motor neuron
2
3.9
- noun
- /ˈmoʊtər ˈnjʊərɒn/
- Specialized
:
neuronas motoras
- A lower motor neuron disorder is the most likely explanation because of the patient's flaccidness and atrophy.
- upper motor neurons
- lower motor neurons
- motor neuron disease
We have special motor neurons to move these little bits, these bits, these bits.
- We have special motor neurons to move these little bits, these bits, these bits.
- And so one of the things we know happens with aging when we omit strength training or strength training like activities, those motor neurons and those muscle fibers die.
- And then those neurons have the ability to shut down, not activate but shut down motor neurons and to prevent the contraction of a given muscle.
- And he reaches over and I pass him the jacket and he fumbles because, you know, with motor neuron disease, you can't hold things properly.
Examples
-
Is the lesion at the upper motor neuron, the lower motor neuron, or at the muscle?
Academic text (1995) -
And we have two kinds of motor neurons there and I've shown the two kinds here.
-
The correct answer is upper motor neurons.
-
I'm sorry, you said "lower" motor neurons.
-
We'll send axons out those the motor neurons, OK?
-
We have special motor neurons to move these little bits, these bits, these bits.
-
In Britain, ALS is called motor neuron disease; in the United States, it is commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Academic text (1991) -
Motor neuron disease (MND), or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a devastating degenerative disease of motor neurons.
Academic text (2000) -
Motor neuron disease (MND), or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a devastating degenerative disease of motor neurons.
Academic text (2000) -
The motor neuron carries signals from the brain to the muscles, allowing for movement.
Synonyms
98
4.3
A nerve cell that sends messages in the body
15
3.4
A cell that sends electrical signals to carry messages between the brain and body
1
8.4
A nerve cell that sends signals from the brain or spinal cord to muscles to make them move
Nerve cell that carries signals from the brain or spinal cord to muscles and glands
How Specialized
- Specialized
2
3.9
- Specialized
- Specialized
15
3.4
- Specialized
- Specialized
917
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly recoverable from 'motor' (relating to movement or muscles) + 'neuron' (a nerve cell), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a nerve cell involved in movement. This adjective+noun composition is a regular, cross-linguistically common pattern and does not require idiomatic knowledge, making it transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Motor neuron joins motor, a word for something that makes movement, and neuron, a 'nerve cell'. Think of it as a tiny driver that carries a message from the brain or spinal cord to a muscle to make it 'move', so the name means the nerve cell that makes muscles act.