neurosensorial

Neurosensorial is an adjective used in neuroscience and medicine to describe phenomena related to the neural basis of sensation. It encompasses how sensory receptors detect stimuli, convert them into neural signals, and how the central nervous system processes these signals to produce perception. The term is often used to distinguish peripheral sensory transduction from central processing, though many sensory experiences emerge from interactions across peripheral and central pathways.

The scope covers all sensory modalities—vision, audition, somatosensation, taste, and smell—as well as their integration in the brain. Key concepts include transduction, neural coding, synaptic transmission, and cortical representation, as well as multisensory integration and neuroplasticity, which can alter perceptual sensitivity.

Clinical relevance: neurosensorial disorders describe impairments rooted in the sensory pathways or processing centers. Examples include sensorineural hearing loss, retinopathies affecting neural pathways, neuropathic pain, and chemosensory dysfunctions such as anosmia or ageusia. Evaluation relies on objective tests (audiometry, vestibular tests, somatosensory evoked potentials, neuroimaging) and subjective assessments of perception. Management spans medical treatment, rehabilitation, sensory prosthetics (cochlear implants, retinal implants), and compensatory strategies.

Research and related fields: neurosensorial studies intersect with neuroscience, otolaryngology, neurology, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. Investigations focus on neural coding of sensory information, cross-modal integration, and the neural correlates of perception as seen in electrophysiology and imaging.