SOMESTHETIC  SENSES  

SOMESTHETIC  SENSES  

The  sense  of  touch  is  a  mix  of  four  dis:nct  

skin  senses—pressure,  

temperature  (warmth  &  cold),  

and  pain.    

SKIN  SENSES  

Only  pressure  has  iden:fiable  receptors.  All  other  skin  sensa:ons  are  varia:ons  of  

pressure,  warmth,  cold  and  pain.    

Burning  hot  

Pressure   Vibra:on   Vibra:on  

Cold,  warmth  and  pain  

SKIN  SENSES  

TOUCH    Skin  receptors  that  make  us  aware  of  how  &  where  we’re  being  touched.  

PRESSURE    Receptors  beneath  the  skin  that  make  us  aware  of  deeper  touch.  

TEMPERATURE    Receptors  are  found  just  beneath  the  skin  to  give  the  sensa:on  of  hot,  cold,  and  warm.  

TACTILE  SENSES  

SOMATOSENSORY  CORTEX  

• Located  in  the  parietal  lobe  

 

BRAIN  AREAS  -­‐  TOUCH  

Pain  tells  the  body  that  something  has  gone  wrong.  Usually  pain  results  from  damage  to  the  skin  and  other  :ssues.  A  rare  disease  exists  in  which  the  

afflicted  person  feels  no  pain.  

PAIN  

INFLUENCES  ON  PAIN  

GATE  CONTROL  THEORY  Melzak  and  Wall  (1965,  1983)  

proposed  that  our  spinal  cord  contains  neurological  “gates”  that  either  block  pain  or  allow  it  to  

be  sensed.  

GATE  CONTROL  THEORY  

Pain  can  be  controlled  by  a  number  of  therapies  including,  drugs,  surgery,  acupuncture,  exercise,  

hypnosis,  and  even  thought  distrac:on.  

PAIN  CONTROL