HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (9) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Edin, B. B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Edin, B. B.

Quantitative Analyses of Dynamic Strain Sensitivity in Human Skin Mechanoreceptors

Physiology Section, Department of Integrative Medical Biology, University of Umeå, S-901 87 Umeå, Sweden

Submitted 21 June 2004; accepted in final form 12 July 2004

Microneurographical recordings from 24 slowly adapting (SA) and 16 fast adapting (FA) cutaneous mechanoreceptor afferents were obtained in the human radial nerve. Most of the afferents innervated the hairy skin on the back of the hand. The afferents' receptive fields were subjected to controlled strains in a ramp-and-hold fashion with strain velocities from 1 to 64% · s^–1, i.e., strain velocities within most of the physiological range. For all unit types, the mean variation in response onset approached 1 ms for strain velocities >8% · s^–1. Except at the highest strain velocities, the first spike in a typical SAIII unit was evoked at strains <0.5% and a typical SAII unit began to discharge at <1% skin strain. Skin strain velocity had a profound effect on the discharge rates of all classes of afferents. The "typical" peak discharge rate at the highest strain velocity studied was 50–95 imp/s^–1 depending on unit type. Excellent fits were obtained for both SA and FA units when their responses to ramp stretches were modeled by simple power functions (r² > 0.9 for 95% of the units). SAIII units grouped with SAII with respect to onset latency and onset variation but with SAI units with respect to dynamic strain sensitivity. Because both SA and FA skin afferents respond strongly, quickly, and accurately to skin strain changes, they all seem to be able to provide useful information about movement-related skin strain changes and therefore contribute to proprioception and kinesthesia.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. S. Weerakkody, D. A. Mahns, J. L. Taylor, and S. C. Gandevia Impairment of human proprioception by high-frequency cutaneous vibration J. Physiol., June 15, 2007; 581(3): 971 - 980. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. P. Gardner, J. Y. Ro, K. S. Babu, and S. Ghosh Neurophysiology of Prehension. II. Response Diversity in Primary Somatosensory (S-I) and Motor (M-I) Cortices J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2007; 97(2): 1656 - 1670. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Jorntell and C.-F. Ekerot Properties of somatosensory synaptic integration in cerebellar granule cells in vivo. J. Neurosci., November 8, 2006; 26(45): 11786 - 11797. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. F. Collins, K. M. Refshauge, G. Todd, and S. C. Gandevia Cutaneous Receptors Contribute to Kinesthesia at the Index Finger, Elbow, and Knee J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2005; 94(3): 1699 - 1706. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Johnson Closing in on the Neural Mechanisms of Finger Joint Angle Sense. Focus on "Quantitative Analysis of Dynamic Strain Sensitivity in Human Skin Mechanoreceptors" J Neurophysiol, December 1, 2004; 92(6): 3167 - 3168. [Full Text] [PDF]