General Sense Organs Overview

General Sense Organs Overview

• General sense organs include various types of nerve endings responsible for transmitting sensory information.

Free Nerve Endings

• Found in skin and mucosa (epithelial layers).
• Detect pain, crude touch, temperature, itch, and tickle sensations.

Encapsulated Nerve Endings

• Specialized structures that enhance sensitivity and specificity of sensation.

Tactile (Meissner) Corpuscles

• Located in the skin (papillae of dermis), especially in fingertips and lips.
• Responsible for sensing fine or light touch and low-frequency vibrations.

Ruffini (Bulbous) Corpuscles

• Situated in the dermal layer of skin and subcutaneous tissue of fingers.
• Detect persistent touch and pressure.

Lamellar (Pacini) Corpuscles

• Found in subcutaneous, submucous, and serous tissues, as well as around joints and in mammary glands.
• Sensitive to deep pressure and high-frequency vibration.

Bulboid Corpuscles (Krause End Bulbs)

• Located in the dermal layer, subcutaneous tissue, mucosa of lips and eyelids, and external genitals.
• Associated with the sensation of touch.

Golgi Tendon Organs

• Positioned near the junction of tendons and muscles.
• Responsible for proprioception, which involves the sense of muscle tension.