Palmar Skin, Pacinian corpuscles 40X
 
The arrow in this image points to a Pacinian corpuscle, a type of sensory receptor located in the deep part of the dermis or in the hypodermis. When pressure is applied to them they respond by sending signals to the central nervous system. Pacinian corpuscles are the largest sensory structures in the skin, so they are easy to find. The nerve ending is surrounded by many layers of cells and a connective tissue capsule. In skin sections, the layers of cells make the Pacinian corpuscles look something like an onion that has been cut down through the center, except that Pacinian corpuscles are much more elongated than onions.

Palmar Skin, Pacinian corpuscles 100X

 
At this magnification the layers of cells surrounding the nerve fiber in the Pacinian corpuscle (arrow) are easy to see. There are several other Pacinian corpuscles in the same area of this image. The one just to the right of the labeled corpuscle was sectioned perpendicularly (at right angles to) the nerve fiber.





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