Tactile corpuscles, also known as Meissner's corpuscles, are a type of mechanoreceptor found in the skin, particularly in areas sensitive to light touch such as the fingertips, lips, and palms. These encapsulated nerve endings are located primarily in the dermal papillae, just beneath the epidermis, and are most densely concentrated in glabrous (hairless) skin.
Each tactile corpuscle consists of a nerve terminal enveloped in layers of modified Schwann cells and connective tissue, forming an oval-shaped structure. They are rapidly adapting receptors, meaning they respond to changes in pressure or movement across the skin rather than sustained stimuli. This property makes them especially sensitive to light touch, vibration (in the range of 10–50 Hz), and texture discrimination.
Tactile corpuscles play a critical role in fine tactile discrimination, contributing to the ability to detect subtle surface features and manipulate objects with precision. They are myelinated and thus conduct signals relatively quickly, although they are not as fast as some other sensory pathways.
First described by the German anatomist Georg Meissner and Rudolf Wagner in the mid-19th century, tactile corpuscles are a well-documented component of the somatosensory system in human and mammalian anatomy. Their structure and function are supported by extensive histological and physiological research.