660 citations
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December 2011 in “Cell” This study found that distinct low-threshold mechanoreceptors innervate different hair follicle types in mice, suggesting that these follicles serve as unique mechanosensory structures in touch perception.
106 citations
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February 2014 in “eLife” This study concluded that terminal Schwann cells are essential for the maintenance and regeneration of mechanosensory lanceolate complexes at hair follicles in adult mice.
In this study, upper-bulge epidermal stem cells in mouse hair follicles were shown to play a role in forming tactile sensory units by creating an extracellular matrix that supports nerve interactions.
This study in adult mice found that somatosensory axons innervating Merkel cells in the skin are highly plastic, with significant remodeling in response to epithelial turnover, and that Merkel cells play a role in limiting axonal branching and promoting their maturation.
31 citations
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November 2016 in “Cell Reports” This study reveals that somatosensory neurons in mouse skin exhibit structural plasticity during hair-follicle regeneration, which may temporarily impair the reliability of encoding gentle touch.