RECEPTORS AND

EFFECTORS
 Group members
• Laiba
• Dua
• Mehwish
• Labiba
• Amber
• Mohan
• Saira
• Sabiha
• Samia
• Zainab
• Sheher bano
• Aneeza
• Eman
 RECEPTORS

• An individual receives impressions from the outside

world and from within the body by special sensory
nerve endings or receptors.
• Sensory receptors can be classified into five basic
functional types.
 TYPES OF RECEPTORS

• Mechanoreceptors
• Thermo Receptors
• Nociceptors
• Electromagnetic Receptors
• Chemoreceptors
 Mechanoreceptors

• These respond to mechanical deformation .

• These are types of receptor which relay extracellular
stimulus to intracellular signal transduction through
mechanically gated ion channels. The external stimuli are
usually in the form of touch, pressure, stretching,
sound waves, and motion..
 Thermo receptors

• These respond to changes in temperature; some

receptors respond to cold and
others to heat.
• Thermo receptors are free nerve endings that
reside in the skin, liver, and skeletal
muscles, and in the hypothalamus, with cold
thermo receptors 3.5 times more
common than heat receptors.
• Thermo receptors are rapidly adapting receptors
 Nociceptors

• These respond to any stimuli that bring

about damage to the tissue.
• A nociceptor ("pain receptor") is a sensory
neuron that responds to damaging or
potentially damaging stimuli by sending
“possible threat” signals to the spinal cord
and the brain.
Electromagnetic receptors:

• The rods and cones of the eyes

are sensitive to changes in light
intensity and wavelength.
 Chemoreceptors

• These respond to chemical changes

associated with taste and smell
and oxygen and carbon dioxide
concentrations in the blood
 Anatomical Types of
Receptors

• The sensory endings can be

classified, on a structural basis, into:
1. Non-Encapsulated receptors
2. Encapsulated receptors.
 Non-Encapsulated
Receptors

1. Free nerve endings:

• They are found between the epithelial cells of
the
skin, the cornea, and the alimentary tract, and in
connective tissues, including the dermis, fascia,
ligaments, joint capsules, tendons, they are also
present in muscle.
Detect pain, pressure, and tickle sensations, and possibly
cold and heat.
 2. Merkel discs
Found in hairless skin,
•for example, the fingertips and in hair follicles.
•In hairy skin, clusters of Merkel discs, known as tactile
domes, are found in the epidermis between the hair
follicles.
•Merkel discs are slowly adapting touch receptors that
transmit information about the degree of pressure
exerted on the skin, such as when one is holding a pen.
 3. Hair Follicle Receptors

•Nerve fibers wind around the follicle in its outer connective

tissue sheath below the sebaceous gland.
•Some branches surround the follicle, while others run
parallel to its long axis. Many naked axon filaments
terminate among the cells of the outer root sheath.
•Bending of the hair stimulates the follicle receptor, which
belongs to the rapidly adapting group of mechanoreceptors.
While the hair remains bent, the receptor is silent, but when
the hair is released, a further burst of nerve impulses is
initiated
 Encapsulated
Receptors

•Encapsulated receptors show wide

variations in size and shape,
•Termination of these nerve is covered by a
capsule.
 1.Meissner's Corpuscles

•Meissner's corpuscles are located in the dermal

papillae of the skin, especially that of the palm of
the hand and the sole of the foot.
•Each corpuscle is ovoid in shape and consists
of a stack of modified flattened Schwann cells
arranged transversely across the long axis of the
corpuscle.
•The corpuscle enclosed by capsule of
connective tissue continuous with the endo
neurium of the nerves that enter it.
 Effectors

A muscle, gland, or organ capable of

responding to a stimulus, especially a
nerve impulse. A nerve ending that carries
impulses to a muscle, gland, or organ and
activates muscle contraction or glandular
secretion.
 Types of Effectors

There are two types of effectors.

1. Muscles . a muscle contracting to move
an arm. muscle squeezing saliva from
the salivary gland.
2. Glands . a gland releasing a hormone
into the blood, that produce a specific
response to a detected stimulus.
 ROLE OF RECEPTORS AND
EFFECTORS IN HOMEOSTASIS

• A sensor or receptor detects changes in the

internal or external environment. An example is
peripheral chemoreceptors, which detect changes
in blood pH.
• The integrating center or control center receives
information from the sensors and initiates the
response to maintain homeostasis.
• An effector is any organ or tissue that
receives information from the integrating
center and acts to bring about the changes
needed to maintain homeostasis. One
example is the kidney, which retains water if
blood pressure is too low.
FEEDBACK MECHANISM
Clinical Problems

If a limb is immobilized in a plaster

cast for long duration, the muscles
undergo atrophy. Physiotherapy is
required after the cast is removed.
Explain?
 Exercise training

The activity of muscle receptors

(neuromuscular spindles) is necessary for the
maintenance of muscle tone and muscle
mass. The sensitivity and activity of these
receptors increase with the exercise
training (physiotherapy).
 Muscle Hypertrophy

Hence, exercise leads to increased muscle tone

and muscle mass due to enlargement of muscle
fibers (muscle hypertrophy).
 Muscle Atrophy

On the other hand, if muscles are not stimulated

(limb is immobilized in a plaster cast), the
muscle loses its tone and mass (due to decrease
in size of muscle fibres) and becomes limp or
flaccid (muscular atrophy). For this reason
physiotherapy is essential after the removal of
the cast.
Thank you
Any Questions?