A receptor detects a suitable input, such as light, vibration or pressure. It starts signals that nerve cells can pass along. The brain and spinal cord process those signals. A whole picture or sound does not travel inside a nerve. A sensory pathway begins with transduction: a receptor converts a stimulus into a cellular signal. Sensory neurons relay information toward the central nervous system, where networks process it. Signals can influence motor responses as well as perception. Different receptor types specialise in different inputs, including chemicals detected by the nose.
The human body · Discover & try
How does a stimulus become information?
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Stimulus
An input that a receptor can detect.
Neuron
A nerve cell that communicates information.
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A route map, not a complete brain diagram. Moving dots indicate signal progression; they are not objects carried inside nerves.
What to look for
- Light reaches an eye receptor; the nerve carries a cellular signal, not a tiny picture.
- Vibration reaches an ear receptor; signals then travel through a nerve pathway.
- Pressure activates a skin receptor and signals follow a nerve pathway.
Explain what you noticed
A smell molecule reaches a suitable receptor in the nose. What begins next?
Keep this idea: Receptors convert stimuli into signals that the nervous system can process.
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