Sensation Homeostasis

This lab connects to the biology course through the unit of homeostasis, specifically the lesson on sensations. Sensation is the conscious awareness of the stimulus. Additionally, a reception receives the stimulus. For the visual response of the lab, the photoreceptors (contain light-absorbing visual pigments) are the cones since the subject is present in light (colour). The cones detect and then covert the stimulus into an action potential. The eye obtains the physical stimulus in the form of light and then directs it as an electrical impulse to the brain, which would interpret the signal as an image. However, vision is a much more difficult process as the retina, which contains the rods or cones are located at the back of the eye, thus the
A change in membrane permeability is caused when the visual pigments (photopsin) in the cones change conformation when they absorb the light. The Na (sodium) channels would close, which results in hyperpolarization due to ongoing K (potassium) current, which results in the change of the action potential's frequency. This inhibits the rod, thus it no longer releases IPSP to the glutamic acid. The bipolar cell remains active and releases EPSP neurotransmitters stimulating the ganglion cell, which would then each the optic nerve, and finally reach the occipital lobe. The visual response sends the action potential to the CNS through the afferent nerves. The action potential is translated within the brain before the subject is aware that the ruler is being dropped. The electrical impulse is integrated within the visual cortex of the brain, and then sends a response to the motor neurons where the electrical charge would initiate the response, which is the subject's hand closing. In addition, the horizontal cells allow approximately 600 adjacent rods (EPSP) to communicate and stimulate the same bipolar cell, which amplifies the
The stimulus travels down the eardrum to the middle ear bones (ossicles) where it starts to vibrate. Then it’s sent to the oval windows, which will move back and forth. The hair cells in the ear deflecting are the receptor. As they deflect, the potassium channels open up and cause depolarization in the 8th nerve. The electrical impulse will travel from the 8th nerve to the cochlear nerve, and then to the thalamus (all senses go through the thalamus as it is the sensory gateway), and finally to the temporal lobe (more specifically the auditory complex). The auditory complex will sense the sound, and perceive it as the word. Thus, initiating the subject’s response. For the tactile response, the somatic sensory cortex displays body parts that are in proportion to the amount of cortex dedicated to their sensation. This is known as the “homunculus” and it increases the touch response. The stimulus in the study is the touching of the shoulder. The receptors in the skin transmit the signal via the spinal cord. Then, it goes through the thalamus, and towards the brain, specifically the partial lobe, which causes the subject’s hand to