ˌsupersensiˈtivity
[super- 10.]
1. Great or excessive sensitivity.
| 1934 [see frayed ppl. a.2] |
2. Physiol. The state or fact of a tissue or organ having an increased sensitivity to stimuli, as manifested by a longer or increased response, a reduced threshold, or increased susceptibility.
| 1949 Cannon & Rosenblueth Supersentivity of Denervated Structures ii. 11 The term supersensitivity covers several possibly different phenomena. 1959 Jrnl. Physiol. CXXXXVII. 178 Organs chronically deprived of their motor nerves develop an increased sensitivity to the neurohumoral transmitter and to other chemical agents. This phenomenon is observed in several types of tissue, e.g. striated muscle, smooth muscle, ganglia and glands, and is known as denervation supersensitivity. 1963 Pharmacol. Rev. XV. 226 The changes and modifications of dose-response curves of sympathomimetic amines by various drugs or procedures known to cause super- and subsensitivity to this group of substances. 1974 Sci. Amer. Jan. 48/3 This partial denervation could conceivably lead to chemical supersensitivity, accessory sprouting of collateral nerve fibers or the formation of new synaptic contacts. |