nerve impulse

American  

noun

Physiology.

1. a progressive wave of electric and chemical activity along a nerve fiber that stimulates or inhibits the action of a muscle, gland, or other nerve cell.

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nerve impulse British  

noun

1. the electrical wave transmitted along a nerve fibre, usually following stimulation of the nerve-cell body See also action potential

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Etymology

Origin of nerve impulse

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nerve impulse

This means light must pass through layers of nerve fibres before reaching the photoreceptors – specialised cells responsible for detecting light and converting that into a nerve impulse to send to the brain.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

The authors propose that the Neanderthal variants may sensitise sensory neurons by altering the threshold at which a nerve impulse is generated.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2023

So a myelinated axon transmits a nerve impulse faster, with less energy consumption, and is better protected from cross talk than an unmyelinated one.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

Muscle cells contract when they fire and are often induced to do so by a nerve impulse.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

In deciding that an action shall be performed, and in what way it is to be performed, consciousness directs that each motor center involved shall send out the appropriate discharges of nerve impulse.

From The Psychology of Singing A Rational Method of Voice Culture Based on a Scientific Analysis of All Systems, Ancient and Modern by Taylor, David C. (David Clark)