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Ganglion vs Plexus - What's the difference?

ganglion | plexus |

As nouns the difference between ganglion and plexus

is that ganglion is an encapsulated collection of nerve-cell bodies, located outside the brain and spinal cord while plexus is a network or interwoven mass, especially of nerves, blood vessels, or lymphatic vessels.

ganglion

Noun

(en-noun)
  • (neuroanatomy)
  • # An encapsulated collection of nerve-cell bodies, located outside the brain and spinal cord.
  • # Any of certain masses of gray matter in the brain, as the basal ganglia.
  • #* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-03, volume=408, issue=8847, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= The machine of a new soul , passage=The yawning gap in neuroscientists’ understanding of their topic is in the intermediate scale of the brain’s anatomy. Science has a passable knowledge of how individual nerve cells, known as neurons, work. It also knows which visible lobes and ganglia' of the brain do what. But how the neurons are organised in these lobes and ' ganglia remains obscure.}}
  • (by extension) A centre of intellectual or industrial force, activity, etc.
  • (pathology) A cystic tumour on a tendon sheath or joint capsule; a ganglion cyst
  • Derived terms

    * ganglial * autonomic ganglion * basal ganglion * spinal ganglion * ganglion cyst * gangliectomy/ganglionectomy

    plexus

    English

    (wikipedia plexus)

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • A network or interwoven mass, especially (anatomy) of nerves, blood vessels, or lymphatic vessels.
  • :* 1934': I have the sensation of being immersed in the very '''plexus of life, focal from whatever place, position or attitude I take my stance. — Henry Miller, ''Tropic of Cancer
  • (math) The system of equations required for the complete expression of the relations which exist between a set of quantities.
  • Synonyms

    * rete

    Derived terms

    * brachial plexus * cardiac plexus * celiac plexus * choroid plexus * pelvic plexus * solar plexus

    Anagrams

    * ----