Question

What are the functions of the following receptors, and which pathway would you find them:

Merkel disks
Ruffini's corpuscles
Meissner's corpuscles
Pacinian corpuscles
Free nerve endings
Muscle spindle
Golgi tendon organs
a) Dorsal column pathway
b) Spinothalamic pathway
c) Corticospinal pathway
d) Spinocerebellar pathway

Answer 1

Merkel's disks, Ruffini's corpuscles, Meissner's corpuscles, and Pacinian corpuscles are different types of mechanoreceptors found in the skin that respond to various types of touch and vibrations.

Step-by-step explanation:

Merkel's disks, Ruffini's corpuscles, Meissner's corpuscles, and Pacinian corpuscles are all types of mechanoreceptors found in the skin.

Merkel's disks:

Located in the upper layers of the skin, they respond to light touch and are associated with the sense of discriminative touch and the discrimination of shapes and textures.

Ruffini's corpuscles:

Found deeper in the skin, they are slow-adapting, encapsulated nerve endings that detect stretch, deformation within joints, and warmth.

Meissner's corpuscles:

Also located near the upper layers of the skin, they respond to touch and low-frequency vibration.

Pacinian corpuscles:

Found deeper in the skin, they detect transient pressure and high-frequency vibration.