Dictionary > Somatosensory system

Somatosensory system

Definition
noun
A sensory system comprised of neural receptors located mainly in the skin and certain internal organs for perceptions of pressure, temperature, body position, and pain.
Supplement
The somatosensory system includes various somatosensory neurons such as mechanoreceptors, thermoreceptors, proprioceptors, and nociceptors in the skin as well as in some internal organs. The stimuli received by these receptors relay them to the brain, mainly in the primary somatosensory area in the parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex in the brain.
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