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1. Glossary

Grandmother neuron

Reference to a now outdated model from learning psychology. The term was coined by Polish neurophysiologist Jerzy Konorski in the 1960s. He imagined that a specific cognitive process in the brain – such as thinking about one's grandmother – is always linked to the activity of one and the same neuron. However, scientists have since discovered that the whole process is somewhat more complicated: memories are generated by a spatial and temporal pattern of action potentials from different nerve cells.

1. Glossary

Gustatory cortex

Here, the brain processes information from the taste receptors. When these are stimulated, the sensory cells in the taste buds send a signal to the thalamus via various intermediate stations. The thalamus then forwards this signal to the insular lobe. This is where the primary gustatory cortex is located, which combines the information from the taste pathways with other sensory impressions. The primary gustatory cortex then forwards the combined data package to its secondary counterpart. This is located in the orbitofrontal cortex, where the final processing of olfactory information also takes place.

1. Glossary

Angular gyrus

The angular gyrus is part of the cerebrum and is considered part of the parietal lobe. Anatomically, however, it is located at the intersection of the temporal, occipital, and parietal lobes. Functionally, visual and auditory impressions are integrated here, and it is also involved in writing, reading, and arithmetic.

1. Glossary

Cingulate gyrus

The cingulate gyrus is an important part of the limbic system in the cerebrum. This strip of cortex runs medially in the cerebrum, directly above the corpus callosum. Among other things, it is involved in emotions and memory. Through its connections to limbic and autonomic centers, it can also influence autonomic responses (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure). The anterior (front) region in particular is also associated with attention, motivation, error monitoring, and emotion regulation.

1. Glossary

Dentate gyrus

The dentate gyrus is part of the hippocampus and acts as its "input station." It receives various sensory inputs from the cortex (cerebral cortex) via the entorhinal cortex. Its densely packed granule cells, which are found in the so-called granular layer, project almost exclusively to the CA3 region of the hippocampus.

1. Glossary

Fusiform gyrus

The fusiform gyrus is located in the inferior, i.e., inner temporal lobe and plays an important role in object recognition. Facial recognition is believed to take place in the right fusiform gyrus, which is why this structure is also referred to as the fusiform face area.

1. Glossary

Parahippocampal gyrus

The parahippocampal gyrus runs along the hippocampus in the lower, inner temporal lobe. Its anterior part is covered by the entorhinal cortex. It is connected to numerous areas of the cerebral cortex and projects to the hippocampus, which it also acts as a gateway to. This means that it is involved in the consolidation of explicit memory content, among other things. In addition, the posterior part of the parahippocampal gyrus contains the parahippocampal place area (PPA), which responds particularly to complex visual scenes such as rooms, landscapes, or streets and thus plays an important role in spatial orientation and location recognition.

1. Glossary

Hair cells

Sensory cells in the inner ear located in the organ of Corti and the semicircular canals. The hair cells in the organ of Corti are responsible for transducing (converting) the vibrations into electrical potentials. Each of these sensory cells has hair-like protrusions of varying lengths, called stereocilia. These are interconnected. The movement of these stereocilia caused by the vibrations is the key to signal transduction in the hair cells.

1. Glossary

Habenulae

The habenulae – literally translated as "the reins" – are part of the epithalamus (which is part of the diencephalon) and are primarily involved in the modulation of monoamine neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin).

1. Glossary

Habituation

If stimuli are repeatedly presented without having any effect, habituation to these stimuli occurs. This weakens the response and, over time, it disappears completely.