noun
- nerve cells that carry signals from the brain and spinal cord to muscles, controlling movement
Usage: medical; neuroscience
Examples
- Damage to motoneurons can result in muscle weakness or paralysis.
- The disease affects the motoneurons in the spinal cord.
- Researchers studied how motoneurons control voluntary movement.
- Upper motoneurons originate in the brain’s motor cortex.
- Lower motoneurons connect directly to muscle fibers.
- ALS primarily targets motoneurons throughout the nervous system.