cutaneous

Examples of cutaneous in the following topics:

• Effects of Aging on the Integumentary System

  • Intrinsic and extrinsic aging describe cutaneous aging of the integumentary system primarily involving the dermis.
  • Intrinsic aging and extrinsic aging are terms used to describe cutaneous aging of the skin and other parts of the integumentary system.
  • It is defined as cutaneous damage caused by chronic exposure to solar radiation and is associated with emergence of neoplastic (cancer) lesions.

• What is Skin?

  • The cutaneous membrane is the technical term for our skin.

• Cervical Plexus

  • The cervical plexus has two types of branches: cutaneous and muscular.
  • The lesser occipital nerve, or small occipital nerve, is a cutaneous spinal nerve that arises between the second and third cervical vertebrae, along with the greater occipital nerve.
  • The transverse cervical nerve (superficial cervical or cutaneous cervical) arises from the second and third cervical nerves, turns around the posterior border of the sternocleidomastoideus about its middle, then passes obliquely forward beneath the external jugular vein to the anterior border of the muscle, where it perforates the deep cervical fascia and divides beneath the platysma into ascending and descending branches that are distributed to the antero-lateral parts of the neck.

• Edema

  • Cutaneous edema is referred to as pitting when, after pressure is applied to a small area, the indentation persists for some time after the release of the pressure.
  • Examples of edema in specific organs include cerebral edema, pulmonary edema, periorbital edema (eye puffiness), and cutaneous edema due to mosquito bites, spider bites, bee stings, or contact dermatitis).
  • Another cutaneous form of edema is myxedema, which is caused by increased deposition of connective tissue.

• Cutaneous Sensation

• Tactile Sensation

  • Cutaneous mechanoreceptors are located in the skin, like other cutaneous receptors.

• Classification of Receptors by Stimulus

  • Cutaneous receptors are sensory receptors found in the dermis or epidermis.
  • Encapsulated receptors consist of the remaining types of cutaneous receptors.

• Classification of Receptors by Location

  • While the cutaneous touch receptors found in the dermis and epidermis of our skin and the muscle spindles that detect stretch in skeletal muscle are both mechanoreceptors, they serve discrete functions.
  • In both cases, the mechanoreceptors detect physical forces that result from the movement of the local tissue, cutaneous touch receptors provide information to our brain about the external environment, while muscle spindle receptors provide information about our internal environment.

• Blood Flow in the Skin

  • The anastomoses connect cutaneous arterioles and venules directly, playing an important role in the reduction of blood flow in a cold environment.

• Intercostal Nerves

  • The other smaller branch, the first intercostal nerve, runs along the first intercostal space and ends on the front of the chest as the first anterior cutaneous branch of the thorax.
  • Near the sternum, they cross in front of the internal mammary artery and transversus thoracis muscle, pierce the intercostales interni, the anterior intercostal membranes, and pectoralis major, and supply the integument of the front of the thorax and over the mamma, forming the anterior cutaneous branches of the thorax.