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- Glossary
Climbing fiber
Climbing fibers are the axons (long fiber-like extensions of nerve cells) of neurons in the inferior olive nucleus of the brain stem. They extend into the cerebellum and "climb" along the Purkinje cells, with which they form synaptic connections.
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- Glossary
Collaterals
Collaterals are the side branches or secondary branches of blood vessels and axons.
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- Glossary
Commissure
A commissure is a fiber connection between two anatomical areas, primarily from one hemisphere to the other. The largest commissure in the human brain is the corpus callosum.
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- Glossary
Corpus callosotomy
A surgical procedure in which the corpus callosum, the bridge between the two hemispheres of the brain, is severed. This interrupts the flow of information between the two hemispheres. Commissurectomy was previously performed mainly for the purpose of controlling epileptic seizures.
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- Glossary
Complementary colors
A term from color theory: Complementary colors are pairs of colors that, when mixed, produce white or neutral gray. They are always opposite each other on the color wheel. Different pairings are named depending on the color model.
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- Glossary
Complex cell
A nerve cell in the primary visual cortex with large receptive fields. They respond to visual stimuli with appropriate contrast, a specific orientation, and often also a specific direction of movement.
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- Glossary
Confabulation
Confabulation refers to a memory or explanation that the person concerned is completely convinced is true, but which is objectively false. There is no conscious intent to deceive behind this. The cause is usually medical, such as damage to the orbitofrontal or other frontal brain areas, amnestic syndrome (e.g., Korsakoff's syndrome), traumatic brain injury, or dementia.
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- Glossary
Consolidation
Consolidation refers to the process by which new information, memories, or learning content is stabilized and stored in the brain for the long term.
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- Glossary
contralateral
Contralateral is a positional term. It means "located on the other side of the body."
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- Glossary
Convergence
Convergence of neurons occurs when several neurons are connected synaptically to a single transmitting neuron. In the eye, for example, information received by up to 130 receptors is transmitted to only one neuron in the retina. The opposite is divergence, when one neuron transmits signals to several other neurons.
