motor neuron

noun

Definition of motor neuron

: a neuron that passes from the central nervous system or a ganglion toward a muscle and conducts an impulse that causes movement

— called also motoneuron

Examples of motor neuron in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Among them are Insilico Medicine, Kebotix and BenevolentAI; the last recently raised $115 million to extend its AI technology to the discovery of drugs for motor neuron disease, Parkinson’s and other hard-to-treat disorders. — Jeff Carbeck, Scientific American, 14 Sep. 2018 Will Forest’s battle with an unclassified motor neuron disease progressed far more quickly than anyone expected. — Alexei Koseff, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Aug. 2021 These proteins essentially function as an off button for motor neuron plasticity. — Sarah Degenova Ackerman, The Conversation, 12 Apr. 2021 Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is a motor neuron disease that impacts cells in the brain and spinal cord that affect muscles throughout the body. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2021 Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the New York Yankees first baseman whose career ended abruptly because of it, ALS is a motor neuron disease impacting cells in the brain and spinal cord that affect muscles throughout the body. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Dec. 2020 Players are also twice as likely to develop Parkinson's disease, approximately four times as likely to develop motor neuron disease and five times as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. — George Ramsay, CNN, 9 Nov. 2020 The drug, injected directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, binds to the RNA for a second motor neuron gene that, like the gene targeted by Zolgensma, encodes the protein missing in the condition. — Lydia Denworth, Science | AAAS, 14 Oct. 2020 Now researchers believe the problem is not actually with the muscle itself, but with the motor neurons that send signals to it, which become hyperactive. — Cara Rosenbloom, chicagotribune.com, 18 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'motor neuron.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.