n. any *receptor organ composed of sensory nerve cells that respond to and monitor changes within the body, such as the stretching of muscles or the acidity of the blood.
n. a *receptor that responds to the stimuli responsible for the sensation of pain. Nociceptors may be *interoceptors, responding to such stimuli as inflammation, or *exteroceptors, sensitive to heat, etc.... nociceptor
n. 1. a cell or group of cells specialized to detect changes in the environment and trigger impulses in the sensory nervous system. All sensory nerve endings act as receptors, whether they simply detect touch, as in the skin, or chemical substances, as in the nose and tongue, or sound or light, as in the ear and eye. See exteroceptor; interoceptor; mechanoreceptor; proprioceptor. 2. a specialized area of a cell membrane, consisting of a specially adapted protein, that can bind with a specific hormone (e.g. *oestrogen receptors), neurotransmitter (e.g. *adrenoceptors), drug, or other chemical, thereby initiating a change within the cell.... receptor
n. a feeling: the result of messages from the body’s sensory receptors registering in the brain as information about the environment. Messages from *exteroceptors are interpreted as specific sensations – smell, taste, temperature, pain, etc. – in the conscious mind. Messages from *interoceptors, however, rarely reach the consciousness to produce sensation.... sensation
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