polysynapticadj.
/ˌpɒlɪsᵻˈnaptɪk/, U.S. /ˈˌpɑlisəˈnæptɪk/ Neurology and Physiology.
Involving several synapses; spec. designating a reflex that involves more than one synapse (primarily within the central nervous system), and a nervous impulse that requires more than one neuronal junction for its propagation.
ΚΠ
1942 D. Bodian in Physiol. Rev. 22 157 A nerve cell, upon which two or more axons terminate, may be considered, along with the axonic terminals, as a polysynaptic system.
1974 Nature 20 Dec. 733/2 Repetitive stimulation of the dorsal root at 0.3–1 Hz caused a marked decline of the sizes of mono- and polysynaptic reflexes.
1992 S. Rose Making of Memory 219 In the indirect polysynaptic pathway the sensory neuron first makes synaptic contact with an interneuron, which itself then synapses with the motor neuron.
2000 Cerebral Cortex 10 82 Several criteria were applied to discriminate between mono- and polysynaptic responses.
Derivatives
ˌpolysyˈnaptically adv.
ΚΠ
1961 Science 4 Aug. 337/3 It was possible to make a cell respond either with an intermediate monosynaptic firing index or polysynaptically.
1992 S. Rose Making of Memory 220 Analysis of the recordings made from Aplysia motor neurons following sensory stimulation shows that they are responding both directly, monosynaptically, and polysynaptically.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1942