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Meissner corpuscles and their spatially intermingled afferents underlie gentle touch perception

Authors :
Julia Rhyins
Alan J. Emanuel
Nicole Neubarth
Mark W. Springel
Amira Abdelaziz
Yin Liu
Michelle M. DeLisle
David D. Ginty
Qiyu Zhang
Christopher D. Harvey
Wade G. Regehr
Jan Drugowitsch
Stuart J. Cattel
Chong Guo
Lauren L. Orefice
Brendan P. Lehnert
Michael Iskols
Soo Joong Kim
Annie Handler
Source :
Science (New York, N.Y.). 368(6497)
Publication Year :
2020

Abstract

Secrets of Meissner corpuscles The Meissner corpuscle, a mechanosensory end organ, was discovered more than 165 years ago and has since been found in the glabrous skin of all mammals, including that on human fingertips. Although prominently featured in textbooks, the function of the Meissner corpuscle is unknown. Neubarth et al. generated adult mice without Meissner corpuscles and used them to show that these corpuscles alone mediate behavioral responses to, and perception of, gentle forces (see the Perspective by Marshall and Patapoutian). Each Meissner corpuscle is innervated by two molecularly distinct, yet physiologically similar, mechanosensory neurons. These two neuronal subtypes are developmentally interdependent and their endings are intertwined within the corpuscle. Both Meissner mechanosensory neuron subtypes are homotypically tiled, ensuring uniform and complete coverage of the skin, yet their receptive fields are overlapping and offset with respect to each other. Science , this issue p. eabb2751 ; see also p. 1311

Details

ISSN :
10959203
Volume :
368
Issue :
6497
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Science (New York, N.Y.)
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....2a98284fb1a18c30356c60f9480299fd