Question

Proprioceptors are those which give the sense of
(a)Chemicals
(b)Temperature
(c)Taste
(d)Changes in the position of the limbs

Answer 1

Hint: Proprioception is the sense of knowing your body’s relative position in the three-dimensional space. It is often referred to as the sixth sense of our body as we do not make a conscious effort to know our relative position, it happens automatically and we are always aware of it.

Complete answer:
Proprioceptors are those which give the sense of changes in the position of the limbs. Proprioceptors are sensory nerve endings that are present within the muscles, tendons, joints, and vestibular apparatus whose function is to send stimuli to the brain where there is some change in the spatial position of the body. Because of them we automatically know where the center of gravity of our body is and adjust ourselves to maintain balance. These receptors are absolutely essential for movements like dance, walk, ride a bicycle or car, and navigation.

Additional Information: Let us look in detail at the types of proprioceptors.
Muscle spindles: These receptors are also known as stretch receptors and are sensitive to changes in the length of the muscles. This allows us to know when and how much to stretch our muscles to perform a certain function.
Golgi tendon organs: These receptors are found in the tendons and are sensitive to the tension that arises in muscles due to various forces. This allows us to know how much tension is exerted by a muscle and how much more is required to perform that function.
Pacinian corpuscles: These receptors are present in the skin and are responsible for the detection of pressure changes. They also detect changes in texture, temperature, etc.
So, the correct option is ‘Changes in the position of the limbs’.

Note: -Proprioceptors include exteroceptors that sense stimuli coming from outside the body and mechanoreceptors that respond to external stimuli.
-Proprioception depends on the coordination between the inner ear which is crucial for balance and motion and the muscles through which movements are carried out.
-The inner ear has a labyrinth and vestibular organ which are sensitive to balance and orientation.