Is the Feeling Perception - Coursework Example

Feeling is Perception? The Cutaneous Sensory Process Affiliation Feeling is Perception? The Cutaneous Sensory Process The cutaneous sensory process Introduction The cutaneous sensory process or sense of touch comprises of three diverse categories of receptors. First, the basket cells; that comprises of neural fibers that are covered round the ground of a hair cell. A normal individual a can attest that when a sole basket cell gets stimulated, it produces a sensation that can be detected by the human body. For instance, when the hair on the arms is bent by compression, the neuron propels an impulse to the brain. Secondly, on the parts of the skin with no hair, such as tips of the fingers, a receptor termed as the Pacinian corpuscle is responsible for sensing any physical pressure that is applied to the skin. It comprises of a multifaceted bag that covers a sensitive nerve ending. Any pressure applied to the bag triggers and sent a nerve impulse. The third type of touch receptor is called the free nerve ending. This is a nerve fiber that is contained in the skin. Free nerve endings react to any senses to every kind of distortion such as pressure or the damage of the body tissue. Free nerve endings are the most frequent of the cutaneous sensory receptors in the human body (Goldstein, 2010). The cutaneous sensory process is an involvement that is on the basis of perception that starts with a physical stimulus and contains cognitive processing so as to have a "perceptual experience. A person’s sense of touch functions over time, the human brain is sensitive to all the touch patterns of the cutaneous input whether simple or complex. For instance, when a person rubs their fingertips that have a lot of cutaneous receptors on a surface such as a piece of a cloth, wood or a metal, the specific texture of that specific surface is contingent on the activity of the numerous touch receptors in the fingertips that fire in a sequential and combined manner. This is referred to as active tough and is commonly applied by people who use the braille to read or write words. The motor cortex part of the brain is responsible for changing in reply to Braille writing or reading, with parts dedicated to touch sensations on the fingertips developing larger. The cutaneous senses are separated to the tactual, the thermal, and the algesic. The tactual, or the sense of touch, entails diverse features such as contact, prickle, and the vibratory sense. Second, Thermal sensibility holds the two different aspect of warmth and cold. Finally, the algesic sense of the skin ought to perhaps be viewed to comprise that of itch and to determine the surface pain, and this is to be differentiated from the frequent body pains courses of interior organs. The word "skin," in the current setting, is not inadequate to the external dermis, but is also applicable to the mucous tissues, the bucal and anal, the genitalia, the nose, to name but a few. Physical element to the cutaneous process The cutaneous process relies on several physical elements for it to be fully functional; they include the skin, the mechanoreceptors, and the pathway from the skin to the cortex. The skin The skin is referred to as the colossal front of the human body because it is the biggest and the heaviest organ n the human body, in the cutaneous process, the skin is responsible for giving the body with the required stimuli that come in contact with it. When there is the sun, the rays hit the skin, and the skin sends stimuli of warmth, the same case applies in a case of cold. When an individual is pricked with a painful object, an experience of pressure and a painful sensation is sent to the brain. Inside the skin are receptors by the name mechanoreceptors (Zubek, J& Solberg, 1954). Mechanoreceptors These are receptors that act in response to mechanical stimuli such as vibration, stretching or pressure to the skin. These receptors are situated between the epidermis and the dermis parts of the skin. Slowly Adapting Receptors (SA) reacts to stimuli with a lengthy firing to constant pressure, Rapidly Adapting Receptors (RA) react with surge of firing just at the start and end of a pressure stimulus. “The type of perception associated with the Merkel receptor is sensing if fine details and with the meissner corpuscle, controlling the handgrip (May, M. 2007).” This explains why when we touch something that exacts pressure on the skin, the stimuli is sent to the brain which in returns makes the hand pull off from that stimulus instantly. The relationship between physical and cognitive ability Physical capability talks about to a person’s capability to carry out physical tasks required for daily living. On the other hand, Cognitive capability talks about to a person’s capacity to carry out mental tasks necessary for daily living. The physical senses that are involved in the cutaneous process include the somatosensory arrangement (the "touch" system) that permits the human body to recognize the physical sensations of temperature, pressure, and pain. Touch is the principal sense established by the body and the skin as the major and utmost complex organ in the somatosensory arrangement. In gathering outside stimuli and understanding them into beneficial info for the nervous system, the skin lets the human body purpose effectively in the physical world. The Touch receptors in the skin basically have three main divisions namely the mechanoreception (responsible for sensing pressure), thermoreception (responsible for sensing heat), and the nociception (responsible for sensing of pain) (Tharp & Woodman, 2008).. Receptor cells that are situated in the muscles and joints by the name proprioceptors also assist in the somatosensory system and are at times denoted as their own sensory grouping referred to as the kinesthesia. Therefore, the cognitive sense is basically reliant on the physical for an individual to be fully functioning and be able to respond to certain stimulus and react to them in an effective manner. Body 3: Visual Perception versus Non-Visual Perception Affecting the Cutaneous Process Visual insight, responsiveness, and even visual deception have been assumed mainly via the principal optical mechanisms and features of visual data hardwired in the human brain and common to the human beings. For this reason, Blind people use the somatic senses at times termed as somesthetic senses, this is because the cutaneous process in somesthesis comprises of stimulus such as touch, proprioception, and the haptic awareness. “Processing mainly happens in the main somatosensory part in the parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex: here, information is sent from the receptors through sensual nerves, via regions in the spinal cord and lastly to the brain,” when a blind person rubs their fingertips that have a lot of cutaneous receptors on a surface such as a piece of a cloth, wood or a metal, the specific texture of that specific surface is contingent on the activity of the numerous touch receptors in the fingertips that fire in a sequential and combined manner. This is referred to as active tough and is commonly applied by people who use the braille to read or write words. The motor cortex part of the brain is responsible for changing in reply to Braille writing or reading. Phantom limb and the cutaneous sensory process Phantom limb is an experience that is felt by patients, whose leg or arm has been surgically often removed experience, these individuals in which they feel that the removed limb still exists in their body. This result to a pain they go through as a result of the non-existent arm or leg. “A patients’ right leg was surgically removed, resulting in impulsive and touch-evoked phantom pain and automatic stump allodynia." This happens due to the following; memories of Painful somatosensory that are in charge of phantom limb pain are positioned in the brain precisely at the thalamus or cortex. Thus, stimuli from the brain are still sent to the nerves of the amputated leg resulting to touch evoked phantom. Actions in the lemniscal system might be moved to central pain motioning neurons in the thalamus or cortex at the brain bringing about in a touch-evoked pain feeling. Finally, continuing actions in cutaneous nociceptive C fibers and spinal nociceptive arrangements is not essential to uphold central procedures that are the reasons for unprompted and touch-evoked pain feelings. Phantom pain discusses to pain in a body fragment that has been surgically removed. It has frequently been observed as a form of mental illness or has been presumed to stem from uncontrolled changes in the area of the elimination stump. Body 4: real world hot topic involving the cutaneous process Cutaneous Lymphoma Research Cutaneous lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the white blood cells (lymphocytes) this type of cancer mainly consists of the skin illness. Classification of this condition is found on white blood cells type: B- white blood cells s (B-cell) or T- white blood cells (T-cell). “Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) is the most mutual category of cutaneous lymphoma that is naturally presented with red, peeling spots or clotted spots of skin that frequently look like eczema or chronic dermatitis (Monkhouse, 2006)." Development from incomplete skin peeling involvement is inconstant and might be complemented by the development of tumor, ulceration, as well exfoliation, convoluted by skin irritation and infections. Radical phases of this condition are demarcated by participation of peripheral blood, lymph nodes, and interior tissues of the body. This condition is repairable but cannot be cured and typically does not threaten the life of the victim. “Cutaneous lymphoma may have a negative impact on the cutaneous sensory process that uses most sense that is in the skin (Parsons & Preece, 2010).” the skin is responsible for providing the body with the necessary stimuli that come in contact with it. When there is the sun, the rays hit the skin, and the skin sends stimuli of warmth, the same case applies in the case of cold. When an individual is pricked with a painful object, an experience of pressure and a painful sensation is sent to the brain. Conclusion Physical ability is the physical capability talks about to a person’s capability to carry out physical tasks required for daily living. On the other hand, Cognitive capability talks about to a person’s capacity to carry out mental tasks necessary for daily living. The physical ability largely depends on the cognitive ability to create a fully functional human body that is sensitive to stimulus. The human being stimulus of touch is identified as the somatic or somatosensory system. Touch is the first sense that is established by the human body and the skin as the largest and the most complicated organ in the somatosensory system plays a large role in the cutaneous sensory process by assembling external stimuli and inferring them from beneficial information to the human body and for the nervous system, the skin lets the body work in a successful manner in the physical setting (Misra, 2012). The somatosensory system with the assistance of specified receptor cells in the skin and body are able to sense variations in the surroundings. The receptors in the skin collect and change physical stimuli to electrical and chemical signs via the transduction procedure; these impulses are then sent to the nervous system to be processed. Mechanoreceptors that are located in the skin offers the human body a sense of pressure and touch. These receptors vary in their ground size and the speed at which they are able to adapt. The cutaneous sensory process is an experience based on perception that starts with a physical stimulus and involves cognitive processing in order to have a "perceptual experience" The cutaneous process relies on several physical elements for it to be fully functional; they include the skin, the mechanoreceptors, and the pathway from the skin to the cortex. References Goldstein, E.B. (2010). Sensation and perception (8th ed.). Belmont, California: Cengage Publishing May, M. (2007). Sensation and perception. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. Misra, U. K. (2012). Clinical Neurophysiology. London: Elsevier Health Sciences APAC. Monkhouse, S. (2006). Cranial nerves: Functional anatomy. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Montagna, W. (1974). The Structure and Function of Skin 3E. Burlington: Elsevier Science. Parsons, G., & Preece, W. (2010). Principles and practice of managing pain: A guide for nurses and allied health professionals. Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: McGraw Hill Open University Press. Tharp, G. D., & Woodman, D. A. (2008). Experiments in physiology. San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings. Zubek, J. P., & Solberg, P. A. (1954). Human development. New York: McGraw-Hill Read More