scotophobin

[ skoh-tuh-foh-bin ]

noun

1. a peptide isolated from the brains of rats conditioned to avoid darkness, alleged to induce a dark-avoidance response in untrained rats, mice, and other animals.

Other Words From

• sco·to·pho·bic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scotophobin¹

First recorded in 1965–70; scotophob(ia) ( def ) + -in ²( def )