Tactile (Meissner) corpuscle
Corpusculum tactus
Also known as: Meissner corpuscle, Meissner’s corpuscle, RA1 receptor, FA1 receptor
Tactile (Meissner) corpuscles are small encapsulated, rapidly adapting mechanoreceptors in the dermal papillae of glabrous skin that detect light touch, flutter and slip.
Overview
Meissner corpuscles are elongated, ovoid structures (≈80–150 µm long) lying in the dermal papillae of hairless skin, oriented perpendicular to the surface. Inside a thin connective-tissue capsule, one to several Aβ axons lose their myelin and zigzag between stacks of flattened, horizontally arranged lamellar Schwann cells. Collagen fibres tether the capsule to the basal epidermis, so even slight deformation of the skin surface is transmitted to the nerve endings.
They are rapidly adapting (RA1/FA1) receptors with small receptive fields: they fire at the onset and offset of contact but not during steady pressure, and are most sensitive to low-frequency vibration or flutter (≈10–50 Hz, peak ≈40 Hz). They detect movement of objects across the skin and the micro-slips that occur when an object starts to slide from the grasp, triggering reflex increases in grip force. They are most numerous in the fingertips (where they make up ≈40% of mechanoreceptive afferents), palms, soles, lips, tongue tip, nipples and external genitalia, and their density declines with age.
- Location
Dermal papillae of glabrous (thick) skin — fingertips, palms, soles; also lips, eyelids, nipples, external genitalia.
Anatomy
- Innervation
Aβ myelinated afferents → dorsal column–medial lemniscus pathway.
- Histology
Ovoid corpuscle in a dermal papilla with stacked flattened cells (like a "pine cone" or stack of coins) and spiralling nerve fibres; thin capsule.
Function
- Light, discriminative touch and detection of moving stimuli
- Low-frequency vibration (flutter)
- Slip detection for grip control
- Physiology
Rapidly adapting; small receptive field (≈3–5 mm); responds to skin velocity rather than sustained indentation.
Clinical significance
Two-point discrimination
High densities of Meissner and Merkel receptors give fingertips a two-point threshold of ≈2–4 mm (versus several centimetres on the back). Loss of two-point discrimination is an early sign of digital nerve injury or neuropathy.
Compiled from standard anatomy and physiology references — see the Integumentary System sources. For education only; not medical advice.