nerve impulse
nounDefinition of nerve impulse
: the progressive physicochemical change in the membrane of a nerve fiber that follows stimulation and serves to transmit a record of sensation from a receptor or an instruction to act to an effector
— called also nervous impulse
Examples of nerve impulse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Glial cells, among other things, build sheaths of a fatty material called myelin, which acts as an insulator to isolate the electrical activity of nerve impulses. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "The genetics of education: 1,271 genes account for 10% of the variation," 25 July 2018 It had been suggested that some aspects of cognition were dependent upon the speed and efficiency of nerve impulses, which in turn depends on this insulation. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "The genetics of education: 1,271 genes account for 10% of the variation," 25 July 2018 The tunneling rate would change with different molecules, triggering nerve impulses that create the perceptions of different smells in the brain. — Tim Folger, Discover Magazine, "How Quantum Mechanics Lets Us See, Smell and Touch," 24 Oct. 2018 That movement of ions is the basis for many of the body’s functions, like nerve impulses, muscle contractions and digestion. — Katie Thomas, BostonGlobe.com, "Jens Christian Skou, 99, Nobel recipient in chemistry," 4 June 2018 That movement of ions is the basis for many of the body’s functions, like nerve impulses, muscle contractions and digestion. — Katie Thomas, BostonGlobe.com, "Jens Christian Skou, 99, Nobel recipient in chemistry," 4 June 2018 That movement of ions is the basis for many of the body’s functions, like nerve impulses, muscle contractions and digestion. — Katie Thomas, BostonGlobe.com, "Jens Christian Skou, 99, Nobel recipient in chemistry," 4 June 2018 That movement of ions is the basis for many of the body’s functions, like nerve impulses, muscle contractions and digestion. — Katie Thomas, BostonGlobe.com, "Jens Christian Skou, 99, Nobel recipient in chemistry," 4 June 2018 That movement of ions is the basis for many of the body’s functions, like nerve impulses, muscle contractions and digestion. — Katie Thomas, BostonGlobe.com, "Jens Christian Skou, 99, Nobel recipient in chemistry," 4 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nerve impulse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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