The key difference between Meissner’s corpuscles and Pacinian corpuscles is that Meissner’s corpuscles are encapsulated receptors that respond to low-frequency vibrations and fine touch while Pacinian corpuscles are deep receptors that respond to deep pressure and high-frequency vibration.
Mechanoreceptors are a type of sensory receptors that are able to sense mechanical forces due to physical deformation of their plasma membranes. There are four types of mechanoreceptors as Meissner’s corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles, Merkel’s disks, and Ruffini’s corpuscles to sense touch, pressure, vibration and cutaneous tension. Meissner’s corpuscles and Pacinian corpuscles are rapidly-adapting mechanoreceptors.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Meissner’s Corpuscles
3. What are Pacinian Corpuscles
4. Similarities Between Meissner’s Corpuscles and Pacinian Corpuscles
5. Side by Side Comparison – Meissner’s Corpuscles vs Pacinian Corpuscles in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What are Meissner’s Corpuscles?
Meissner’s corpuscles or tactile corpuscles are a type of mechanoreceptors found in the upper dermis of the skin. They project into the epidermis. In fact, they are a type of nerve endings which are encapsulated, fluid-filled and unmyelinated. They are 30–140 μm in length and 40–60 μm in diameter.
Figure 01: Meissner’s Corpuscles
Moreover, Meissner’s corpuscles are responsible for sensitivity to light touch and low-frequency vibration. These corpuscles are rapid adaptive receptors. Furthermore, they are abundant at fingertips and eyelids. They are the most common mechanoreceptors of “glabrous” (smooth, hairless) skin.
What are Pacinian Corpuscles?
Pacinian corpuscles are a type of mechanoreceptors located deeper in the dermis of the skin. Similar to Meissner’s corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles are also rapid adaptive receptors having encapsulated nerve endings.
Figure 02: Pacinian Corpuscle
However, unlike Meissner’s corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles are large and have onion-like capsules. Furthermore, their number is low compared to Meissner’s corpuscles. Pacinian corpuscles are responsible for responding to high-frequency vibration and pressure.
What are the Similarities Between Meissner’s Corpuscles and Pacinian Corpuscles?
- Meissner’s Corpuscles and Pacinian Corpuscles are two of the four types of mechanoreceptors.
- They are found in the skin.
- To be specific, they are nerve endings present in the skin.
- Furthermore, they are rapidly adaptive receptors.
- Both are encapsulated receptors.
- They are structurally similar and are specialized to provide information to the central nervous system.
- Moreover, they are low threshold mechanoreceptors.
What is the Difference Between Meissner’s Corpuscles and Pacinian Corpuscles?
Meissner’s corpuscles are a type of mechanoreceptors which respond to low-frequency vibrations and fine touch. In contrast, Pacinian corpuscles are a type of mechanoreceptors which respond to pressure and high-frequency vibrations. So, this is the key difference between Meissner’s corpuscles and Pacinian corpuscles. Furthermore, Meissner’s corpuscles are the most abundant type of mechanoreceptors in the glabrous skin, while Pacinian corpuscles are fewer in number. Hence, this is another difference between Meissner’s corpuscles and Pacinian corpuscles.
Moreover, Meissner’s corpuscles are located in the upper dermis, projecting towards the epidermis, while Pacinian corpuscles are located in the deep of the dermis. Thus, this is also a difference between Meissner’s corpuscles and Pacinian corpuscles.
Summary – Meissner’s Corpuscles vs Pacinian Corpuscles
Meissner’s corpuscles and Pacinian corpuscles are two types of rapid adaptive, encapsulated and structurally similar mechanoreceptors or nerve endings located in the skin. Pacinian corpuscles are larger and fewer in number compared to Meissner’s corpuscles. Furthermore, Meissner’s corpuscles are responsible for sensing fine touch and low-frequency vibration while Pacinian corpuscles are responsible for sensing high-frequency vibration and pressure. Thus, this summarizes the difference between Meissner’s corpuscle and Pacinian corpuscles.
Reference:
1. “Somatosensation.” Boundless Biology. Lumen, Available here.
2. Purves, Dale. “Mechanoreceptors Specialized to Receive Tactile Information.” Neuroscience. 2nd Edition., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1970, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Blausen 0808 Skin TactileCorpuscle” By Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014”. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Gray935” By Henry Vandyke Carter – Henry Gray (1918) Anatomy of the Human Body (See “Book” section below)Bartleby.com: Gray’s Anatomy, Plate 935 (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia