Any of certain sensory receptors that respond to pressure and vibration and are found in the subcutaneous layer of the skin, muscles, tendons, mesenteries, and joints of mammals. Each consists of a nerve ending surrounded by an oval capsule made of concentric layers of connective tissue. Pacinian corpuscles are fast adapting, and hence respond primarily to changes in pressure rather than sustained pressures. They are named after Italian anatomist Filipo Pacini (1812–83).