ganglion

American  

[gang-glee-uhn] / ˈgæŋ gli ən /

noun

plural

ganglia, ganglions

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 /

plural

ganglia

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

• ganglial adjective
• gangliar adjective
• ganglionic adjective

Etymology

Origin of ganglion

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

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

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

Retinal ganglion cells are the gatekeepers for the visual input that reaches the brain.

From Science Daily • Sep. 28, 2023

It found people with Parkinson's had a thinner ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer and inner nuclear layer in the eye.

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2023

Doctors sometimes use anesthetic medications to block the sphenopalatine ganglion as a treatment for migraine.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 2, 2023

He is more like a ganglion on legs.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Related Words

• command post
• focal point
• headquarters
• hotbed