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Sensory processing and the brain

Review your understanding of sensory processing and the brain in this free article aligned to NGSS standards.

Key points:

  • The nervous system helps humans and other animals sense and respond to their environments.
  • Sensory receptors are cells or cell parts that detect signals from the environment. These signals are called stimuli.
    • Some sensory receptors detect mechanical stimuli. These include the receptors involved with our sense of touch.
    • Other sensory receptors detect chemical stimuli. These include the receptors involved with our senses of taste and smell.
    • Others detect electromagnetic stimuli. These include the receptors involved with our sense of sight.
  • Information from sensory receptors is transmitted, or passed along, nerve cells to the brain.
  • The brain processes, or organizes, information from different sensory receptors. The brain can then trigger a response or store the information as a memory.
A diagram representing sensory processing in humans. Image created with Biorender.com.

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