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- Glossary
Savant syndrome
Savant syndrome is a rare phenomenon in which people with cognitive deficits in one or more very limited areas possess astonishing abilities – for example, reciting six-digit prime numbers or drawing a city correctly from memory in detail after flying over it. Probably the best-known savant was Kim Peek, the inspiration for the film Rain Man.
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- Glossary
Insula
The insula is a recessed part of the cortex (cerebral cortex) that is covered by the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. This overlay is called the opercula (lid). The insula influences the motor and sensory functions of the intestines and is considered to be the link between cognitive and emotional elements in pain processing. It is also involved in processes such as taste and physical self-awareness.
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- Glossary
Intelligence
Collective term for human cognitive performance. According to British psychologist Charles Spearman, cognitive performance in different areas correlates with a general factor (g factor) of intelligence. This means that intelligence can be expressed as a single value. American psychologist Howard Gardner, among others, has developed a counter-concept to this, known as the "theory of multiple intelligences." According to this theory, intelligence develops independently in the following eight areas: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical-rhythmic, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, naturalistic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal.
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- Glossary
Intelligence quotient
A measure intended to express a person's intellectual capacity. Tests designed to determine intelligence are based on the concept that there is a general factor of intelligence that is normally distributed across the population. The first IQ tests were developed in the early 20th century by Alfred Binet, who wanted to use them to determine the relative intelligence age of schoolchildren. According to his definition, IQ is the quotient of intelligence age and chronological age multiplied by 100. This is also the average IQ of a person. Modern tests often use standard deviations for normalization, which means that IQ is still scaled to average = 100, SD = 15, without directly calculating intelligence age. 95 percent of the population has IQ scores between 70 and 130. If someone scores below 70, they are considered to have intellectual disability, while a score above 130 is considered gifted.
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- Glossary
Interneurons
A small multipolar neuron that is neither sensory nor motor, connected between two other neurons and conducting impulses from one nerve cell to another. In the central nervous system, interneurons are mostly inhibitory and use the neurotransmitters GABA and glycine.
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- Glossary
Ion channel
Ion channels are embedded in the cell membrane of nerve cells and all other cells in the body. They enable electrically charged particles, known as ions, to pass through the cell membrane into and out of the cell. They can therefore influence the membrane potential of a cell and trigger an action potential. A large number of different ion channels are known. Normally, ion channels have a specific permeability for only one type of ion, e.g., sodium ions or potassium ions. These are referred to as sodium channels or potassium channels, respectively.
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- Glossary
ipsilateral
Ipsilateral is a positional term. It means "located on the same side of the body."
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- Glossary
Iris
The (German) name "rainbow membrane" refers to the pigment coloration of the iris. Its size changes depending on the brightness of the surroundings, and with it the size of the pupil.
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- Glossary
James-Lange theory
A theory of emotion developed by William James and (independently) Carl Lange in 1884, which assumes that emotions go through a kind of loop before they become conscious: the brain processes sensory signals, to which it responds by causing changes in the organism. It is only on the basis of these physical processes that the emotion becomes conscious. For example, the heart beats faster, which promotes the emotion of fear.
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- Glossary
Jennifer Aniston neuron
The neuroscientific granddaughter of the grandmother neuron: In 2005, Rodrigo Quian Quiroga and his team discovered nerve cells in the temporal lobe of epilepsy patients that reacted specifically to certain objects – such as a picture of actress Jennifer Aniston. The angle from which the photos were taken was irrelevant. These neurons are part of a network of neurons that together represent a concept. However, there are strong indications that these cells are responsible not only for a single concept, but for several.
