Reseptorikenttään

Reseptorikenttään is a Finnish term that translates to "receptor field" in English. It refers to the specific area of a sensory surface, such as the skin or retina, where a particular sensory receptor cell or group of cells is located. When a stimulus, like light or touch, falls within this field, it activates the corresponding receptor. The size and shape of receptor fields vary greatly depending on the sensory modality and the specific receptor type. For example, in the visual system, retinal ganglion cells have receptive fields that are circular and can be either "on-center" or "off-center," meaning they respond most strongly to light in the center or on the surrounding area, respectively. In the somatosensory system, touch receptors in the skin have receptive fields that can range from small and precise, allowing for fine detail discrimination, to large and diffuse, which are sensitive to broader areas of stimulation. The convergence of information from multiple receptor fields allows the nervous system to build a more comprehensive picture of the external environment. Understanding receptor fields is crucial for comprehending how sensory information is processed and transmitted from the periphery to the brain.