refractory period

American  

noun

Physiology.

1. a short period after a nerve or muscle cell fires during which the cell cannot respond to additional stimulation.

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refractory period British  

noun

1. a period during which a nerve or muscle is incapable of responding to stimulation, esp immediately following a previous stimulation. In an absolute refractory period there is a total inability to respond; in an effective or relative refractory period there is a response to very large stimuli

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refractory period Scientific  

1. The period immediately following the transmission of an impulse in nerve or muscle, in which a neuron or muscle cell regains its ability to transmit another impulse.

2. See more at action potential

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Etymology

Origin of refractory period

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

With a crew of dedicated sailors helping him reload, Greyjoy’s scorpion has a refractory period of less than a minute.

From Slate • May 7, 2019

Contractile cells have an action potential with an extended plateau phase that results in an extended refractory period to allow complete contraction for the heart to pump blood effectively.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

There are two phases of the refractory period: the absolute refractory period and the relative refractory period.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The refractory period is very long to prevent the possibility of tetany, a condition in which muscle remains involuntarily contracted.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Because voltage-gated Na+ channels are inactivated at the peak of the depolarization, they cannot be opened again for a brief time—the absolute refractory period.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013