Sensory neuron

Sensory neurons (also called sensory receptor cells) are neurons that convert a specific type of stimulus into action potentials or graded potentials. This process is called sensory transduction.

This sensory information travels along a sensory nerve to the brain or spinal cord. The stimulus can be coming from outside of the body, for example light and sound, or from inside the body, for example blood pressure or the sense of body position.

Different types of sensory neurons respond to different kinds of stimuli.

The sensory receptor cells involved in smell are called olfactory receptor neurons. These cells contain receptor molecules, called olfactory receptors, that are activated by the molecular structures of chemicals in the air. The perception of these chemicals is called a scent.

Similarly to olfactory receptor neurons, taste receptors (gustatory receptors) in taste buds interact with chemicals in food to produce an action potential.

Photoreceptor cells are capable of phototransduction, a process which converts light (electromagnetic radiation) into electrical signals. These signals are refined and controlled by the interactions with other types of neurons in the retina.

The five basic classes of neurons within the retina are photoreceptor cells, bipolar cells, ganglion cells, horizontal cells, and amacrine cells.

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