3. Cutaneous sensory receptors Smooth skin (glaborous ) Hairy skin Free nerve endings The receptor location and its associated structure can alter the stimulus and influence the response Subcutis Dermis Epidermis Merkel disks detect steady pressure & are slowly adapting Free nerve endings around hair root can be either rapid or slowly adapting - depends on hair type Meissnerâs corpuscles detect flutter & are rapidly adapting Pacinian corpuscles detect vibration & are very rapidly adapting Ruffini corpuscles detect steady pressure at higher threshold & are slowly adapting Free nerve endings in the skin are modality specific and can detect either pain or touch or pressure or temperature
23. The Posterior Column Pathway and the Spinothalamic Tracts The area of sensory cortex devoted to a body region is relative to the number of sensory receptors.