evoked potential

noun

1. an electrical response of a nerve cell or group of nerve cells to externally induced stimulation, especially to determine whether or not an area of the brain receives sensory information from a particular stimulus.

Word History and Origins

Origin of evoked potential¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

The brain's electrical response to a sound, known as an auditory evoked potential, is normally larger before sleep than on waking, but those with depression don't show this decline.

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