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Related Concept Videos

Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

44.2K
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.
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The Effect of Aging on Tissues01:19

The Effect of Aging on Tissues

4.0K
Several body functions deteriorate with age. The external signs of aging are easily identifiable. For example, the skin becomes dry, less elastic, and thins out, forming wrinkles. The skin of the face begins to appear looser due to a decrease in the levels of elastic and collagen fibers in the connective tissue. Additionally, melanin production in the hair follicle decreases with age, resulting in gray hair. Moreover, the senses of sight and hearing decline, so glasses and hearing aids may...
4.0K
Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

Sensory Functions of the Skin

9.0K
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...
9.0K
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

11.7K
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...
11.7K
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

9.1K
Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
9.1K
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

3.2K
Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the...
3.2K

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 8, 2026

Assessment of Midline Lingual Point-Pressure Somatosensation Using Von Frey Hair Monofilaments
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Assessment of Midline Lingual Point-Pressure Somatosensation Using Von Frey Hair Monofilaments

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Somatosensory function in old age.

M W Heft1, M E Robinson2

  • 1Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and Claude D. Pepper Center on Oral Health in Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.

Journal of Oral Rehabilitation
|January 29, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Ageing affects senses, but declines aren't uniform across all systems. Vision and hearing show the most common age-related changes, while other senses like touch are less consistently impacted.

Keywords:
coolingpainsensory ageingsomatosensorytouchwarming

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Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Science

Background:

  • Ageing is often associated with sensory decline, but this is not universally observed across all sensory modalities.
  • Psychophysical studies highlight common age-related declines in vision and audition, with less pronounced changes in olfaction and gustation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the consistency of sensory decline reports across different sensory systems with ageing.
  • To identify factors contributing to individual variability in age-related sensory changes.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of psychophysical studies examining sensory function in ageing populations.
  • Review of factors influencing sensory perception and individual differences.

Main Results:

  • Vision and audition demonstrate the most consistent declines with ageing.
  • Somatosensory system (mechanoreception, thermoreception, pain) findings are less conclusive.
  • Individual differences are influenced by stimulus characteristics, response measures, systemic diseases, and environmental factors.

Conclusions:

  • Sensory decline with ageing is variable and not a universal phenomenon across all sensory systems.
  • Factors beyond chronological age significantly impact sensory perception and contribute to individual differences in ageing.