mechanoreceptor

(noun)

any receptor that provides an organism with information about mechanical changes in its environment, such as movement, tension and pressure

Examples of mechanoreceptor in the following topics:

  • Integration of Signals from Mechanoreceptors

    • Small, finely-calibrated mechanoreceptors (Merkel's disks and Meissner's corpuscles) are located in the upper layers and can precisely localize even gentle touch.
    • The large mechanoreceptors (Pacinian corpuscles and Ruffini endings) are located in the lower layers and respond to deeper touch.
    • Both primary somatosensory cortex and secondary cortical areas are responsible for processing the complex picture of stimuli transmitted from the interplay of mechanoreceptors.
    • The mechanoreceptors are activated, the signal is conveyed, and then processed.
    • Some types of mechanoreceptors have large receptive fields, while others have smaller ones.

  • Somatosensory Receptors

    • There are various types of tactile mechanoreceptors that work together to signal and process "touch."
    • Mechanoreceptors in the skin are described as encapsulated or unencapsulated.
    • There are three classes of mechanoreceptors: tactile, proprioceptors, and baroreceptors.
    • Mechanoreceptors sense stimuli due to physical deformation of their plasma membranes.
    • Four of the primary mechanoreceptors in human skin are shown.

  • Transduction and Perception

    • As an example, a type of receptor called a mechanoreceptor possesses specialized membranes that respond to pressure.

  • Balance and Determining Equilibrium

    • A similar mechanoreceptor—a hair cell with stereocilia—senses head position, head movement, and whether our bodies are in motion.

  • Transduction of Sound

    • All of the stereocilia are mechanoreceptors, and when bent by vibrations they respond by opening a gated ion channel (refer to [link]).