Inhibitor or inhibition may refer to:

In biology

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

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

Reuptake inhibitor Reuptake is the reabsorption of a neurotransmitter by a neurotransmitter transporter located along the plasma membrane of an axon terminal (i.e., the pre-synaptic neuron at a synapse) or glial cell after it has performed its function of transmit ...

, 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 from excited neurons to neighboring neurons in the lateral direction ...

, 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

In chemistry

Corrosion inhibitor In chemistry, a corrosion inhibitor or anti-corrosive is a chemical compound that, when added to a liquid or gas, decreases the corrosion rate of a material, typically a metal or an alloy, that comes into contact with the fluid. The effectiveness ...

, 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, in contrast, is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction. Examples * Added acetanilide slows the decomposition of drug ...

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

Polymerisation inhibitor Polymerisation inhibitors (US: polymerization inhibitors) are chemical compounds added to monomers to prevent their auto-polymerisation. Unsaturated monomers such as acrylates, vinyl chloride, butadiene and styrene require inhibitors for both proces ...

, a substance that inhibits unwanted polymerisation of monomers

In 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. Cognitive inhibition can be done either in whole or in part, intentionally or otherwise. Cognitive ...

, 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 spee ...

, a feature of attention * Inhibition theory, a theory pertaining to the performance of a mental task *

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 ef ...

, a term used in classical conditioning *

Memory inhibition Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...

, 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 inhibit ...

, reservations relating to sexual practices *

Social inhibition Social inhibition is a conscious or subconscious avoidance of a situation or social interaction. With a high level of social inhibition, situations are avoided because of the possibility of others disapproving of their feelings or expressions. Soci ...

, a conditioned fear reaction to social marginalization or isolation

In popular culture

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

In law

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 ...

In biology

In chemistry

In psychology

In popular culture

In law

See also