The Role and Structure of Sensory Neurons: How They Convert Stimuli into Nerve Impulses

A neuron that picks up stimuli from the internal or external environment and converts each stimulus into a nerve impulse.

The neuron responsible for picking up stimuli from the internal or external environment and converting them into nerve impulses is called a sensory neuron or afferent neuron

The neuron responsible for picking up stimuli from the internal or external environment and converting them into nerve impulses is called a sensory neuron or afferent neuron. Sensory neurons are specialized to detect various types of stimuli such as touch, pressure, temperature, light, sound, and chemicals.

The structure of a sensory neuron consists of three main parts: dendrites, a cell body, and an axon. The dendrites are branch-like structures that receive stimuli from sensory receptors located in different parts of the body or sense organs. These receptors can be specialized cells, such as pain receptors in the skin or photoreceptors in the eyes.

When a sensory receptor detects a stimulus, it generates an electrical signal called a receptor potential. This receptor potential is then transmitted to the dendrites of the sensory neuron. If the receptor potential is strong enough, it will activate the sensory neuron to generate a nerve impulse or action potential.

The cell body of the sensory neuron integrates the incoming signals from the dendrites. It contains the nucleus and other organelles that are necessary for cellular functions and maintaining the neuron’s health.

From the cell body, the nerve impulse is then transmitted along the axon, which is a long, slender extension of the neuron. The axon is covered by a myelin sheath, which helps to insulate and speed up the transmission of the nerve impulse. At regular intervals along the axon, there are small gaps called Nodes of Ranvier, where the myelin sheath is absent. The nerve impulse jumps from one node to the next, allowing for faster conduction.

Eventually, the nerve impulse reaches the end of the axon, also known as the axon terminal. At the axon terminal, the impulse triggers the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters into a small gap called the synapse. The neurotransmitters then travel across the synapse and bind to receptors on the next neuron in the pathway, continuing the transmission of the nerve impulse.

In summary, sensory neurons pick up various stimuli from the internal or external environment through their dendrites, which are connected to specialized sensory receptors. They convert these stimuli into nerve impulses or action potentials, which are then transmitted along the axon to other neurons in the nervous system, allowing us to perceive and respond to our environment.

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