Tactile corpuscle

Author: Roberto Grujičić, MD • Reviewer: Dimitrios Mytilinaios, MD, PhD
Last reviewed: October 30, 2023
Reading time: 2 minutes

The tactile corpuscule, also known as the Meissner's corpuscle, is a type of encapsulated nerve ending located in the skin. More specifically, it is located in the superficial portions of the dermis. The corpuscle is surrounded by a myelinated sheath composed of Schwann cells.

The tactile corpuscle is responsible for transmitting the sensations of light touch and low-frequency vibrations from the periphery to the central nervous system. Due to its main function, it belongs to the group of tactile mechanoreceptors of the skin, along with Merkel corpuscle (sensitive to pressure), Ruffini corpuscle (stretch), Vater-Pacinian (high-frequency vibrations) corpuscules and free nerve endings (pain).

The tactile corpuscles are most densely concentrated in the portions of the skin that are sensitive to light touch, especially in the skin of palms, fingers and lips.

Terminology	English: Tactile corpuscule Latin: Corpusculum tactus Synonim: Meissner's corpuscle
Definition	Encapsulated nerve ending of the skin
Location	Superficial areas of dermal papillae
Function	Transmition of light touch and low-frequency vibrations

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All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.

Biswas A, Manivannan M, Srinivasan MA (2015). “Multiscale layered biomechanical model of the pacinian corpuscle”. IEEE Transactions on Haptics. 8 (1): 31–42. doi:10.1109/TOH.2014.2369416. PMID 25398182

Piccinin MA, Miao JH, Schwartz J. Histology, Meissner Corpuscle. [Updated 2021 Mar 3]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.

Yousef H, Alhajj M, Sharma S. Anatomy, Skin (Integument), Epidermis. [Updated 2021 Nov 19]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022.

Moore, K. L., Dalley, A. F., & Agur, A. (2017). Clinically oriented anatomy (8th ed.). Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

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