3 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Can humans sense electric shock?
Can't we extent that to touch as well? No clue about the process behind it, but probably something about the nerves noticing deformation or pressure. Or is it really them getting "touched"?
Comment by Mr_Whispers at 17/02/2023 at 10:43 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Yeah, the former is correct. The main afferent fibre for light touch is A-beta. It responds to light touch, vibration and pressure by expressing mechanoreceptors (e.g. Meissner’s corpuscles) that detect changes in skin deformation. They can do this because they have ion channels that open when the skin deforms, which then leads to action potentials.