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28.4 Nervous System Receptors

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Those different parts of the nervous system that are capable of being affected by stimuli are called receptors. That part of the system that is affected by light is called a photoreceptor. The parts that are affected by chemical changes when we taste or smell something are called chemoreceptors. This table shows a list of the types of receptors and the type of stimulus that is capable of affecting each.

ReceptorType of Stimulus
PhotoreceptorLight
PhonoreceptorSounds
Chemoreceptors (gustatory and olfactory)Chemicals on the tongue or in the nasal passage
Mechanoreceptors: on the surface and within the bodyPressure
KinestheticMovement in the tendons, muscles, and joints
VestibularMovement of the body in space
Thermoreceptors: on the surface and within the bodyHeat or lack of it
Free nerve endings: on the surface and within the bodyPainful stimuli
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