Recruitment
Recruitment (Medicine)
Recruitment (pronunciation: /rɪˈkruːtmənt/) is a term used in various fields of medicine, including audiology, neurology, and physiology. In a medical context, recruitment refers to the process by which additional neurons are activated to perform a function as the intensity of a stimulus increases.
Etymology
The term 'recruitment' is derived from the Latin word 'recrūtāre', which means 'to replenish'. In the context of medicine, it refers to the replenishment or activation of additional neurons or cells to perform a function.
Audiology
In audiology, recruitment refers to the phenomenon where sounds at certain frequencies are perceived as getting progressively louder at a faster rate for individuals with sensorineural hearing loss, compared to those with normal hearing. This is due to the activation or 'recruitment' of nerve fibers which would not normally respond to the particular frequency.
Neurology
In neurology, recruitment refers to the progressive activation of motor units with increasing strength of voluntary muscle contraction. When a weak muscle contraction is required, only a small number of motor units are activated. As the required strength of contraction increases, more motor units are 'recruited'.
Physiology
In physiology, recruitment can refer to the activation of additional muscle fibers in response to increased load. It can also refer to the process by which additional blood vessels are 'recruited' to perfuse tissue in response to increased metabolic demand.
Related Terms
- Motor unit: A motor neuron and the skeletal muscle fibers innervated by its axon.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: A type of hearing loss in which the root cause lies in the inner ear or sensory organ (cochlea and associated structures) or the vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII).
- Perfusion: The passage of fluid through the circulatory system or lymphatic system to an organ or a tissue.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Recruitment
- Wikipedia's article - Recruitment
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