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- Glossary
Dorsal thalamus
The thalamus is the largest structure in the diencephalon and is located above the hypothalamus. The thalamus is considered the "gateway to consciousness" because its nuclei are the transit station for all information to the cortex (cerebral cortex) – except for olfactory information, which first reaches the olfactory areas of the brain directly. At the same time, they also receive massive cortical inputs so it might be better to regard this a thalami-cortical system. The nuclei of the thalamus are grouped together. The term "gateway to consciousness" also refers to attention control, sleep-wake regulation, and consciousness modulation by the intralaminar nuclei.
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- Glossary
Thermoreceptor
Free nerve endings that serve as receptors for temperature sensations in the skin.
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- Glossary
Olfactory tract
Smell information travels via the olfactory tract from the olfactory bulb, located just above the nose, to the primary olfactory cortex.
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- Glossary
Trajectory
A physical term that describes the trajectory, or path, of an object – for example, a thrown object.
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- Glossary
Transducin
A G protein found in the photoreceptors of the retina. It is activated when a photon hits a photopigment and causes the cation channels in the photoreceptor to close. It is therefore an important component of the visual signal transduction cascade.
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- Glossary
Transcranial direct current stimulation
A therapeutic procedure in which a weak electrical current is conducted from the outside into the brain with the aid of electrodes. This is intended to stimulate the formation of new connections there. Transcranial direct current stimulation was originally developed for the treatment of brain trauma. Today, neurologists also use it to relieve migraine attacks and headaches. However, the effectiveness of the procedure is controversial.
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- Glossary
Trigeminal nerve
In accordance with its literal translation, "triple nerve," the trigeminal nerve consists of three main branches: the ophthalmic branch, the maxillary branch, and the mandibular branch. The trigeminal nerve originates in the brain, where it is connected to four different nerve nuclei – three sensory and one motor. It reaches large parts of the head via the three branches. The sensory and motor fibers supply the face, nasal and oral cavities, and masticatory muscles.
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Olfactory trigone
At the trigonum olfactorium, the tractus olfactorius divides – forming a triangle – into the stria olfactoria lateralis and medialis.
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- Glossary
Ear drum
A thin membrane at the end of the ear canal that vibrates when sound waves hit it. The eardrum forms the transition from the outer ear to the middle ear. It is approximately 0.1 mm thick and has a maximum diameter of 10 mm. Contrary to what its name suggests, it is funnel-shaped.
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- Glossary
Nonspecific Thalamus
The "non-specific" thalamic nuclei, which have only a few connections to the cortex that are not limited to a specific area, are collectively referred to as the nonspecific thalamus and sometimes truncothalamus. It receives inputs from the reticular formation, the basal ganglia, and the cerebellum. Efferences go to most of the other thalamic nuclei.
