Which receptor is described as sensing pressure and vibration?

Which receptor is described as sensing pressure and vibration?

• A. Merkel Cells
• B. Meissner's corpuscles
• C. Pacinian corpuscles
• D. Ruffini endings

Answer: (A)

Pacinian corpuscles are the receptors that sense pressure changes and high-frequency vibration. They sit deep in the dermis and even in the subcutaneous tissue, and their onion-like layered structure deforms when mechanical energy is applied. This deformation transduces the stimulus into neural signals. They respond most vigorously to rapid changes—high-frequency vibration and deep pressure—because they adapt quickly, firing at the start of a stimulus and then quieting. That rapid adaptation makes them especially suited for detecting vibrations, unlike Merkel cells, which mainly detect steady pressure and texture; Meissner's corpuscles for light touch and dynamic flutter; and Ruffini endings for skin stretch. So the receptor described as sensing pressure and vibration is Pacinian corpuscles.

Pacinian corpuscles are the receptors that sense pressure changes and high-frequency vibration. They sit deep in the dermis and even in the subcutaneous tissue, and their onion-like layered structure deforms when mechanical energy is applied. This deformation transduces the stimulus into neural signals. They respond most vigorously to rapid changes—high-frequency vibration and deep pressure—because they adapt quickly, firing at the start of a stimulus and then quieting. That rapid adaptation makes them especially suited for detecting vibrations, unlike Merkel cells, which mainly detect steady pressure and texture; Meissner's corpuscles for light touch and dynamic flutter; and Ruffini endings for skin stretch. So the receptor described as sensing pressure and vibration is Pacinian corpuscles.