Sensory Neuron

Sensory Neuron

Sensory neurons are typically classified as the neurons responsible for converting various external stimuli that comes from the environment into corresponding internal stimuli. They are activated by sensory input (vision, touch, hearing, etc.), and send projections into the central nervous system that convey sensory information to the brain or spinal cord. Unlike neurons of the central nervous system, whose inputs come from other neurons, sensory neurons are activated by physical modalities such as light, sound, and temperature.

In complex organisms, the central nervous system is the destination in which sensory neurons transmit their data to; in the case of less complex organisms, such as the hydra, sensory neurons send their data to motor neurons and sensory neurons can also send data via (electrical impulses) to the brain.

At the molecular level, sensory receptors located on the cell membrane of sensory neurons are responsible for the conversion of stimuli into electrical impulses. The type of receptor employed by a given sensory neuron determines the type of stimulus it will be sensitive to. For example, neurons containing mechanoreceptors are sensitive to tactile stimuli, while olfactory receptors make a cell sensitive to odors.