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1. Glossary

Auditory nerve

The hair cells of the organ of Corti stimulate neurons in the spiral ganglion, which is located in the cavity of the cochlea. Their axons form the auditory nerve, which transmits electrical impulses from the inner ear to the brain. Together with the vestibular nerve (nervus vestibularis), the auditory nerve forms the VIII cranial nerve.

1. Glossary

Cornea

The cornea is the transparent front part of the outer layer of the eye. It is involved in refracting light, ensuring that the image of a distant object falls on the point of sharpest vision on the retina.

1. Glossary

Acoustic radiation

The acoustic radiation is part of the auditory pathway, i.e., the areas of the brain involved in hearing. More specifically, it is the section located between the thalamus and the sensory cortex.

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Hyperbinding

An explanatory model for the phenomenon of synesthesia. Those affected relate different aspects of perception such as shapes, colors, sounds, and smells so strongly to each other that they temporarily experience them as a single entity. To a certain extent, this "connection" occurs in all people. In synesthetes, however, it is particularly pronounced and also arises in areas of the perceptual spectrum that most people would not associate with each other.

1. Glossary

Hypercomplex cell

A nerve cell in the primary visual cortex that responds most strongly to short, moving lines or corners in its receptive field. It exhibits end-stopping, meaning that the response strength decreases when the stimulus becomes longer than optimal. Hypercomplex cells are sensitive to the orientation and direction of movement of the stimulus and contribute to the perception of edges, corners, and curves.

1. Glossary

Hypophysis

The pituitary gland is an important hormone gland in the body. It hangs like a drop below the hypothalamus and is no larger than a pea. The pituitary gland consists of two parts, the anterior lobe (adenohypophysis) and the posterior lobe (neurohypophysis). The anterior lobe of the pituitary gland has the special property of being partially exempt from the blood-brain barrier, allowing it to release hormones directly into the blood.

1. Glossary

Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus is considered the center of the autonomic nervous system, meaning it controls many motivational states and regulates vegetative aspects such as hunger, thirst, and sexual behavior. As an endocrine gland (which, unlike an exocrine gland, releases its hormones directly into the blood without a duct), it produces numerous hormones, some of which inhibit or stimulate the pituitary gland to release hormones into the blood.In this function, it also plays an important role in the response to pain and is involved in pain modulation.

1. Glossary

Iconic memory

An ultra-short-term memory for visual content. This is absorbed passively and overwritten after less than a second.

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inferior

An anatomical position designation – inferior means located further down, the lower part.

1. Glossary

Inferior occipital gyrus

Part of the occipital lobe, the rearmost of the four large lobes of the cerebral cortex. Functionally, this is where visual information is processed. The inferior occipital gyrus is part of the early visual association areas.