tetrode
9.5
A small device with four tiny metal wires that records nerve cell signals
- noun
- /ˈtɛtroʊd/
- Specialized
:
tetrodo
- In their study, they employed a tetrode to capture action potentials from closely situated neurons.
Examples
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The researchers placed a tetrode into the brain tissue to monitor neuron activity during the experiment.
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They recorded extracellularly using twisted wire tetrodes and stimulated using 5 ms laser pulses.
Blog text (3) -
Using a tetrode, scientists were able to accurately record the electrical signals from individual neurons.
Surface Forms
Morphology
tetrode = tetr + ode
The 'tetr-' element signals 'four' and is recognizable, but '-ode' functions as a technical bound element (as in device names) rather than a standalone word, so the full meaning is only partially inferable.
Etymology
Tetrode in neuroscience follows the same idea: the Greek prefix tetra- 'four' plus -ode, so it is the name for a small probe with four electrodes, which are wires that pick up electrical signals from single neurons.
