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Glite Dictionary
afferent neuron

afferent neuron

7.2
A nerve cell that carries sensory signals to the brain or spinal cord
  • noun
  • /ˈæfərənt ˈnjʊrɒn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : neuronas aferentes
  • The afferent neuron transmits sensory information from the skin to the spinal cord.

Examples

  • The afferent neurons of this reflex are unmyelinated C-fibers, which serve as the afferent arc for detrusor hyperreflexia.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Attention has been focused on the role of opioid receptors in peripheral terminals of primary afferent neurons.

    Academic text (1996)

  • First, the projection should have a bandwidth comparable to that of the feedforward visual input, measured either as the number of afferent neurons or as the fraction of V1 neurons targeted.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Damage to peripheral afferent neurons can lead to loss of sensation.

  • Afferent neurons are crucial for sending signals from the body's extremities to the brain.

Synonyms

neuron
vsafferent neuron
  • Specialized
98 4.3

A nerve cell that sends messages in the body

focuses on impulses sent from peripheral receptors to the central nervous system
sensory neuron
vsafferent neuron
  • Specialized
4.5

A nerve cell that sends signals from the body to the brain or spinal cord

specifies impulses coming from the body's peripheral parts toward the central nervous system

Surface Forms

afferent neuron singular
afferent neurons plural

Morphology

afferent + neuron

The meaning is directly compositional: 'afferent' denotes conducting sensory information inward and 'neuron' is a nerve cell, so together they denote a nerve cell that carries sensory impulses toward the CNS. Although technical, the adjective+noun structure is regular and the sense follows directly from the constituents (and similar afferent/efferent distinctions exist cross-linguistically), so a learner who knows both words would understand the phrase.

Etymology

Afferent neuron comes from old words: afferent meaning 'to bring to' and neuron meaning 'nerve'. That image of a nerve that brings signals to the brain and spinal cord explains why the term means a nerve cell that carries sensory messages to those parts of the body.