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Introduction to Special Senses

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.

Somatosensation

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.

Tactile and Chemical Senses

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 System

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...

Sensory Functions of the Skin

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Intravital Two-Photon Imaging of Touch Sensory Axon Morphology in Mouse Skin

Intravital Two-Photon Imaging of Touch Sensory Axon Morphology in Mouse Skin

Published on: December 30, 2025

Re-examining the structure-function relationship in tactile corpuscles.

Alan J Emanuel¹

¹Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.

Trends in Neurosciences

|June 2, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The velocity tuning of Pacinian corpuscle axons may stem from Piezo2 properties, not interactions with surrounding cells. This study investigated duck tactile corpuscles and mouse Piezo2 to understand mechanosensory axon function.

Keywords:

Pacinian corpuscle Piezo2 sensory specialist species sensory transduction tuning

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Intravital Two-Photon Imaging of Touch Sensory Axon Morphology in Mouse Skin

Intravital Two-Photon Imaging of Touch Sensory Axon Morphology in Mouse Skin

Published on: December 30, 2025

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

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Published on: September 1, 2016

Combined Recording of Mechanically Stimulated Afferent Output and Nerve Terminal Labelling in Mouse Hair Follicle Lanceolate Endings

Combined Recording of Mechanically Stimulated Afferent Output and Nerve Terminal Labelling in Mouse Hair Follicle Lanceolate Endings

Published on: May 7, 2016

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cell Biology
Biophysics

Background:

Pacinian corpuscles are mechanoreceptors crucial for sensing vibrations.
Axon velocity tuning in these corpuscles has been attributed to interactions between the axon terminal and lamellar cells.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the underlying mechanisms of velocity tuning in Pacinian corpuscle axons.
To challenge the prevailing hypothesis and explore alternative explanations for this physiological property.

Main Methods:

Examination of duck tactile corpuscles.
Investigations involving mouse Piezo2, a mechanosensitive ion channel.

Main Results:

Evidence suggests that Piezo2 properties, rather than axon-lamellar cell interactions, are responsible for velocity tuning.
The study highlights the role of Piezo2 in the functional specialization of mechanosensory axons.

Conclusions:

The findings propose a novel mechanism for axon velocity tuning in Pacinian corpuscles.
Piezo2 emerges as a key determinant of mechanosensory axon response properties.