nervous impulse

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nervous impulse

A student learns about the nervous impulse in biology class.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • The electrical signal that travels along a nerve cell: A "nervous impulse" is the fundamental electrochemical signal by which neurons communicate. It is a rapid, temporary change in the electrical potential across a nerve cell's membrane that propagates along its fiber (axon).
Usage
  • The term "nervous impulse" is used in biological, medical, and physiological contexts to describe the basic unit of neural communication.
  • It is a technical term. In more general or simplified language, it may be referred to as a "nerve signal" or "nerve impulse."
Examples
  • Noun:
    • The sensation of touch begins when a nervous impulse is generated in the skin's receptors.
    • Researchers measured the speed of the nervous impulse along the neuron.
    • Certain diseases can disrupt the proper transmission of nervous impulses.
Advanced Usage
  • "Generation of a nervous impulse": Refers to the process where a stimulus causes a neuron to fire an electrical signal.
    • The generation of a nervous impulse requires a specific threshold of stimulation to be reached.
  • "Conduction of nervous impulses": Describes the propagation of the signal along the nerve fiber.
    • Myelin sheaths increase the speed of conduction for nervous impulses.
Variants and Related Words
  • Nerve impulse (n): A direct synonym for "nervous impulse."
  • Action potential (n): A more specific technical term for the electrical event that constitutes a nervous impulse.
  • Neural signal (n): A broader term that can refer to nervous impulses and other forms of neural communication.
Synonyms
  • Nerve impulse
  • Neural impulse
  • Action potential (in specific contexts)
Related Phrases
  • Transmission of impulses: The process of sending nervous impulses from one point to another in the nervous system.
    • The study focused on the transmission of impulses between neurons at the synapse.
  • Electrical discharge along a nerve fiber: A descriptive phrase defining the nature of a nervous impulse.
    • An electroencephalogram (EEG) measures the collective effect of many such electrical discharges.
nervous impulse

A student learns about the nervous impulse in biology class.

Noun
  1. the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber
    • they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the cortex to the hypothalamus