proprioception

=Proprioception=

toc Read here about the reception of the relative kinematic displacement of one's own body parts.

=Human Proprioception= Proprioception, the kinesthetic sense, provides the parietal cortex of the brain with information on the relative positions of the parts of the body. Neurologists test this sense by telling patients to close their eyes and touch their own nose with the tip of a finger. Assuming proper proprioceptive function, at no time will the person lose awareness of where the hand actually is, even though it is not being detected by any of the other senses. Proprioception and touch are related in subtle ways, and their impairment results in surprising and deep deficits in perception and action. Proprioception from Latin proprius for "one's own" and perception, is the sense of the relative position of body parts. Unlike the exteroceptive senses, by which we perceive the outside world, and interoceptive senses, by which we perceive the pain and movement of internal organs, proprioception is a third distinct sensory modality that provides feedback solely on the relative status of internal body signals. It is the sense that indicates whether the body is moving with the required effort, as well as where the various parts of the body are located in relation to each other. Proprioceptive sensation, relies on receptors in muscles and joints. The muscle spindle is the major stretch receptor within muscles, and just like the cutaneous receptors, it has a rapidly-adapting and slowly-adapting component. (For more on the muscle spindle see "Spinal motor structures".) There are also Golgi tendon organs and joint afferents to monitor stresses and forces at the tendons and joints.

See also orienteering