| / English Dictionary |
SENSORY NEURON
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A neuron conducting impulses inwards to the brain or spinal cord
Synonyms:
afferent neuron; sensory neuron
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("sensory neuron" is a kind of...):
nerve cell; neuron (a cell that is specialized to conduct nerve impulses)
Holonyms ("sensory neuron" is a part of...):
afferent; afferent nerve; sensory nerve (a nerve that passes impulses from receptors toward or to the central nervous system)
Context examples:
Alosetron blocks the actions of serotonin at 5-HT3 sites in the peripheral nervous system, particularly on enteric and nociceptive sensory neurons, thereby affecting the regulation of visceral pain, decreasing gastrointestinal contraction and motility, and decreasing gastrointestinal secretions.
(Alosetron, NCI Thesaurus)
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health have identified a class of sensory neurons (nerve cells that electrically send and receive messages between the body and brain) that can be activated by stimuli as precise as the pulling of a single hair.
(Study uncovers specialized mouse neurons that play a unique role in pain, National Institutes of Health)
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