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Cited by 1,648Tactile and Sensory InteractionsIon Channels and ReceptorsPain Mechanisms and Treatments

The Sensory Neurons of Touch

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Abraira, Victoria E., Ginty, David D.·2013·Neuron
DOI 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.07.051PMC PMC3811145
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Abstract

The somatosensory system decodes a wide range of tactile stimuli and thus endows us with a remarkable capacity for object recognition, texture discrimination, sensory-motor feedback and social exchange. The first step leading to perception of innocuous touch is activation of cutaneous sensory neurons called low-threshold mechanoreceptors (LTMRs). Here, we review the properties and functions of LTMRs, emphasizing the unique tuning properties of LTMR subtypes and the organizational logic of their peripheral and central axonal projections. We discuss the spinal cord neurophysiological representation of complex mechanical forces acting upon the skin and current views of how tactile information is processed and conveyed from the spinal cord to the brain. An integrative model in which ensembles of impulses arising from physiologically distinct LTMRs are integrated and processed in somatotopically aligned mechanosensory columns of the spinal cord dorsal horn underlies the nervous system's enormous capacity for perceiving the richness of the tactile world.

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  • The main tactile fibers underlying discriminative touch are myelinated Ab fibers.

    “The main tactile fibers underlying discriminative touch are myelinated Ab fibers.”

    From Tactile innervation densities across the whole body (2020) · cites this paper as Abraira and Ginty 2013

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Authors
Abraira, V. E., & Ginty, D. D.
Affiliations
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Ginty, David D.
ORCID
Venue
Neuron
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2013-08
Volume
79
Issue
4
Pages
618-639
ISSN
0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.neuron.2013.07.051
PMC
PMC3811145
OpenAlex
W2012265686
Cited by
1,648
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 205 · 2025: 211 · 2024: 148 · 2023: 172 · 2022: 154 · 2021: 163 · 2020: 147 · 2019: 108 · 2018: 91 · 2017: 71 · 2016: 69 · 2015: 53 · 2014: 53 · 2013: 2
FWCI
5.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Neuron (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Rutgers University Community Repository (Rutgers University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS034814, F32NS077836)
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (R01DE022750, R01 5R01DE022750)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Ion Channels and Receptors
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
Keywords
low-threshold mechanoreceptors, cutaneous sensory neurons, somatosensory system, tactile perception, axonal projections, dorsal horn, tactile information processing, somatotopic organization
MeSH terms
Animals, Mechanoreceptors, Physical Stimulation, Sensory Receptor Cells, Sensory Thresholds, Touch

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