PSYC 212 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Deafblindness, Opiate, Analgesic
8 Dec 2013
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Another distinctive feature of touch is that the sensations arise from receptors that are. Touch signals are highly specific and selectively generated by a particular type of receptor. These receptors are known as mechanoreceptors and are present in the skin throughout the body. Most forms of touch usually involve stimulation of multiple types of receptors. Skin covers the entire body, has surface area of about 15 square feet, and weighs about 10 pounds. Highly complex organ composed of tiny glands, a rich network of blood vessels, and sensory receptors all interwoven within a matrix of epithelial cells and connective tissue. The human skin contains a variety of mechanoreceptors, which can be classified into three types: encapsulated receptors specialized capsule that surrounds a nerve ending the pacinian, One of the fibers is called the peripheral branch and proceeds to the skin where it ends up either as free nerve endings or in some kind of encapsulated form.
