The long-range goal of this research is to determine the basic principles of how mechanical stimuli are converted into neuronal signals that result in touch perception. Towards this end, the research focusses on the Pacinian corpuscle, which is considered typical of many mechanoreceptors found in the skin. The research involves two major lines of investigation: (1) measurement of the mechanical and mechano-electrical properties of this receptor using video microscopy, mechanical forces and displacement analysis, and electrophysiology in order to better relate stimulus forces and displacements to neural response properties; and (2) to test the adequacy of the Bell and Holmes model of the Pacinian corpuscle's mechanics by performing specific experiments which have outcomes predicted by the model. The results obtained during the project should have significance for a more general understanding of mechanotransduction which occurs in all living organisms.
