Sensation

Have you noticed how those delicious cookies baking in your mother's kitchen evoke a flow of warm and comforting feelings? Have you ever observed how a pat on the back or a caress on the arm gives you a sense of assurance?

These are just some experiences that show how human sensation is linked to emotions and behavior. From childhood, we are educated about our five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. We discover how sensation contributes to our emotional processing, learning, and perception as we get older.

• What is sensation?
• What is sensationalism?
• What are different types of sensation?
• How do sensation and perception differ?
• What is sensation numbness?

Sensation Meaning: Process of Sensation

Our sensations follow a three-step process: they absorb sensory stimuli, convert them into neural impulses, and then transport the neural information to our brain. Transferring one type of energy into another that our brain can use is known as transduction.

Electrical stimulation converts physical energy such as light or sound waves into a type of energy that the brain can interpret. We make sense of all this stimulus and begin to grasp the complicated world around us when our brain gets the electrical impulses. Perception is the psychological process of making meaning of the inputs.

Sensationalism

The study of sensation and perception is significant in our daily lives since the knowledge provided by psychologists is utilized to aid so many individuals in many ways. The doctrine of sensationalism is a sensation psychology concept derived from empiricism, the belief that all thoughts are born out of personal experience (Agassi, 1966).

Sensationalism arises from the idea of the mind as a tabula rasa, or clean slate, that every human being is born blank with no pre-programmed mental content and that events determine their identity after birth.

Types of Sensation

There are several types of sensation, and the following text describes organic, special, and motor sensation.

Organic Sensation

Organic sensation is triggered by the activity of the body's interior organs. The sensations are caused by physiological circumstances in several visceral organs, such as the stomach, intestines, kidneys, and internal sex processes. Non-visceral structures include the throat, lungs, and heart. Some examples of organic sensations are hunger, thirst, nausea, etc.

Fg. 1 A girl eating a sandwich, pexels.com

As they're known, hunger pains are an unpleasant sensation induced by powerful stomach muscular contractions. Comfort, discomfort, and bodily well-being are all feelings that can't be pinpointed or localized. They are a result of the overall health of the person. These feelings combine to form a single overall experience known as common sensitivity or cenesthesia.

Special Sensation

Special sensation is a type that includes specialized organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. They may be easily distinguished from one another, localized, and related to specific space points on the body or in the outside environment. They provide information about the characteristics of external objects.

Colors, sounds, tastes, smells, heat, cold, and pressure provide information about the sensory properties of external things.

Kinaesthetic or Motor Sensation

The sensation of movement is called the kinaesthetic sense—the brain's knowledge of muscle position, both in motion and at rest.

It refers to the muscles, tendons, joints, or the articular sense, distinguished from one another. Strain in the muscles, tendons, and joints causes motor sensation reported to the brain by afferent nerves. Motor sensation has a high cognitive and affective value.

Fg. 2 A group playing basketball showing kinaesthetic sense, pexels.com

They teach us about the fundamental qualities of matter, such as extension, location, distance, direction, and the weights of objects. Eye muscle sensations are particularly beneficial for estimating the distance, size, and shape of things viewed.

Differences Between Sensation and Perception

There is a significant difference between sensation and perception in many aspects. Sensation is a process that involves the detection of stimuli by receptors or cells. It occurs when the receptor receives stimuli. When your phone rings, it emits sound waves, which sensory receptors interpret as sound. This scenario is an example of transduction.

As mentioned earlier, transduction is a step in the sensation process. The central nervous system interprets signals generated by sensory receptors in response to a stimulus, resulting in sensation experiences. This process entails a conversion of sensory information to nerve impulses.

On the other hand, perception is making sense of sensations. This procedure necessitates the arrangement and evaluation of sensory data. Sensation is when you hear a voice calling your name. When you realize it's your mother calling, you've arrived at perception. Understanding what you've just sensed is part of that perception.

Sensation is the output of our senses produced as a signal to the brain, and it is a physical process. Perception differs from sensation in that it is a psychological process that involves signal interpretation and the creation of neural response.

As we explore and experience the world through our senses, sensation is a critical component of perception that makes us aware of the various sensory aspects of the things around us. In contrast, perception allows us to appreciate these sensory qualities and see how it relates to us and the environment.

How to Get Sensation Back

Sensation is the first step towards perception, but what happens if there's an impairment or even loss of sensation? How can a person perceive pain without the aid of sensation?

Generally, sensation numbness results from nerve damage or compressed nerve and may signify underlying severe conditions.

Numbness varies in severity, and most cases are mild. Still, in severe cases, a person may have reduced sensitivity to pain and temperature, causing burns or even losing balance and difficulty coordinating body movements.

Loss of sensation occurs due to nerve damage from diabetes. Still, other conditions such as Lyme disease, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, tumor, animal and insect bites, exposure to toxins, and even certain medications can also cause numbness or impaired sensation. There are instances where abnormal nerve pressure may also cause numbness due to osteoporosis, herniated disc, arthritis, and bone spurs.

Sensation Numbness Diagnosis

Sensation numbness is diagnosed based on symptoms, medical history, and a physical exam, including reflex and muscle function tests. The doctor will ask about the beginning of sensation numbness, the appearance of other symptoms, the afflicted body parts, and activities during the onset of numbness. Your doctor will use the answers to these questions to figure out what's causing the numbness.

Fg. 3 Blood tests to indicate diabetes, or any problems relating to sensation, pexels.com

Diagnostic tests

• Blood tests: A doctor may take a blood sample to check for any indications of diabetes, kidney disease, and B-vitamin deficiencies.

• Diagnostic imaging tests: These sensation tests are used to detect tumor development or cancer spread, as well as indicators of stroke or brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord disorders that could all cause nerve issues. X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs are examples of these tests.

• Nerve conduction studies: By applying electrode patches to the skin over the suspected injured nerve causing symptoms, this treatment aids in determining nerve damage or injury. The nerves are then stimulated, and the speed of the electric impulses is measured. If nerve signals are transmitted abnormally, this could suggest nerve damage or injury.

• Electromyography: This test is used along with nerve conduction studies to evaluate muscle and nerve cell function. An electrode needle is introduced into one or more muscles of the arm, leg, or back, causing minor pain that lasts only a few seconds. The electromyograph machine measures and displays the electrical activity of the muscles.

Management and Treatment of Sensation Numbness

Sensation treatment will depend on the ailment or condition causing the nerve problems. The treatment goal is to control and correct the underlying cause of numbness, and it is tailored to the patient's condition and affected nerves. Examples of treatment include:

• Medications for nerve pain

• Regulating blood sugar for diabetic patients

• Exercises to strengthen the spine and enhance blood flow, as well as encourage mobility

• Removal of any tumor growth or spinal repair through surgery

• Custom-made shoes for neuropathy