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Feeling a gentle caress on your arm would likely involve all of the following except ________?

1) Meissnerʹs corpuscles
2) Merkel discs
3) Pacinian corpuscles
4) root hair plexuses

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Pacinian corpuscles are not typically involved in the sensation of a gentle caress on the arm, as they detect transient pressure and high-frequency vibration; instead, gentle touches are detected by Meissner's corpuscles, Merkel discs, and root hair plexuses.

Step-by-step explanation:

Feeling a gentle caress on your arm would likely involve all of the following except Pacinian corpuscles. The reason is that Pacinian corpuscles are specialized for detecting transient pressure and high-frequency vibration, which are typically felt during more intense mechanical stimuli, rather than a light touch or caress. A gentle caress would primarily activate Meissner's corpuscles and Merkel discs, which are sensitive to light touch, as well as root hair plexuses, which respond to motion of hairs on the skin. Conversely, Pacinian corpuscles are located deeper within the skin and are less involved in detecting light, delicate touches like a caress.

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