The skin contains a network of somatosensory and autonomic nerves. These nerves play crucial roles in transmitting sensory information like touch, pain, temperature, and pressure to the brain, as well as regulating involuntary functions like blood flow and sweat production.
Somatosensory nerves are responsible for sensing external stimuli. They contain specialized nerve endings called sensory receptors which are located throughout the skin. Different types of sensory receptors respond to different stimuli:
- Meissner's corpuscles: Detect light touch and vibrations.
- Pacinian corpuscles: Detect deep pressure and vibrations.
- Ruffini endings: Detect stretching and deep pressure.
- Merkel cells: Detect light touch and pressure.
- Free nerve endings: Detect pain, temperature, and itch.
Autonomic nerves control involuntary functions in the skin, including:
- Blood vessel dilation and constriction: Regulating blood flow and temperature.
- Sweat gland activation: Regulating body temperature.
- Hair follicle contraction: Responsible for goosebumps.
The distribution and density of these nerves vary across different areas of the body. For example, areas like the fingertips and lips have a higher density of sensory receptors, making them more sensitive to touch.
