BRAIN FUNCTIONS AND THE SENSESProprioception
Proprioception
The body has its own sense of where it is
and how it is moving in space. This process
happens almost unconsciously, making it,
in essence, the body’s sixth sense.
Body position sense
Inside muscles, tendons, and joints are
movement receptors called proprioceptors.
Every time we move, these receptors measure
changes in length, tension, and pressure that
relate to that movement and send impulses to
the brain. The information is processed and
a decision is made to stop moving or change
position. Messages are then relayed back to
the muscles to carry out the decision. All of this
happens without us having to think about it.Types of proprioception
Most of the information our brain
receives about body position is
processed unconsciously, such as
how we are constantly adjusting
the position of our body to maintain
balance. However, proprioceptive
information can become conscious
if it requires us to make a decision—
for example, refining muscle
movement to make a voluntary,
skilled movement.Nerve signal from
proprioceptorsUnconscious
pathwayCerebellumConscious
pathwayParietal lobeParietal lobeEyes send visual
information about
positionKnowing your place
Physical self-awareness comes from a
combination of proprioception with other
sensations: a sense of force, a sense of
effort or weight, sight, and information
from the balance organs in the ears.Proprioception pathways
Conscious proprioception signals travel up
the brain stem to the thalamus and end at the
parietal lobe, which is part of the cerebral
cortex. The unconscious pathway loops back
to the cerebellum, which controls movement.SPINAL COLUMN
PERIPHERAL NERVE
Signals travel
along spinal
column to brainInner ear sends
information about
rotation, acceleration,
and gravityStretch receptors
in skin, muscles,
and joints send
information about
position of body partsInput from
pressure and tension
Thalamus sensors in armsUS_084-085_Proprioception.indd 84 20/09/2019 12:35