Question

On your own words describe how proprioceptions as a sense works, including all centers and neurotransmitters?

Answer 1

Proprioceptors are present within the body and respond to the stimuli arising within the body. They are located in the skeletal (striated) muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments.

The proprioceptors are important because they send information regarding the position of other body structures. They together with the vestibular apparatus help in the maintenance of overall body balance. Eg: muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organs.

The overall body posture and movement are balanced by the integration of information received from the vestibular system (vestibule receptors), proprioceptors (somatic receptors) and visual receptors by the brain. The vestibular apparatus (and cochlea) present in the ear contains mechanoreceptors that respond to the sense of hearing and equilibrium.

The tendons present close to the attachments to muscles are known as “Golgi tendon organs.” The Golgi tendon organ is innervated by a sensory neuron, which is stimulated by a high threshold stimulus such as increased tension.

Muscle spindle consists of a number of “intrafusal fibers,” which are a type of modified skeletal muscle fibers. When the muscle fibers are stretched, the sensory nerve fiber is stimulated (stretch reflex). These sensory fibers synapse with the lower motor neurons at the level of spinal cord and return to the same organ by means of motor neurons.