Question

I just felt the pressure of the computer key on my finger. Walk me through the path from activation of the receptor in my finger (a mechanoreceptor that responds to pressure by opening mechanically gated sodium channels) to activation in my brain to say that I hit the key. Include all ion channels and synapses that are relevant. (you do not need to discuss the portion of the brain impacted

Answer 1

Mechanoreceptor > afferent neuron > synapse in dorsal column neuclei > second order neuron to thalamus > synapse with third order neuron in ventrobasal complex > Somatosensory cortex of brain.

This local depolarization known as the receptor potential, which produce action potentials, which spread towards central nervous system.

In somatosensory transduction, the afferent neurons convey messages through synapses in the dorsal column nuclei, where second order neurons send the signal to the thalamus and synapse with third order neurons in the ventrobasal complex.

The third order neurons then send the signal to the somatosensory cortex.