a building block of sensory perception– The thalamus projects fibers (sorted out by

sensation type) to the primary somatosensory cortex and to sensory association areas

– First to those restricted to the same modality and then to those considering more than one

– This allows for parallel processing of the various inputs, and results in an internal, conscious image of the stimulus

Processing at the Perceptual Level Sensory input evokes a behavioral

responses Human decide to act or not to act on the

basis of the information The choice we make depends, in part, on

our past experience with similar sensory inputs

Aspects of Sensory Perception The main aspects of sensory perception

are– Perceptual detection– Magnitude estimation– Spatial discrimination– Feature abstraction– Quality discrimination– Pattern recognition

Perceptual Detection Detecting that a stimulus has occurred is

the simplest level of perception As a general rule, several receptor

impulses must be summated (accumulated) for perceptual detection to occur

Magnitude Estimation Magnitude estimation is the ability to

detect how much of the stimulus is acting on the body

Because of frequency coding, perception increases as stimulus intensity increases

Spatial Discrimination Spatial discrimination allows us to

identify the site or pattern of stimulation Two point discrimination test The test is a crude map of the density of

tactile receptors in the various regions of the skin

Feature Abstraction The mechanism by which a neuron or

circuit is tuned to one feature in preference to others is called feature abstraction

This implies that a unit of perception is tuned to a coordinated set of several stimulus properties called a feature

The skin integrates receptor inputs in parallel fashion to appreciate the “texture” of an object

Quality Discrimination Quality discrimination is the ability to

differentiate the submodalities of a particular sensation

Each sensory modality has several submodalities– Taste (sweet, salt, bitter, sour)

The ability to discriminate is one of the major achievements of our sensory system

Quality Discrimination Quality discrimination may be analytic

or synthetic– Analytic / each quality retains its individual

nature (sugar and salt)– Synthetic / our perception of the qualities

merge into a new sensation (chocolate)– Synthetic discrimination is important in

sight as we merge red, green and blue into the myriad of colors we see

– Vision and olfaction use only synthetic

Pattern Recognition Pattern recognition refers to our ability

to take in the scene around us and recognize – A familiar pattern– An unfamiliar pattern– A pattern that has special significance to us

End of Material for Test 3

Chapter 15

Motor Integration From Intention to Effect

Levels of Motor Control

The Segmental Level

The Projection Level

The Programs/Instructions Level

Homeostatic Imbalances of Motor Integration

Higher Mental Functions

Brain Wave Patterns and the EEG

Abnormal Electrical Activity of the Brain: Epilepsy

Sleep and Sleep-Awake Cycles

Types pf Sleep

Sleep Patterns

Importance of Sleep

Homeostatic Imbalances of Sleep

Consciousness

Memory

Stages of Memory

Categories of Memory

Brain Structures Involved in Memory

Mechanisms of Memory

Language