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

Astrocytes regulate the chemical environment of the nerve cell, and oligodendrocytes insulate the axon so the electrical nerve impulse is transferred more efficiently.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

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

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

The raised hands, with a unanimous and solemn gesture, fell over the hearts of the questioned and then came aloft once more, still as if with a single nerve impulse.

From A Pagan of the Hills by Buck, Charles Neville