General Senses:

General senses are touch, pain, temperature, pressure, vibration, spatial orientation, body position, and pain. In contrast to special senses, they aren’t associated with specific sensory organs. They have different types of sensory receptors scattered throughout the bodyon the skin and in internal organs (viscera). General senses are associated with psychological drives — causing behavior changes meant to reduce uncomfortable sensation. Also involved are involuntary behaviors (like suffocation, vomiting). General sensation is carried to the CNSby general somatic/visceral afferents — and via general somatic (motor) efferents (GSE) back to the body/bodily limbs. Also see Senses and Interoception (inner body sensations). General senses include:

• Somatoreception: Tactile sensation on the skin, muscles, ligaments, tendons
• Thermoception: Temperature
• Nociception: Pain
• Mechanoreception: Sensations in skin, muscles, blood vessels, including pressure, vibration
• Proprioception: Feeling of body in space, muscle sensation, body movement (kinesthesia)
• Visceral system receptors: Key to autonomic functions (involuntary functions in internal organs), monitoring/communicating pain, stretch, temperature, hunger, and chemical environment