In our article we will look at what an analyzer is. Every second a person receives information from the environment. He is so accustomed to this that he does not even think about the mechanisms of its receipt, analysis, formation of a response. It turns out that complex systems are responsible for the implementation of this function.
What is an analyzer?
Systems that provide information about changes in the environment and the internal state of the body are called sensory. This term comes from the Latin word "sensus", which means "sensation". The second name of such structures is analyzers. It also reflects the main function.
What is an analyzer? This is a system that provides the perception of various types of energy, their conversion into nerve impulses and entry into the corresponding centers of the cerebral cortex.
Types of analyzers
Despite the fact that a person constantly encounters a whole range of sensations, there are five sensory systems in total. The sixth sense is often referred to as intuition -the ability to act without a logical explanation and foresee the future.
The structure and functions of the visual analyzer make it possible to perceive with its help about 90% of information about the environment. This is an image of individual objects, their shape, color, size, distance to them, movement and location in space.
Hearing is important for communication and transfer of experience. We perceive various sounds due to air vibrations. The auditory analyzer converts their mechanical energy into a nerve impulse that is perceived by the brain.
The taste analyzer is able to perceive solutions of chemicals. The sensations that it forms are individual. The same can be said about the olfactory sensory. The sense of smell is based on the perception of chemical stimuli of the internal and external environment.
The last analyzer is touch. With its help, a person is able to feel not only the touch itself, but also pain and temperature changes.
General floor plan
Now let's look at what an analyzer is from an anatomical point of view. Any sensory system consists of three sections: peripheral, conductive and central. The first is represented by receptors. This is the beginning of any analyzer. These sensitive formations perceive various types of energy. The rods and cones of the eye are irritated by light. The olfactory and gustatory analyzers contain chemoreceptors. The hair cells of the inner ear convert the mechanical energy of vibrational movements intoelectric. The tactile system is especially rich in receptors. They sense vibration, touch, pressure, pain, cold and heat.
The conductor section consists of nerve fibers. Through numerous processes of neurons, impulses are transmitted from the working organs to the cerebral cortex. The latter is the central division of sensory systems. The bark has a high level of specialization. It distinguishes between motor, olfactory, gustatory, visual, auditory zones. Depending on the type of analyzer, the neuron delivers nerve impulses to a certain section through the conduction section.
Adaptation of analyzers
It seems to us that we perceive absolutely all signals from the environment. Scientists say the opposite. If this were true, the brain would wear out much faster. The result is premature aging.
An important property of analyzers is their ability to adapt the level of action of the stimulus. This property is called adaptation.
If the sunlight is very intense, the pupil of the eye narrows. This is how the body reacts. And the lens of the eye is able to change its curvature. As a result, we can consider objects that are located at different distances. This ability of the visual analyzer is called accommodation.
A person is able to perceive sound waves only with a certain value of fluctuations: 16-20 thousand Hz. Turns out we don't hear much. The frequency below 16 Hz is called infrasound. With it, jellyfish learn aboutapproaching storm. Ultrasound is a frequency above 20 kHz. Although a person does not hear it, such vibrations can penetrate deep into the tissues. On special devices, with the help of ultrasound, you can get pictures of internal organs.
Compensation capacity
Many people have disturbances in certain sensory systems. The reasons for this can be both congenital and acquired. Moreover, if at least one of the departments is damaged, the entire analyzer stops functioning.
The body has no internal reserves to restore it. But one system can compensate for another. For example, blind people read by touch. Scientists have found that they hear much better than the sighted.
So what is an analyzer? This is a system that provides the perception of various types of energy from the environment, their transformation, analysis and the formation of appropriate sensations or reactions.
