receptor [rɪˈsɛptə]n1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Physiology) Physiol a sensory nerve ending that changes specific stimuli into nerve impulses 2. any of various devices that receive information, signals, etc.
receptor (r -s p t r)1. A nerve ending or other structure in the body, such as a photoreceptor, specialized to sense or receive stimuli. Skin receptors respond to stimuli such as touch and pressure and signal the brain by activating portions of the nervous system. Receptors in the nose detect the presence of certain chemicals, leading to the perception of odor. 2. A structure or site, found on the surface of a cell or within a cell, that can bind to a hormone, antigen, or other chemical substance and thereby begin a change in the cell. For example, when a mast cell within the body encounters an allergen, specialized receptors on the mast cell bind to the allergen, resulting in the release of histamine by the mast cell. The histamine then binds to histamine receptors in other cells of the body, which initiate the response known as inflammation as well as other responses. In this way, the symptoms of an allergic reaction are produced. Antihistamine drugs work by preventing the binding of histamine to histamine receptors. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. | receptor - a cellular structure that is postulated to exist in order to mediate between a chemical agent that acts on nervous tissue and the physiological responsealpha receptor, alpha-adrenergic receptor, alpha-adrenoceptor - receptors postulated to exist on nerve cell membranes of the sympathetic nervous system in order to explain the specificity of certain agents that affect only some sympathetic activities (such as vasoconstriction and relaxation of intestinal muscles and contraction of smooth muscles) beta receptor, beta-adrenergic receptor, beta-adrenoceptor - receptors postulated to exist on nerve cell membranes of the sympathetic nervous system in order to explain the specificity of certain agents that affect only some sympathetic activities (such as vasodilation and increased heart beat) | | 2. | receptor - an organ having nerve endings (in the skin or viscera or eye or ear or nose or mouth) that respond to stimulationorgan - a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function exteroceptor - any receptor that responds to stimuli outside the body pineal eye, third eye - a sensory structure capable of light reception located on the dorsal side of the diencephalon in various reptiles chemoreceptor - a sensory receptor that responds to chemical stimuli ear - the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium organ of hearing - the part of the ear that is responsible for sensations of sound semicircular canal - one of three tube loops filled with fluid and in planes nearly at right angles with one another; concerned with equilibrium stretch receptor - a receptor in a muscle that responds to stretching of the muscle tissue papilla - a small nipple-shaped protuberance concerned with taste, touch, or smell; "the papillae of the tongue" effector - an organ (a gland or muscle) that becomes active in response to nerve impulses |
Translations receptor [rɪˈseptəʳ] N ( Physiol, Rad) → receptor m receptor [rɪˈsɛptər] n (ANATOMY) → récepteur m receptor n (= nerve) → Reizempfänger m, → Rezeptor m
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