Ability to detect and respond to mechanical stimuli in one's environment. A slight deformation of a mechanoreceptive neuron causes an electric charge at its surface, activating a response. Mechanoreceptors in “pain spots” (pressure points) in the skin (probably clusters of nerve endings) vary in sensitivity.
They respond to a wide range of stimuli, sometimes with a reflex (e.g., a pricked finger pulled away before the brain registers pain). The structures that respond to sound (&see; ear), sense orientation with respect to gravity (&see; inner ear), or detect the position and movement of limbs (&see; proprioception) are mechanoreceptors. Some animals have mechanoreceptors that detect water motion or air currents. &Seealso; sense.
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