Tactile Perception In Human Skin

When something we touch is bad for us we all want to be able to feel it and pull away as fast as we can to not cause trauma to our skin or even worse, the trauma is so bad that it ends up in death. Tactile perception is a very important part to us humans and animals and without it we wouldn’t be here. Tactile perception is the sense of touch. It also has to do with the brain’s ability to perceive what is being touched. Touch is a complex system called the somatosensory system; the sense that someone receives touching is determined by amount of pressure, vibration, and temperature via receptors of the skin. The brain processes tactile perception within the somatosensory system in the cerebral cortex, specifically the parietal lobe. Information …show more content…
In human skin, the Pacinian Corpuscles are mostly responsible for rapid adaptation. The interesting feature of these cells is that they are very sensitive even to very small changes in the stimulus. As an example, slightest variations in the tactile forces can be sensed by the Pacinian Corpuscles. Their normal pulse rates return really quickly, in a matter of less than 0.1 seconds. In order the mechanoreceptors to be protected from hostile environment and various types of traumas, they are normally located in the subcutaneous layer of the skin since its harder for the anything to get to that layer since it is the deepest layer of the dermis. Surface roughness can be detected using these types of mechanoreceptors and is performed by moving the fingertips on a rough surface. Additionally, they are involved in the detection of small vibrations. In terms of their spatial density, there is no need to have a high-density of these receptors. This can be attributable to the fact that they are mainly placed in the deep layers of the skin, and the skin itself will be responsible for the transmission of the signals. Spacing closer than tenths of a millimeter would not add any further sensitivity, since the skin will distribute the applied forces over relatively large areas, around ten times the skin thickness Hair follicle receptors and the Meissner’s Corpuscles are among the mechanoreceptors with the capability of moderate adaptation rates. They can adapt to variations of time periods of the order of one secondhand can be found close to the surface of the skin. In outdoor activities, the effects the sensors become more evident. Those sensors are responsible for detecting insects on skin. Some examples of slow adapting are the Merkel Disks and the Ruffini Organs. Being located mostly close