facilitation

facilitation /fa·cil·i·ta·tion/ (fah-sil?i-ta´shun) [L.]

1. hastening or assistance of a natural process.

2. in neurophysiology, the effect of a nerve impulse acting across a synapse and resulting in increased postsynaptic potential of subsequent impulses in that nerve fiber or in other convergent nerve fibers.

---

fa·cil·i·ta·tion (f-sl-tshn)

n.

The enhancement or reinforcement of a reflex or other nerve activity by the arrival of other excitatory impulses at the reflex center.

---

facilitation (f·siˈ·l·tāˑ·shn),

n an automatic, impulsive stimulation of a particular muscle to contract.

---

facilitation

(fsiltā´shn),
n the reinforcement of a lower level nerve stimulus by a higher level nerve stimulus. Thus a reflex that cannot be elicited by a subliminal impulse may be reinforced by an additional stimulus from a higher center. The combined effect of the two stimuli may cause a reflex response.

---

facilitation

hastening or assistance of a natural process; the increased excitability of a neuron after stimulation by a subthreshold presynaptic impulse. The resistance is diminished so that second application of the stimulus evokes the reaction more easily.