Specific receptors
A receptor is a cell or specialised sensory structure able to detect a stimulus. Different types of receptor are specific to different forms of stimulation.
Receptors in the skin can respond to several types of stimulus, including:
- light pressure;
- deep pressure;
- sustained pressure;
- temperature;
- pain.
Pacinian corpuscles
A Pacinian corpuscle is specialised for detecting changes in pressure. It is found deep in the skin and surrounds the ending of a sensory neurone.
Stimulus
A pressure change mechanically deforms the receptor.
Electrical response
Deformation produces an initial change in membrane potential called a generator potential.
Exam Tip: When explaining receptor specificity, identify the Pacinian corpuscle stimulus precisely as a change in pressure.