Are your fingertips sensitive?

Tactile sensitivity is greatest in hairless skin like the fingertip. This is because fingertips are loaded with nerve endings known as “Merkel’s Discs”. These are mechanoreceptors that provide “touch” information (pressure and texture) to the brain.

Merkel discs occur in clusters beneath the ridges of the fingertips that make up fingerprints and their somewhat rigid structure. Merkel discs are not encapsulated, causing them to have a sustained response to mechanical pressure of the tissue. They fire fastest when small points indent the skin and fire at a low rate on flat surfaces.