Human life proceeds in interaction with the environment.
He perceives the world around him with the help of his senses, processes the information received and reacts accordingly.
One of the most important elements of interaction is afferentation.
What is afferentation?
In physiology, afferentation refers to the transmission of nervous excitement from sensitive neuronslocated along the periphery of the body, to the center of the nervous system: head or spinal cord. Most of the signals go to the brain, more precisely, to its cortex.
Receptors that perceive irritation are located both in the sense organs and in the internal organs. When information comes from the outside, it is necessary for orientation in space and making decisions about future action and is called a situational afferentation.
Internal signals provided by physiological interoception or by nerve endings located inside organism, give information about the state of the organism itself, allowing you to feel "problems" in time, talking about problems with health.
In psychology, afferentation means the flow of nerve impulses from the sense organs and internal organs of a person to the central nervous system.
The process of perception begins with the stimulation of sensitive neurons.
Any signal can serve as its source:
- stream of light;
- sound vibrations;
- airborne chemicals;
- thermal radiation and others.
Neurons convert stimulation into a nerve impulse that enters afferent neurons. The latter are located mainly in the ganglia of the spinal cord, only visual and olfactory signals go directly to the brain. This is due to the importance of the information they provide. Participates here and proprioceptive mechanismproviding a predetermined position of human eyes even in the dark, this phenomenon is provided automatically and affects coordination.
The dorsal roots of the spinal cord and cranial nerves perceive the information received and transmit it further to afferent neurons or to the upper parts of the central nervous system, which are responsible for a specific type of impulse. Special centers in the brain stem help in this process, analyzing impulses and distributing them according to the type of perception.
The second stage of the reflex arc includes the analysis and processing of information, based on the results of which an action is triggered, which may consist in:
- muscle contraction;
- allocation of a secret;
- the release of hormones into the blood and so on.
The result of the action has a significant impact on the formation of the reflex in the future. Physiology defines this as reverse afferentation, due to which the appropriateness of the action is assessed.
The role of the link of reverse afferentation is to ensure the effectiveness of the reflex. If it does not make sense (does not provide safety, does not help to get food, eliminate pain, and so on further), that is, it does not contain "reinforcement", it makes no sense, and then the reflex arc does not closes.
The formation of a recipe is based on the principle that the reverse afferentation coincides with the acceptor of the action. In this case, a stable connection is formed, physiologically provided by a system of neurons fastened together.
In physiology, this is called a reflex, it can be either congenital (accumulated positive reinforcements “work” in it for generations) or acquired. They function as long as the connection is confirmed, that is, all the elements of the reflex arc are present.
Thus, the role of reverse afferentation is to create an effective reflex.
Afferentation altered
A person's perception of irritation is not always objective. It can be affected by:
- environmental conditions;
- the state of the body;
- mental changes;
- the action of certain substances.
Therefore, the incoming information can be changed. Under such conditions, the body reacts differently, which is called altered afferentation.
Periods of special sensitivity to the limitation of afferentation is the time during which a person is biased about his body and its relationship with the world around him. For example, in a state of weightlessness, the sensations emanating from the internal organs become different, and accordingly, the reaction of the body changes. Narcotic substances change a person's perception of the world around him, affects his behavior.
A long-term change in afferentation occurs with sensory disorders, when a person cannot perceive the irritation correctly, or mental disorders, when sensitive neurons are working normally, but the processing and transformation of information violated.
In this case, the patient needs corrective work or specialized treatment.
Afferentation helps a person perceive himself and the world around him. She participates in the formation of reflexes that greatly simplify the work of the nervous system. However, under the influence of some factors, it can acquire altered forms, presenting a person with incorrect information.
