Purkinje cell

noun

Pur·​kin·​je cell (ˌ)pər-ˈkin-jē- 

: any of numerous nerve cells that occupy the middle layer of the cerebellar cortex and are characterized by a large globose body with massive dendrites directed outward and a single slender axon directed inward

Examples of Purkinje cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The principal type of neuron in the cerebellum, called the Purkinje cell, is widely branching like a fan coral, yet flattened and nearly two-dimensional. —R Douglas Fields, WIRED, 31 Mar. 2024

However, while cells in an organism generally carry the same source code, a retinal cell differs from a Purkinje cell thanks to the actual genes that are expressed, or turned on, in that cell. —Christof Koch, Scientific American, 6 Oct. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Jan Purkinje

First Known Use

circa 1890, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

Purkinje cell

noun

: any of numerous nerve cells that occupy the middle layer of the cerebellar cortex and are characterized by a large globe-shaped body with massive dendrites directed outward and a single slender axon directed inward

called also Purkinje neuron