Diego Santillan

Name: ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Period: _______

6

Title: Skin Exposure to Mechanoreceptors and Thermoreceptors

Purpose: To investigate the characteristics of skin and reflexes

Background: In complete sentences, write a paragraph on the characteristics of skin. Include

information about skin structure and functions that will help you to complete this

investigation.

There are two major layers of skin. The Epidermis (outer layer) and Dermis (inner layer).
The epidermis is stratified squamous keratinizing epithelial tissue. The most abundant
cells are the keratinocytes, keratin producing cells. The dermis is an irregular type of
fibrous connective tissue. The fibers are criss-crossed running in all directions. It consists
of an uneven junction between dermis & epidermis known as papillary layer. Capillaries
are abundant to nourish dermis & stratum germinativum of epidermis.

Accessory skin structures are found here, hair follicles, nail follicles, sensory receptors,
and glands.

Procedures:
Part A: Evaporation
1. Have your partner close his/her eyes and put their hands flat on the table in
front of them.
2. Dip 1 cotton ball into the water beaker. Dip the 2​nd​ one into the alcohol
beaker.
3. Dab 1 of your partner’s wrist with the water cotton ball and the other wrist
with the alcohol cotton ball.
4. Allow your partner to record their observations in their data chart.
5. Now allow your partner to repeat steps 1-4 on your wrists.

Part B: Sweaty Face

1. Get 1-cornstarch solution papers and bring them to your desk.
2. Pat the oiliest parts of your face like chin, cheeks, and nose.
3. Take a picture of your cornstarch paper and insert it into your data table.
a. Make sure that your picture is clear and as close as possible​.
4. Record your observations in your data table.

Part D: Touch Points

1. Get 2 toothpicks and bring them to your desk.
2. Have your partner close his/her eyes and put their arms flat on the desk in
front of them with their palms facing up.
3. Place the toothpicks 2 inches apart on 1 forearm and press down gently.
4. Reduce the distance of the toothpicks until your partner feels only 1 point.
5. Have your partner record the final distance of the toothpicks on their data
table.
 6. Repeat steps 2-5 on your partner’s ​forearm, palm, and shin.
7. Allow your partner to record their observations in their data table.
8. Now allow your partner to repeat steps 2-7 on you.

Part E: Pupillary Reflex

The ​pupillary light reflex​ (PLR) is the constriction of the pupil that is elicited by an increase in
illumination of the retina. This is a parasympathetic response; whereas, a
decrease in illumination results in the pupil dilating, a sympathetic response.

1. Record the “normal” diameter of the pupil by holding a ruler close to the eye.
(Do this for both pupils.) Record these baseline measurements in the attached
data table.
2. Have the subject shield the right eye with his or her hand. Then shine a
flashlight into the left eye for five seconds. Measure the pupil diameter in both
eyes immediately and record in the data table.

Data:
Table A: Evaporation Table C: Skin Print
Type of
Picture Print
Index
Finger

2​nd​ Finger

3​rd​ Finger

Water Alcohol
Which felt
cooler?
Which
evaporated
faster?

​Table B: Sweaty Face Table D: Touch Print

Picture of
the Paper
 What
change
happened
It got
to the
paper? veryoily
Body Area Toothpick Distance of
Last Poke

1 inch
Forearm

Palm picks were

nxt to eachother
Back of
Hand half an inch
past
Leg
1inch
Table E: Pupillary Reflex
Right pupil Left Pupil Right pupil WITH Left pupil WITH
WITHOUT light WITHOUT light light light
Pupil Diameter
3 3 4 4
PART F.. General Sensation
The following experiments test mechanoreceptors and thermoreceptors in the skin.
Demonstrating referred pain
Referred pain is the phenomenon of perceiving pain in one area of the body when another area is
actually receiving the painful stimulus. This occurs because somatic and visceral pain fibers​ often
travel through the same nerve pathways in the spinal cord and brain.

Instructions
1) Immerse the subject’s elbow in the ice water
2) Record the quality (severity) and locality of pain at 1 minute intervals for 3 minutes.
3) Remove the elbow and at the end of 1 minute continue to assess any changes in location and
quality of pain.

Fig. 8. Pain Assessment Scale

Table F. Assessing Referred Pain; Elbow in Ice
Time Pain Scale Location and Quality of Pain
Minutes 0-10

1
elbow didn't feel it
2
I
elbow started to hurt
3
3
elbow started to
getnumb
2
Remove elbow from ice at end of 3 minutes
4
Elbow completelynumb

Analysis:
1. Explain why one liquid felt cooler than the other in Part A of the lab.
we were tested on different wrists andonewristcould of been
hotterthantheotherone causing onewrist to feel cold
2. What evidence did the color change of the cornstarch paper show in Part B of the lab?
It showed the oil that was picked up from face
my and
changed
the color of the cornstarch
3. List the different types of sweat glands present in skin.
The ApocrineandEccrine are thetwo
sweat glandsinthe skin
4. What layer of the skin contains sebaceous glands?
The dermis layer
5. What are the different touch receptors within the skin?

The thermorecepterMeissner'scorpusclenocieptorandpaciniancorpuscle
 6. Which receptors were working during Part D of the lab? How do you know?
ThethermoreceptorMeissner'scorpuscleandnociceptorTheexperiments we involvedcoldtouch
did and
pain
7. In Part E, what is the function of the pupillary reflex (why is it “beneficial” for the pupils to
change diameter when exposed to a bright light?
controls thediameterof the
pupil in responsetotheintensity luminance
of lightthatfallson theretinal
theretina in thebackoftheeye
ganglioncellsof
8. What part of the brain is responsible for initiating the pupillary reflex?

Theoculomotornerve is the part of thebraininitiating the pupillary reflex

9. What could an abnormal pupillary reflex indicate?
_______________________________________________________________________
Indicate optic
10. In Part F, how
nervedamage or oculomotornervedamage
did the progression and quality of pain change during the experiment?
________________________________________________________________________
It waspainfulandeventuallythepainwentawayand elbowgotnumb
my

Conclusion: In complete sentences, write a paragraph including the following points: What was the
purpose of this lab, explain your evidence from this lab that supports your purpose, what
information from your background supports what you learned in this lab and explain
how, what was a factor that was not taken into account that may have affected the
results, explain how the results were affect, and explain the importance of the
Integumentary System to the body and homeostasis.
layersof skinand the cells
reacttoexternal
Thepurpose ofthislab is toseethedifferent
how
showedthatmy resultswere different to otherpeople.tt
experimentsTheevidence fromthelab
showedhowwe
bodiesreacted tothetests
aredifferentinthewayour During the experiment I got to
reacted usingthermorecepter and I was a
seethe way my body
Meissner's
corpuscle
nocieptor corpuscle
p acinian

to feel coldtouchyandpainthrough the different touch receptorsHuman error

was a factor not
takenintoaccount
The integumentary system was in fullaffect
trying to protect my body
and maintain homeostasis