What do Meissner corpuscles primarily sense?

Meissner corpuscles are specialized mechanoreceptors located primarily in the dermal papillae of the skin, particularly in areas that are sensitive to light touch, such as the fingertips and the soles of the feet. They respond mainly to changes in texture and provide a sense of fine, discriminative touch and vibration. This specificity allows them to detect light touch stimuli with high spatial resolution, making them crucial for tasks that require sensitivity to fine details.

The structure of Meissner corpuscles, which consists of a stack of flattened supportive cells surrounded by a capsule of connective tissue, enhances their sensitivity to changes in mechanical pressure, particularly low-frequency vibrations and light touch. This makes them ideal for sensing quick, transient changes in the skin's surface, rather than sustained pressure or temperature variations.

Understanding the function of Meissner corpuscles is essential for grasping how the skin detects various types of stimuli, which is fundamental to sensory processing in the nervous system.