Mechanoreceptors and Somatosensory Receptor Types

Flashcards covering the types, anatomical locations, and corresponding stimuli of somatosensory receptors and mechanoreceptors based on lecture notes.

Free nerve endings

Location - dermis, cornea, tongue, joint capsules, and visceral organs

Stimuli - pain, temperature, and mechanical deformation

Mechanoreceptors/Merkel's discs

Location - epidermal-dermal junction and mucosal membranes

Stimuli - low frequency vibration ($5-15\,\text{Hz}$)

Bulbous corpuscle/Ruffini's corpuscle

Location - dermis and joint capsules

Stimulus - stretch

Tactile corpuscle/Meissner's corpuscle

Location - papillary dermis (especially in the fingers and lips)

Stimuli - light touch and vibrations below $50\,\text{Hz}$

Lamellated corpuscle/Pacinian corpuscle

Location - deep dermis and subcutaneous tissue

Stimuli - deep pressure and high-frequency vibration ($\sim 250\,\text{Hz}$)

Hair follicle plexus

Location - wrapped around hair follicles in the dermis

Stimuli - movement of hair

Muscle spindle

Location - in line with skeletal muscle fibers

Stimuli - muscle contraction and stretch

Tendon stretch organ/Golgi tendon organ

Location - in line with tendons

Stimuli - stretch of tendons