Meissner corpuscles are small, encapsulated touch receptors in the dermal papillae just beneath the epidermis. They are most numerous in hairless (glabrous) skin, especially the fingertips, palms, soles and lips. They adapt rapidly, responding to changes in light touch and low-frequency vibration rather than steady pressure.
| Location | Dermal papillae of glabrous skin, densest in the fingertips, palms, soles and lips |
|---|---|
| Parts |
|
| Nerve Supply | A-beta myelinated sensory fibres of the regional cutaneous nerves |
| Blood Supply | Dermal capillary plexus |
Detect light, moving touch and low-frequency vibration (flutter), helping with grip control and texture detection.
Their density in the fingertips underpins fine touch and two-point discrimination, and it declines with age. They are served by large, myelinated A-beta fibres, so they are affected in large-fibre neuropathies. Skin biopsy can count them in research on peripheral neuropathy.
Damage to large myelinated sensory fibres, as in diabetes or B12 deficiency, reduces fine touch and vibration sense and causes clumsiness.
Cutting a digital nerve in the finger removes input from its Meissner corpuscles, causing numbness and loss of fine discrimination over the fingertip.
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