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Related Concept Videos

Introduction to Special Senses01:26

Introduction to Special Senses

Sensory receptors play an integral part in comprehending our external and internal environments. They receive diverse stimuli, converting them into the nervous system's electrochemical signals. This conversion occurs as the stimulus alters the sensory neuron's cell membrane potential, instigating the generation of an action potential. This action potential is subsequently transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates with other sensory data or higher cognitive functions.
Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
Sensory Modalities01:15

Sensory Modalities

Sensation typically is the process by which the sensory receptors and sense organs detect stimuli from the internal and external environment and transmit this information to the central nervous system for processing.
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...
Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile and Chemical Senses

Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex. This...
Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

Sensory Functions of the Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a crucial role in our sensory perception. It contains a vast network of sensory receptors that contribute to the skin's protective function by perceiving physical, biological, and environmental cues and generating relevant responses.
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Design, Fabrication, and Administration of the Hand Active Sensation Test (HASTe)
07:54

Design, Fabrication, and Administration of the Hand Active Sensation Test (HASTe)

Published on: September 8, 2015

Somesthetic senses.

Mark Hollins1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA. mhollins@email.unc.edu

Annual Review of Psychology
|July 7, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This review explores recent advances in touch, temperature, and pain perception. It covers psychophysical, perceptual, and physiological studies, highlighting mechanisms and interactions in sensory processing.

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Last Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Design, Fabrication, and Administration of the Hand Active Sensation Test (HASTe)
07:54

Design, Fabrication, and Administration of the Hand Active Sensation Test (HASTe)

Published on: September 8, 2015

Somatosensory Event-related Potentials from Orofacial Skin Stretch Stimulation
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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Perception
  • Psychophysics

Background:

  • Understanding of somatosensation, including touch, temperature, and pain, has advanced significantly.
  • Research integrates psychophysical, perceptual, physiological, and imaging studies to elucidate sensory mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent scientific advances in the sensory modalities of touch, temperature sensitivity, and pain.
  • To synthesize findings from psychophysical, perceptual, physiological, and imaging research.

Main Methods:

  • Review of psychophysical and perceptual studies on touch and pain.
  • Inclusion of physiological and neuroimaging studies to explore underlying mechanisms.
  • Thematic organization of touch research by cognitive involvement and pain research by key topics.

Main Results:

  • Touch research covers acuity, vibrotactile and texture perception, spatial localization, tactile attention, and cross-modal interactions.
  • Pain research includes central sensitization, pain-touch/pain-pain interactions, placebo effects, attention/emotion roles, and pain genetics.
  • Cognitive factors significantly influence pain perception, more so than touch perception.

Conclusions:

  • Recent research provides deeper insights into the complex mechanisms of touch, temperature, and pain perception.
  • The interplay between sensory input and cognitive factors is crucial, particularly in pain processing.
  • Future research should continue integrating diverse methodologies to unravel the intricacies of somatosensation.