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

Figure 20.33 A nerve impulse is the propagation of an action potential along a cell membrane.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

How does it get transmitted along the cell membrane, and in particular down an axon, as a nerve impulse?

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

By him, in 1850, the rate of transmission of the nerve impulse in the sciatic nerve of the frog was found to be about 27 meters per second4.

From Harvard Psychological Studies, Volume 1 Containing Sixteen Experimental Investigations from the Harvard Psychological Laboratory. by Münsterberg, Hugo