Pacinian corpuscle

A rapidly adapting sensory receptor found in skin and other tissues. Its layered capsule makes it especially sensitive to deep pressure and high-frequency vibration.

Lamellar capsule: A layered connective-tissue sheath surrounding the sensory nerve ending of a Pacinian corpuscle. Its fluid-filled layers redistribute pressure and create the receptor’s rapid adaptation.
Aβ fiber: A large, myelinated sensory nerve fiber that carries touch and pressure signals. Pacinian corpuscles commonly connect to fast-conducting Aβ afferents.
Vibration perception threshold: The minimum vibration amplitude detectable at a specified frequency and body site. Threshold tests probe the function of rapidly adapting vibration-sensitive receptors.
Merkel cell–neurite complex: A slowly adapting touch receptor associated with Merkel cells and sensory nerve endings in the skin. It signals sustained pressure and fine spatial detail rather than brief high-frequency vibration.
Mechanotransduction: The conversion of mechanical forces into electrical signals by sensory cells or neurons. Pressure deforms the nerve ending and opens mechanically gated ion channels.
Receptive field: The area in which stimulation changes the activity of a sensory neuron. A corpuscle’s position and afferent connections help determine where pressure is detected.
Pallesthesia: The perception of vibration applied to the body, commonly assessed during neurological examination. Pacinian corpuscles contribute strongly to detecting the tuning-fork vibrations used in testing.
Ruffini ending: A slowly adapting skin mechanoreceptor associated with skin stretch and sustained deformation. Its sustained response contrasts with the corpuscle’s sensitivity to changing pressure.
Mechanically gated ion channel: An ion channel whose opening or closing depends on mechanical force. These channels convert deformation of the corpuscle’s nerve ending into receptor potentials.
Cutaneous mechanoreceptor: A sensory receptor in the skin that responds to physical deformation. Pacinian corpuscles are one specialized type in this broader receptor group.

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