ganglion

American  

[gang-glee-uhn] / ˈgæŋ gli ən /

noun

• ganglia,
  plural
• ganglions
  plural

1. Anatomy.

   1. a mass of nerve tissue existing outside the central nervous system.

   2. any of certain masses of gray matter in the brain, as the basal ganglia.

2. Pathology. a cyst or enlargement in connection with the sheath of a tendon, usually at the wrist.

3. a center of intellectual or industrial force, activity, etc.

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ganglion British  

/ ˈɡæŋɡlɪən /

noun

1. an encapsulated collection of nerve-cell bodies, usually located outside the brain and spinal cord

2. any concentration of energy, activity, or strength

3. a cystic tumour on a tendon sheath or joint capsule

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ganglion Scientific  

/ găng′glē-ən /

• ganglia
  plural

1. A compact group of neurons enclosed by connective tissue and having a specific function. In invertebrate animals, pairs of ganglia occur at intervals along the axis of the body, with the forwardmost pair functioning like a brain. In vertebrates, ganglia are usually located outside the brain or spinal cord, where they regulate the functioning of the body's organs and glands as part of the autonomic nervous system.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ganglial
  adjective
• gangliar
  adjective
• ganglionic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ganglia
  plural
• ganglions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ganglion

1675–85; < Late Latin: a type of swelling < Greek gánglion a tumor under the skin, on or near a tendon

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Explanation

In medicine, a ganglion is a cluster of nerve cells. Although it's not related to nerve cells, a harmless but visible lump on the skin is known as a ganglion cyst. It's not uncommon for people to get benign but annoying ganglion cysts on their hands as they age. This use of ganglion goes back to the Greek root meaning "knot, swelling under the skin, or tumor." Ganglion came to mean "nerve cells" in medical terminology by the 17th century (although the cyst meaning also stuck around). Humans have many ganglia in their bodies, including the clusters around our spinal nerves and the basal ganglia in our brains.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ganglion ganglia ganglions

Specialised ganglion cells are significantly involved in this process, which -- like the cones and rods -- are sensitive to light and react particularly strongly to short-wavelength light at a wavelength of around 490 nanometres.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 22, 2023

For bipolar cells, which are a class of neurons that lie between the photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells, they found 14 distinct orthotypes.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 13, 2023

In contrast, they found 21 orthotypes of retinal ganglion cells, which exhibit greater variation among species.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 13, 2023

In addition, the axons of retinal ganglion cells secrete molecular factors that are received by cells in the central brain and induce developmental changes.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2023

He is more like a ganglion on legs.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Dopamine is another major chemical messenger that sends signals to the basal ganglia, a brain region involved in forming habits.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

The striatum is part of the basal ganglia, a group of neuron clusters located deep in the brain.

From Science Daily ● May 10, 2026

The basal ganglia receives signals from the motor cortex as skaters leap and twirl in the air.

From New York Times ● Mar. 27, 2024

"Continuing research efforts to further understand the neurobiology of developmental language disorder, especially the role of the basal ganglia, could help the many children who are affected by these problems," concludes Ullman.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2024

“We’re working on the spinal ganglia, too. Someday the Boneli test will fade into yesterday’s hoary shroud of spiritual oblivion.”

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

They have a brain that’s wrapped around their esophagus, ganglions on every one of their little suckers.

From Slate ● May 31, 2017

Peter and Paul are so busy representing alternate responses to stimuli that they seem ganglions rather than real folks.

From Time Magazine Archive

Simple and sensible though these reforms seemed to outsiders, they cut deep into Yale's vital fabric of traditions, left a mass of supersensitive and unsutured ganglions.

From Time Magazine Archive

My ganglions were still vibrating as I ran the car into the stables of Brinkley Court, and it was a much shaken Bertram who tottered up to his room to change into something loose.

From Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse

The thing got right in among Lord Wetherby's highly sensitive ganglions like an earthquake.

From Uneasy Money by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse

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