ascending

1. Moving, going, or growing upward: an ascending minor scale.
2. Moving or progressing toward a higher level or degree: an ascending order of difficulty.
3. Botany. Growing or directing upward from a curved or slanted base, as certain plant stems.

Progressing to higher levels, usually used in reference to the nervous system.

• a. colon dilation — dilation of the spiral or coiled colon in cattle, usually a part of torsion of the mesentery of the colon; characterized by acute abdominal pain and distended loops of intestine in the right flank.
• a. hemorrhagic myelomalacia — see progressive hemorrhagic myelomalacia.
• a. hematomyelia — see progressive hemorrhagic myelomalacia.
• a. reticular activating system — see reticular activating system.
• a. syndrome — see myelomalacia.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: the act of changing location in an upward direction
  Synonyms: rise, ascent, ascension

The adjective ascending has one meaning:

Meaning #1: moving or going or growing upward
  Antonym: descending (meaning #1)