The relationship of the number of Meissner's corpuscles to dermatoglyphic characters and finger size

Dillon, Yvonne K.; Haynes, Julie; Henneberg, Maciej

doi:10.1046/j.1469-7580.2001.19950577.x

Cited by 42 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(20 reference statements)

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“…Three hours of low-frequency vibration applied to the index finger both enhanced spatial acuity and enlarged the finger's cortical representation (Hodzic et al, 2004). Although receptor density-at least for the relatively easily visualized Meissner corpuscles-is apparently conserved across digits (Dillon et al, 2001), the digits with a larger cortical representation also have better acuity (Duncan and Boynton, 2007). Thus, intra-modal somatosensory plasticity may underlie the associations between Braille reading and tactile acuity observed in the present study.…”

Section: Possible Neural Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 54%

Tactile Spatial Acuity Enhancement in Blindness: Evidence for Experience-Dependent Mechanisms

Wong¹,

Gnanakumaran²,

Goldreich³

2011

J. Neurosci.

152

115

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Tactile spatial acuity is enhanced in blindness, according to several studies, but the cause of this enhancement has been controversial. Two competing hypotheses are the tactile experience hypothesis (reliance on the sense of touch drives tactile-acuity enhancement) and the visual deprivation hypothesis (the absence of vision itself drives tactile-acuity enhancement). Here, we performed experiments to distinguish between these two hypotheses. We used force-controlled grating orientation tasks to compare the passive (finger stationary) tactile spatial acuity of 28 profoundly blind and 55 normally sighted humans on the index, middle, and ring fingers of each hand, and on the lips. The tactile experience hypothesis predicted that blind participants would outperform the sighted on the fingers, and that Braille reading would correlate with tactile acuity. The visual deprivation hypothesis predicted that blind participants would outperform the sighted on fingers and lips. Consistent with the tactile experience hypothesis, the blind significantly outperformed the sighted on all fingers, but not on the lips. Additionally, among blind participants, proficient Braille readers on their preferred reading index finger outperformed nonreaders. Finally, proficient Braille readers performed better with their preferred reading index finger than with the opposite index finger, and their acuity on the preferred reading finger correlated with their weekly reading time. These results clearly implicate reliance on the sense of touch as the trigger for tactile spatial acuity enhancement in the blind, and suggest the action of underlying experience-dependent neural mechanisms such as somatosensory and/or cross-modal cortical plasticity.

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Section: Possible Neural Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 54%

Tactile Spatial Acuity Enhancement in Blindness: Evidence for Experience-Dependent Mechanisms

Wong¹,

Gnanakumaran²,

Goldreich³

2011

J. Neurosci.

152

115

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The high density of Meissner corpuscles in small fingers (Bolton et al, 1966;Dillon et al, 2001;Nolano et al, 2003) presumably does not improve spatial acuity, because Meissner corpuscles activate rapidly adapting type-I (RA1) afferents that interfere with fine spatial perception (Bensmaïa et al, 2006). In contrast, a high density of Merkel cells could improve spatial acuity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, Meissner corpuscles, activated by low-frequency skin vibration and easily visualized anatomically, are more densely distributed in smaller fingers (Bolton et al, 1966;Dillon et al, 2001;Nolano et al, 2003). Indeed, homologous fingers in different individuals probably have the same number of Meissner corpuscles (Bolton et al, 1966;Dillon et al, 2001). If Merkel cells, like Meissner corpuscles, are more densely packed in smaller fingers, then presumably the fingers of women would be endowed with greater spatial resolving power than those of men.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These receptors are difficult to visualize anatomically (Boulais and Misery, 2007), and their density with respect to finger size is unknown. However, Meissner corpuscles, activated by low-frequency skin vibration and easily visualized anatomically, are more densely distributed in smaller fingers (Bolton et al, 1966;Dillon et al, 2001;Nolano et al, 2003). Indeed, homologous fingers in different individuals probably have the same number of Meissner corpuscles (Bolton et al, 1966;Dillon et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eschewing more complex explanations, we hypothesized that the superior tactile perception of women might result from physical differences between the fingers of women and men. We considered two hypotheses: (1) If women's fingers are more compliant than those of men (Woodward, 1993), a force-controlled stimulus would indent more deeply into women's fingers, perhaps resulting in superior perception, and (2) as women's fingers are smaller than men's (Dillon et al, 2001), Merkel receptor density might be higher in women's fingers, again resulting in superior perception.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diminutive Digits Discern Delicate Details: Fingertip Size and the Sex Difference in Tactile Spatial Acuity

Peters¹,

Hackeman²,

Goldreich³

2009

J. Neurosci.

180

149

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We have observed that passive tactile spatial acuity, the ability to resolve the spatial structure of surfaces pressed upon the skin, differs subtly but consistently between the sexes, with women able to perceive finer surface detail than men. Eschewing complex central explanations, we hypothesized that this sex difference in somatosensory perception might result from simple physical differences between the fingers of women and men. To investigate, we tested 50 women and 50 men on a tactile grating orientation task and measured the surface area of the participants' index fingertips. In subsets of participants, we additionally measured finger skin compliance and optically imaged the fingerprint microstructure to count sweat pores. We show here that tactile perception improves with decreasing finger size, and that this correlation fully explains the better perception of women, who on average have smaller fingers than men. Indeed, when sex and finger size are both considered in statistical analyses, only finger size predicts tactile acuity. Thus, a man and a woman with fingers of equal size will, on average, enjoy equal tactile acuity. We further show that sweat pores, and presumably the Merkel receptors beneath them, are packed more densely in smaller fingers.

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Investigating mechanoreceptor variability and morphometric proxies in Rhesus Macaques: Implications for primate precision touch studies

Covarrubias,

Kamminga,

Muchlinski

et al. 2024

The Anatomical Record

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The origin of primates has long been associated with an increased emphasis on manual grasping and touch. Precision touch, facilitated by specialized mechanoreceptors in glabrous skin, provides critical sensory feedback for grasping‐related tasks and perception of ecologically‐relevant stimuli. Despite its importance, studies of mechanoreceptors in primate hands are limited, in part due to challenges of sample availability and histological methods. Dermatoglyphs have been proposed as alternative proxies of mechanoreceptor density. We investigated the relationships between mechanoreceptors (Meissner and Pacinian corpuscles), dermatoglyphs, and demography in the apical finger pads of 15 juvenile to adult rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) from a free‐ranging population at Cayo Santiago Primate Field Station (Puerto Rico). Our results indicate substantial interindividual variation in mechanoreceptor density (Meissner corpuscles: 11.9–43.3 corpuscles/mm2; Pacinian corpuscles: 0–4.5 corpuscles/mm2). While sex and digit were generally not associated with variation, there was strong evidence of a developmental effect. Specifically, apical pad length, Meissner corpuscle size, and Pacinian corpuscle depth increased while mechanoreceptor densities decreased throughout juvenescence, suggesting that primate mechanoreceptors change as fingers grow during adolescence and then stabilize at physical maturity. We also found Meissner corpuscle density was significantly associated with dermatoglyph ridge width and spacing, such that density predicted by a dermatoglyph model was strongly correlated with observed values. Dermatoglyphs thus offer a useful proxy of relative Meissner corpuscle density in primates, which opens exciting avenues of noninvasive research. Finally, our results underscore the importance of considering demographic factors and methodology in comparative studies of primate touch.

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The relationship of the number of Meissner's corpuscles to dermatoglyphic characters and finger size

Cited by 42 publications

References 21 publications

Tactile Spatial Acuity Enhancement in Blindness: Evidence for Experience-Dependent Mechanisms

Tactile Spatial Acuity Enhancement in Blindness: Evidence for Experience-Dependent Mechanisms

Diminutive Digits Discern Delicate Details: Fingertip Size and the Sex Difference in Tactile Spatial Acuity

Investigating mechanoreceptor variability and morphometric proxies in Rhesus Macaques: Implications for primate precision touch studies

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