Sensory Neurons

Sensory neurons are afferent neurons, meaning that they carry nerve impulses from the stimuli towards the central nervous system and brain. Different sensory neurons are triggered by specific types of stimuli to produce action potentials resulting in sensory transduction. Sensory neurons have their cell bodies in the dorsal root ganglia of the spinal cord and are categorized by their type of dendritic receptor that responds to unique stimuli. Categories of sensory neurons include:

• Mechanoreceptors (pressure)

• Thermoreceptors (temperature)

• Chemoreceptors (chemicals)

• Photoreceptor (light)

• Nociceptors (pain)