Pacinian corpuscle, with its system of capsules and central cavity. a. Arterial twig, ending in capillaries, which form loops in some of the intercapsular spaces, and one penetrates to the central capsule. b. The fibrous tissue of the stalk. n. Nerve tube advancing to the central capsule, there losing its white matter and stretching along the axis to the opposite end, where it ends by a tuberculated enlargement.
The Pacinian corpuscle (also lamellar corpuscle, or Vater-Pacini corpuscle)[1] is a low-threshold mechanoreceptor responsive to vibration or pressure, found in the skin and other internal organs.[2] In the skin it is one of the four main types of cutaneous receptors.
Pacinian corpuscles are rapidly adapting mechanoreceptors. As phasic receptors they respond quickly but briefly to a stimulus with the response diminishing even when the stimulus is maintained.[6] They primarily respond to vibration, and deep pressure. They are especially sensitive to high-frequency vibrations. Groups of corpuscles sense pressure changes (such as on grasping or releasing an object). They are additionally crucially involved in proprioception.[1] The vibrational role may be used for detecting surface texture, such as rough and smooth.[citation needed]