what is the relationship between tactile acuity and the receptive field?

[Doc mu]

this is an exam question i got in physiology , none of us knew the meaning of "tactile acuity" in class for it is not in any of the slides, could you answer it ? should i really study for this stuff?

posted out of frustration.

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[darknecrosforte]

Sounds like 2-point discrimination. If the receptive field of a touch receptor is small, you generally have a lot more of those receptors in that skin area (lips, eyelids, etc.) so the areas which have predominantly large fields (deep pressure - Merkel discs) you have fewer receptors and worse 2-point discrimination (lower back). This can probably explain why you can tolerate waaaaaaayyyyyy more deep pressure during a massage of your back compared to something like your on your hands.

This is just a stab in the dark using OMM **** I was half-awake for last year. Could be completely wrong.