Rodents rely on Merkel cells for texture discrimination tasks.
J Neurosci
; 32(10): 3296-300, 2012 Mar 07.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-22399751
ABSTRACT
The cutaneous somatosensory system contains multiple types of mechanoreceptors that detect different mechanical stimuli (Johnson, 2001). These stimuli, either alone or in combination, are ultimately interpreted by the brain as different aspects of the sense of touch. Psychophysical and electrophysiological experiments in humans and other mammals implicate one of these mechanoreceptors, the Merkel cell/neurite complex, in two-point discrimination and the detection of curvature, shape, and texture (Johnson and Lamb, 1981; Johnson et al., 2000; Johnson, 2001). However, whether Merkel cell/neurite complex function is required for the detection of these stimuli is unknown. We genetically engineered mice that lack Merkel cells (Maricich et al., 2009; Morrison et al., 2009) to directly test the hypothesis that Merkel cell/neurite complexes are necessary to perform these types of sensory discrimination tasks. We found that mice devoid of Merkel cells could not detect textured surfaces with their feet while other measures of motor and sensory function were unaffected. Interestingly, these mice retained the ability to discriminate both texture and shape using their whiskers, suggesting that other somatosensory afferents can functionally substitute for Merkel cell/neurite complexes in this sensory organ. These findings suggest that Merkel cell/neurite complexes are essential for texture discrimination tasks involving glabrous skin but not whiskers.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Desempenho Psicomotor
/
Tato
/
Células de Merkel
/
Discriminação Psicológica
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2012
Tipo de documento:
Article