Primate Meissner’s Corpuscles

The encapsulated nerve endings of Meissner's corpuscles differ from the pain, temperature, and touch receptors found throughout primate skin as free nerve endings. Meissner's corpuscles are plump, oval cells surrounded by a capsule. As a rule, the spatial acuity of tactile sensitivity in the hand is best at the finger tip and poorest at the wrist, pointing toward a higher concentration of Meissner's corpuscles and their complementary Merkel cells. Signals are sent to the somatosensory portion of the cerebral cortex, letting the person or non-human primate know where the stimulation is on the hand or foot and how strong it is.