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

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

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

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

A single photon can actually stimulate the retina, for example, by altering a receptor molecule that then triggers 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