Ruffinikroppar

Ruffinikroppar, or Ruffini corpuscles, are a type of mechanoreceptor found in the skin and in some deep tissues such as joint capsules. They are named after the Italian histologist Angelo Ruffini. These receptors are slowly adapting mechanoreceptors that respond primarily to skin stretch and to sustained pressure. Each Ruffini ending consists of a network of nerve terminals encased in a connective-tissue capsule, located in the deeper layers of the dermis and in the capsules of joints and ligaments. They are innervated by myelinated Aβ fibers.

Functionally, Ruffini corpuscles respond to tangential forces and continuous skin deformation that stretch the skin, providing input about hand shape, finger position, and object orientation. This makes them important for proprioception and for perceiving stretched skin as part of the tactile sense. They tend to have relatively large receptive fields, producing a robust signal but with less spatial precision.

Distribution and clinical relevance vary by region, but Ruffini endings are considered part of the broader cutaneous mechanoreceptor system. They work alongside Merkel discs, Meissner corpuscles, and Pacinian corpuscles to encode touch and proprioceptive information. Aging and nerve injury can affect their function, contributing to declines in tactile discrimination and kinesthetic sense. Ongoing research continues to refine understanding of their precise contributions to texture perception and somatosensory feedback.