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

The Schwann cells are separated by gaps of unmyelinated fibers called nodes of Ranvier over which the nerve impulse travels as the signal passes along the neuron, increasing the speed of transmission.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Figure 20.34 Propagation of a nerve impulse down a myelinated axon, from left to right.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

At it the conduction which has so far been wholly intra-neuronic is replaced by an inter-neuronic process, in which the nerve impulse passes from one neurone to the next.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 "Bradford, William" to "Brequigny, Louis" by Various