Inhibitor or inhibition may refer to:

Biology

Enzyme inhibitor An enzyme inhibitor is a molecule that binds to an enzyme and blocks its Enzyme activity, activity. Enzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions necessary for life, in which Substrate (biochemistry), substrate molecules are converted ...

, a substance that binds to an enzyme and decreases the enzyme's activity *

Reuptake inhibitor Reuptake inhibitors (RIs) are a type of reuptake modulators. It is a drug that inhibits the plasmalemmal transporter-mediated reuptake of a neurotransmitter from the synapse into the pre-synaptic neuron. This leads to an increase in extracel ...

, a substance that increases neurotransmission by blocking the reuptake of a neurotransmitter *

Lateral inhibition In neurobiology, lateral inhibition is the capacity of an excited neuron to reduce the activity of its neighbors. Lateral inhibition disables the spreading of action potentials An action potential (also known as a nerve impulse or "spike" w ...

, a neural mechanism that increases contrast between active and (neighbouring) inactive neurons *

Inhibitory postsynaptic potential An inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) is a kind of synaptic potential that makes a postsynaptic neuron less likely to generate an action potential.Purves et al. Neuroscience. 4th ed. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates, Incorporated; 2008. ...

, a synaptic potential that decreases the firing of a neuron

Chemistry

Corrosion inhibitor A corrosion inhibitor or anti-corrosive is a chemical compound added to a liquid or gas to decrease the corrosion rate of a metal that comes into contact with the fluid. The effectiveness of a corrosion inhibitor depends on fluid composition and ...

, a substance that decreases the rate of metal oxidation *

Reaction inhibitor A reaction inhibitor is a substance that decreases the rate of, or prevents, a chemical reaction. A catalyst or an Enzyme activator, in contrast, is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction. Examples * Added acetanilide slows the ...

, a substance that prevents or decreases the rate of a chemical reaction *

Polymerisation inhibitor In polymer chemistry, polymerisation inhibitors (US: polymerization inhibitors) are chemical compounds added to monomers to prevent their self-polymerisation. Unsaturated monomers such as acrylates, vinyl chloride, butadiene and styrene require i ...

, a substance that inhibits unwanted polymerisation of monomers

Psychology

Cognitive inhibition Cognitive inhibition refers to the mind's ability to tune out stimuli that are irrelevant to the task/process at hand or to the mind's current state. Additionally, it can be done either in whole or in part, intentionally or otherwise. Cognitive i ...

, the mind's ability to tune out irrelevant stimuli **

Inhibitory control Inhibitory control, also known as response inhibition, is a cognitive process – and, more specifically, an executive function – that permits an individual to inhibit their impulses and natural, habitual, or dominant behavioral re ...

, a cognitive process that permits an individual to inhibit their impulses *

Inhibition of return Inhibition of return (IOR) refers to an orientation mechanism that briefly enhances (for approximately 100–300 milliseconds (ms)) the speed and accuracy with which an object is detected after the object is attended, but then impairs detection spe ...

, a feature of attention *

Latent inhibition Latent inhibition (LI) is a technical term in classical conditioning, where a familiar stimulus takes longer to acquire meaning (as a signal or conditioned stimulus) than a new stimulus. The term originated with Lubow and Moore in 1973. The LI e ...

, a term used in classical conditioning *

Memory inhibition In psychology, memory inhibition is the ability ''not'' to remember irrelevant information. The scientific concept of memory inhibition should not be confused with everyday uses of the word "inhibition". Scientifically speaking, memory inhibition i ...

, processes that suppress or interfere with specific memories *

Sexual inhibition A sexual inhibition is a conscious or subconscious constraint or curtailment by a person of behavior relating to specific sexual matters or practices, a discussion of sexual matters or viewing certain sexual material. To some extent such inhibi ...

, reservations relating to sexual practices * Social inhibition, a conditioned fear reaction to social marginalization or isolation

Media

* Inhibitors, machines in the ''

Revelation Space ''Revelation Space'' is a 2000 science fiction novel by Welsh author Alastair Reynolds. It was the first novel (but not first published work of fiction) set in Reynolds's Revelation Space universe, eponymous universe. The novel reflects Reynolds ...

'' novels by Alastair Reynolds * ''Inhibitions'' (song), a 2008 single by Swedish band Alcazar * ''Inhibition'' (album), the debut album by alternative rock band Dot Hacker

Other uses

Inhibition (law) Inhibition (from Latin ''inhibere'', to restrain, prevent), as an English legal term, particularly used in ecclesiastical law, is an act of restraint or prohibition, for a writ from a superior to an inferior court, suspending proceedings in a case u ...

Biology

Chemistry

Psychology

Media

Other uses

See also