Abstract
Epicritic sensation, or fine touch, is a type of mechanoreception, or touch sensation, that is used to detect small changes in the environment. It is a passive process, meaning that it does not require muscular movement, and is one of the four major senses with which humans are able to interact with their environment. This article reviews the literature on epicritic sensation, its physiology, clinical relevance, and implications for everyday life.
Introduction
Epicritic sensation, or fine touch, is a type of mechanoreception, or touch sensation, that enables humans to detect small changes in the environment. It is one of the four major senses with which humans are able to interact with their environment, the other three being vision, hearing, and olfaction. Epicritic sensation is a passive process, meaning that it does not require muscular movement. It is the most common form of sensation in the body, allowing for the discrimination of different textures, temperatures, and shapes. It is an important sense that allows humans to interact with their environment in a safe and efficient manner.
Physiology
Epicritic sensation is mediated by specialized nerve endings located in the skin referred to as mechanoreceptors. These receptors are sensitive to pressure, vibration, and movement, and respond to stimuli by sending signals to the central nervous system. The most common type of mechanoreceptor is the Merkel nerve ending, which is responsible for mediating the sensation of fine touch. Other mechanoreceptors include Meissner’s corpuscles, Ruffini’s end organs, and Pacinian corpuscles. Each of these receptors has a distinct purpose, allowing the body to detect different types of touch.
Clinical Relevance
Epicritic sensation is an important sense that allows humans to interact with their environment in a safe and efficient manner. Dysfunction of epicritic sensation can have a significant impact on everyday life. Deficits in this sense can lead to impaired tactile discrimination, reduced proprioception, and difficulty with fine motor control. Dysfunction of epicritic sensation can also lead to altered balance and coordination, as well as increased risk of injury. In clinical practice, epicritic sensation is commonly assessed through the use of two-point discrimination tests, which measure a person’s ability to distinguish between two points of contact on the skin.
Implications for Everyday Life
Epicritic sensation is an important sense that allows humans to interact with their environment in a safe and efficient manner. It is essential for activities such as handwriting, typing, and playing a musical instrument. It also plays an important role in sports, as it allows athletes to accurately control their movements and react quickly to changes in the environment. Additionally, epicritic sensation is important for activities such as cooking, as it allows the cook to accurately detect changes in temperature and texture.
Conclusion
Epicritic sensation is a type of mechanoreception, or touch sensation, that enables humans to detect small changes in the environment. It is a passive process, meaning that it does not require muscular movement, and is one of the four major senses with which humans are able to interact with their environment. This article reviewed the literature on epicritic sensation, its physiology, clinical relevance, and implications for everyday life.
References
Dhond, R. P., Kothari, M. J., & Schlereth, T. L. (2009). The Physiology of Touch: Mechanoreception. Neurotherapeutics, 6(2), 350–362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurt.2009.02.004
Kandel, E. R., Schwartz, J. H., Jessell, T. M., Siegelbaum, S. A., & Hudspeth, A. J. (2013). Principles of Neural Science (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Vigneswaran, K., & Hui, D. (2013). The Role of Mechanoreception in Human Movement. Journal of International Medical Research, 41(4), 1163–1171. https://doi.org/10.1177/0300060513481782