transduction

Examples of transduction in the following topics:

• Sensation to Perception

  • Stimuli from the environment (distal stimuli) are transformed into neural signals, which are then interpreted by the brain through a process called transduction.
  • Transduction can be likened to a bridge connecting sensation to perception.

• Onset, Duration, and Half-Life of Hormone Activity

  • The number of hormone molecules available for complex formation is usually the key factor that determines the level at which signal transduction pathways are activated, the number of hormone molecules available being determined by the concentration of circulating hormone.

• Classification of Receptors by Stimulus

  • A sensory receptor's adequate stimulus is the stimulus modality for which it possesses the adequate sensory transduction apparatus.

• Vestibulocochlear (VIII) Nerve

  • It is the inner hair cells of the organ of Corti that are responsible for activating the afferent receptors in response to pressure waves reaching the basilar membrane through the transduction of sound.

• Spinal Cord Grey Matter and Spinal Roots

  • In these sensory neurons, a group of ion channels thought to be responsible for somatosensory transduction has been identified.
  • Also, the threshold of HT channels was lowered in the presence of PGE2 (a compound that sensitizes neurons to mechanical stimuli and mechanical hyperalgesia) which further supports a role for HT channels in the transduction of mechanical stimuli into nociceptive neuronal signals.

• Fluid Compartments

  • Although water forms the large majority of the cytosol, its mainly functions as a fluid medium for intracellular signaling (signal transduction) within the cell, and plays a role in determining cell size and shape.
  • The concentrations of ions such as sodium and potassium are generally lower in the cytosol comapred to the extracellular fluid; these differences in ion levels are important in processes such as osmoregulation and signal transduction.

• Short-Term Chemical Control

  • When stimulated a signal transduction cascade leads to increased intracellular calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum through IP3 mediated calcium release, as well as enhanced calcium entry across the sarcolemma through calcium channels.

• Ionotropic and Metabotropic Receptors

  • Metabotropic receptors are a subtype of membrane receptors that do not form an ion channel pore but use signal transduction mechanisms, often G proteins, to activate a series of intracellular events using second messenger chemicals.

• Mechanisms of Hormone Action

  • Relay and amplification of the received hormonal signal via a signal transduction process.

• Adrenergic Neurons and Receptors