A “practical” sense
Under the epidermis there is another layer of skin, the dermis, where through the sensitive nerve fibres the external signals are transmitted to the nerves of the spinal cord, where they are decoded. Here the sensory ganglia, i.e. cells with a nerve extension that enters the spinal cord, transfer tactile information rapidly to the brain. This is why our body is able to react well and quickly to a tactile stimulus. The more intense the sensation, the stronger the stimulus is.
Among the five senses, the touch is the one that most affects our relationship with the surrounding world.
The hand has some areas with more receptors than others, in the first case the sensitivity is greater, like in the case of the palm and it increases as we move and if we do not suffer the contact of some external body. Therefore, the touch doesn’t have a passive function, but it is actually inserted in that part of the nervous system that controls muscle contractions and movements. The September issue, a particularly active month, is dedicated to this “practical” sense.