Sensory Functions of the Skin in Primates: With Special Reference to Man deals with sensory functions of the skin in primates, particularly humans. The discussions are organized around three themes: mechanoreception, thermoception, and nociception. Comprised of 43 chapters, this volume begins with a detailed treatment of the natural and paranatural stimulation of sensory receptors, followed by an analysis of a theory of sympathetic-sensory coupling. The reader is then introduced to the "receptripse", the desmosome-like lamellar-axonal junction subserving mechano-electric transduction and inducing the sympathetic actions on the pacinian sensor. Subsequent chapters focus on differences in timing of corticocuneate and corticogracile actions; organization and neuronal morphology of the spinocervical tract; skin mechanoreceptors in the human hand; and cellular mechanisms in the parietal cortex in alert monkeys. The book also examines the response of central trigeminal neurons to cutaneous thermal stimulation and the role of thermoreceptors in thermoregulation. This monograph will be of interest to specialists in fields ranging from anatomy and biology to physiology and neurophysiology.
