Sensory neurons are
nerve cells that transmit sensory information (sight, sound, feeling, etc.). They are activated by sensory input, and send projections to other elements of the
nervous system, ultimately conveying sensory information to the brain or spinal cord. In complex organisms, when stimulation of a
peripheral sensory neuron (a first-order sensory neuron)
receptor exceeds a set level of intensity, an electrical impulse travels down the
nerve fiber to the
central nervous system, where it may activate a
motor neuron or another sensory neuron (a second- or third-order neuron), or both. In less complex organisms, such as the
hydra, sensory neurons transmit data to motor neurons or
ganglia. Different types of receptor respond to different kinds of stimulus.