OxScience

Sensory receptor

They are specialized nerve endings found in sensory organs (such as the tongue, nose, skin, ears, and eyes). Its function is to take charge of receiving the stimulus to carry the information and obtain an internal or external response.

The impulse generated by the receptors is transported to the central nervous system and is processed in different areas of the cerebral cortex, this in order to provide the individual with the necessary information about the conditions that surround them and generate an appropriate response.

Sensory receptors are nerve cells specialized in converting physicochemical signals to electrical signals that our bodies can process.

Among the physicochemical characteristics of the receptors we have:

• Excitability: Ability to react to nervous stimuli.
• Specificity: Each receptor responds more efficiently to a certain type of stimulus.
• Adaptation: The persistence of a stimulus causes the receptor to decrease the nervous reaction.
• Coding: If the stimulus is more intense, the receptor sends a greater number of nerve impulses.

Sensory effector

They are in charge of executing the response made by the nervous centers to a stimulus. The response can be secretory or motor type. They are nerve cells responsible for executing responses to received stimuli.

For molecular biology, an effector is a molecule that acts directly on a second, modifying its behavior, either by activation (known as an agonist) or by repression (known as an antagonist or inhibitor).

The effectors are mainly the glands and muscles and correspond to the types of effector actions: glandular secretion and muscle contraction.

suggested video: Receptor vs Effector

Difference between Receptor and Effector

• The receptors are those specialized nerve endings that are found in the sensory organs, they are responsible for receiving the stimulus, carrying the information, and obtaining a response.
• Effectors are the nerve cells responsible for executing responses to received stimuli.