summation

sum·ma·tion   (sə-mā'shən)    n.   The act or process of adding; addition. A sum or aggregate. A concluding part of a speech or argument containing a summary of principal points, especially of a case before a court of law. Physiology The process by which multiple or repeated stimuli can produce a response in a nerve, muscle, or other part that one stimulus alone cannot produce. [New Latin summātiō, summātiōn-, from Late Latin summātus, past participle of summāre, to sum up, from Latin summa, sum; see sum.]

Main Entry: sum·ma·tion
Pronunciation: s&-'mA-sh&n
Function: noun
: CLOSING ARGUMENT

Main Entry: sum·ma·tion
Pronunciation: (")s&-'mA-sh&n
Function: noun
: cumulative action or effect; especially : theprocess by which a sequence of stimuli that are individually inadequate to produce a response are cumulatively able to induce a nerve impulse —see SPATIAL SUMMATION, TEMPORAL SUMMATION

summation sum·ma·tion (sə-mā'shən)
n.
The process by which multiple or repeated stimuli can produce a response in a nerve, muscle, or other part that one stimulus alone cannot produce.

summation

in physiology, the additive effect of several electrical impulses on a neuromuscular junction, the junction between a nerve cell and a muscle cell. Individually the stimuli cannot evoke a response, but collectively they can generate a response. Successive stimuli on one nerve are called temporal summation; the addition of simultaneous stimuli from several conducting fibres is called spatial summation.

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