General Sensory Afferent

The general sensory afferent carries sensory input from the skin, muscle, tendons and joints to the brain

Pathway

There is no synapse!

2.. First Order Neuron (Dorsal Root Ganglion

The first-order neuron has its cell body in the dorsal root ganglion of the spinal nerve. It is a type of pseudounipolar neuron. It has a peripheral axon which transmits signal from receptors and a central axon synapsing on the second-order neuron.

In the head or neck not covered by the cervical nerves, the first-order neuron will be the trigeminal nerve ganglia or the ganglia of other sensory cranial nerves).

3. The second-order neuron has its cell body either in the spinal cord or in the brainstem.

4. This neuron's ascending axons will cross (decussate) to the opposite side either in the spinal cord or in the brainstem.

5. The third-order neuron has its cell body in the ventral posterior nucleus of the thalamus and ends in the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe in the primary somatosensory cortex.