Pacinian corpuscle

The Pacinian corpuscle (also called a lamellar corpuscle or Vater–Pacini corpuscle) is a special kind of sensor in our bodies called a mechanoreceptor. These sensors help us feel things like vibration or pressure. You can find Pacinian corpuscles in our skin and even inside some organs.

These corpuscles are especially common in places like the hands, feet, arms, and neck. They are also in other important places in the body such as bone periosteum, joint capsules, the pancreas, the breast, genitals, and lymph nodes.

Pacinian corpuscles are very quick to respond to things that touch them, but they stop responding after a short time even if the pressure continues. They are best at sensing vibrations and deep pressure, especially fast vibrations. They help us understand how things feel, like whether a surface is rough or smooth, and they also help us know where our body parts are in space, a ability called proprioception.

Structure

Pacinian corpuscles are bigger and less common than other skin sensors like Meissner's corpuscles, Merkel cells, and Ruffini's corpuscles. They can be up to 2 mm long and almost 1 mm wide, and some are large enough to see without a microscope. These corpuscles are found deep in the skin's dermis.

Each Pacinian corpuscle is connected to a special nerve ending that helps it feel pressure quickly. The corpuscle is wrapped in layers of tissue, like an onion, which helps it sense vibrations and fast changes in pressure.

Function

Pacinian corpuscles are special sensors in the skin. They help us feel pressure changes and vibrations. They work best when the skin is pressed quickly and stop sending signals when the pressure stays the same.

These corpuscles can sense vibrations from a distance and may help us feel movements in our joints. They help our body understand the world around it.

Main article: Phasic receptors

History

Pacinian corpuscles were the first sensory receptors ever found. German anatomist and botanist Abraham Vater and his student Johannes Gottlieb Lehmann saw them in 1741. They were named after Italian anatomist Filippo Pacini, who found them again in 1835. John Shekleton, a curator at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, also saw them, but he published his work later. Herbst corpuscles and Grandry corpuscles are found in bird species.

Additional images

Diagrammatic sectional view of the skin (magnified)

Schema (German)

Light micrograph showing three corpuscles in the center of the field

Micrograph of a Pacinian corpuscle