Mechanoreceptors and proprioceptors are two types of mechanical receptors. Mechanoreceptors respond to external mechanical stimuli and have a wide distribution. While proprioceptors respond to internal mechanical impulses and are restricted to bones and muscles.
What Are Mechanoreceptors, And How Do They Work?
Somatosensory receptors known as mechanoreceptors are a type of somatosensory receptor. As a result, they rely on the intracellular signal transduction pathway via ionotropic channels. Touch, pressure, stretch stimuli, sound, and motion are all examples of stimuli. Furthermore, we can find these mechanoreceptors primarily in the skin’s superficial or deeper layers. It can, however, be found near bones and these mechanoreceptors can be encapsulated or unencapsulated.
In addition, mechanoreceptors are a varied group of sensory receptors that respond to a wide range of stimuli. The skin contains many mechanoreceptors responsible for sensing the full range of external touch signals that the nervous system can register. Also, different receptor types register different feelings, and they differ in terms of general anatomy and location inside the skin, among other physical characteristics.
Mechanoreceptors Protect The Joint In Three Ways:
- Firstly, they prevent the joint from moving into the pathologic range;
- Secondly, they assist in balancing the activity between synergistic and antagonistic muscle forces; and
- Lastly, they generate an image of body position and movement within the central nervous system.
Types Of Mechanoreceptors
Mechanoreceptors come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The four types are Meissner’s corpuscles, Merkel’s discs, Ruffini ends, and Pacinian corpuscles. The distribution of these mechanoreceptors is diverse. We can find Merkel’s disks on the tips of fingers, external genitalia, and lips. On the fingers, palm, and sole, Meissner’s corpuscles are located in the epidermis of the glabrous skin. While we can locate Ruffini endings in the deep skin, ligaments, and tendons, Pacinian corpuscles are in the skin’s subcutaneous tissue.
Ruffini Receptor Ending
- Thinly myelinated
- Found in the joint capsule’s superficial layer.
- Function: provides information regarding the joint’s static and dynamic position and assists in the regulation of postural muscle tone and kinesthetic sensibility.
- More active at the endpoints of the spectrum.
- Pain-relieving.
Pacinian Corpuscles
- We can find it in sparse in the deeper layers of capsules and ligaments.
- Function: tells about joint movement acceleration and deceleration.
- Take action at the start of a movement to overcome inertia.
- Inhibits pain by not being active in the middle range of motion.
Meissner’s Corpuscles
- The primary touch receptors in hairless skin
- They are most developed in apes and humans
- Structurally linked to a high level of tactile sensitivity (the basis for fingerprints).
What Are Proprioceptors, And How Do They Work?
Mechano-sensory neurons, or proprioceptors, are a form of mechano-sensory neurons. We can commonly see it in muscles, for example in tendons, and joints. Depending on the situation, proprioceptors are activated in a variety of ways. Leg velocity and movement, limb load, and limb limits are all factors that can be considered. This is known as proprioception or the sixth sense.
The central nervous system and inputs like vision and the vestibular system are the primary mediators of proprioception. Finally and most importantly, we can find proprioceptors all over the body. Golgi tendon organs, muscle spindles, and Golgi tendons are the three primary types of proprioceptors.
What Are The Differences Between Mechanoreceptors And Proprioceptors?
- External stimuli activate mechanoreceptors, while internal stimuli activate proprioceptors. As a result, the distribution of these receptors and subtypes differs between the two major receptor types.
- Proprioceptors are located in muscles and tendons, while mechanoreceptors are present in the superficial or deep layers of the skin.
- Mechanoreceptors include Merkel’s disks, Meissner’s corpuscles, Ruffini endings, and Pacinian corpuscles, while proprioceptors include muscle spindles, Golgi tendon organs, and Golgi tendons.
- Above all, the main distinction is the type of stimuli to which mechanoreceptors and proprioceptors respond.
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