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Related Concept Videos

Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

Sensory Functions of the Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a crucial role in our sensory perception. It contains a vast network of sensory receptors that contribute to the skin's protective function by perceiving physical, biological, and environmental cues and generating relevant responses.
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...
Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile and Chemical Senses

Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex. This...
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...
Introduction to Special Senses01:26

Introduction to Special Senses

Sensory receptors play an integral part in comprehending our external and internal environments. They receive diverse stimuli, converting them into the nervous system's electrochemical signals. This conversion occurs as the stimulus alters the sensory neuron's cell membrane potential, instigating the generation of an action potential. This action potential is subsequently transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates with other sensory data or higher cognitive functions.
Cells of the Epidermis01:24

Cells of the Epidermis

The epidermis is made of four or five layers of epithelial cells, depending on its location in the body. From deep to superficial, these layers are the stratum basale, stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, stratum lucidum, and stratum corneum.
The cells in all these layers except the stratum basale are called keratinocytes, a type of cell that manufactures and stores the protein keratin. The keratinocytes in the stratum corneum are dead and regularly slough away, being replaced by cells from...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects
07:32

Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects

Published on: September 1, 2016

Merkel Cells in Somatosensation.

Henry Haeberle1, Ellen A Lumpkin

  • 1Neuroscience Graduate Program, UCSF, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030.

Chemosensory Perception
|October 17, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Merkel cells, rare skin cells, may act as sensory receptors. Studies show they possess machinery for mechanotransduction and neurotransmission, supporting their role in touch sensation.

Area of Science:

  • Dermatology
  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Merkel cells are rare epidermal cells found in touch-sensitive skin areas.
  • Their precise function in mechanosensory transduction remains debated.
  • They form complexes with somatosensory afferents, suggesting a role in touch receptors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of Merkel cells in mechanosensory transduction.
  • To explore whether Merkel cells or afferents, or both, are responsible for touch sensation.
  • To evaluate the hypothesis that Merkel cells function as sensory receptor cells.

Main Methods:

  • Review of classic anatomical, molecular, immunohistochemical, and physiological studies.
  • In vitro and in vivo experiments on Merkel cells.

More Related Videos

Cell Subtype-specific Analysis of Neuronal Membrane Proteasome in Somatosensory Neurons
09:27

Cell Subtype-specific Analysis of Neuronal Membrane Proteasome in Somatosensory Neurons

Published on: October 10, 2025

Assessment of Midline Lingual Point-Pressure Somatosensation Using Von Frey Hair Monofilaments
06:31

Assessment of Midline Lingual Point-Pressure Somatosensation Using Von Frey Hair Monofilaments

Published on: February 21, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects
07:32

Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects

Published on: September 1, 2016

Cell Subtype-specific Analysis of Neuronal Membrane Proteasome in Somatosensory Neurons
09:27

Cell Subtype-specific Analysis of Neuronal Membrane Proteasome in Somatosensory Neurons

Published on: October 10, 2025

Assessment of Midline Lingual Point-Pressure Somatosensation Using Von Frey Hair Monofilaments
06:31

Assessment of Midline Lingual Point-Pressure Somatosensation Using Von Frey Hair Monofilaments

Published on: February 21, 2020

  • Analysis of Merkel cell expression of presynaptic machinery components.

    • Main Results:

    • Merkel cells express key components for neurotransmitter release, including glutamate.
    • In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate Merkel cell activation by mechanical stimuli like cell swelling.
    • Findings support the model of Merkel cells as sensory receptor cells.

    Conclusions:

    • Recent evidence supports the hypothesis that Merkel cells are sensory receptor cells.
    • They possess molecular machinery for mechanotransduction and neurotransmission.
    • Further studies are needed to definitively prove Merkel cells are necessary and sufficient for touch transduction.