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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.
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- Glossary
Tuber cinereum
The tuber cinereum is a hill-shaped area in the hypothalamus from which the infundibulum, the pituitary stalk, originates. The tuber nuclei are located in the tuber cinereum, including the nucleus tuberomammillaris, which is the only region in the brain that uses histamine as a neurotransmitter.
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- Glossary
Sensory memory
This memory allows sensory input – a sentence or an image – to be repeated without having been consciously perceived. Each sensory modality has its own memory for this purpose, which is deleted after a very short time. The ability to repeat something that was said earlier in a conversation, even though you were not paying attention to it, is an example of auditory sensory memory.
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- Glossary
Inferior olivary nucleus
The inferior olive – more precisely, the olive nucleus complex – is one of the largest nucleus complexes in the brain stem. It plays an important role in fine-tuning motor skills, as it forms the connection between the motor cortex and the cerebellum.
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- Glossary
vascular
The term refers to vessels in the body in which fluids such as blood or lymph circulate. In a narrower sense, doctors refer to the network of veins, arteries, and capillaries as the "vascular system." If the vascular system is blocked, for example as a result of a stroke, less blood reaches the brain. This means that it receives less oxygen and other nutrients. This can lead to impaired cognitive functions and the development of "vascular dementia." After degenerative forms of dementia such as Alzheimer's, vascular dementia is the second most common form of this group of diseases.
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- Glossary
Pacinian corpuscle
Relatively large mechanoreceptors in the subcutaneous tissue that respond to vibration and thus also register acceleration on the skin.They are named after the German anatomist Abraham Vater (1684–1751) and the Italian anatomist Filippo Pacini (1812–1883).
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ventral
A positional term – ventral means "towards the abdomen." In relation to the nervous system, it refers to a direction perpendicular to the neural axis, i.e., downwards or forwards. In animals (that do not walk upright), the term is simpler, as it always means toward the abdomen. Due to the upright posture of humans, the brain bends in relation to the spinal cord, making ventral mean "forward."
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- Glossary
Ventricular system
A system of cavities in the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This provides protection, nutrition, homeostasis, and waste removal for the brain.
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- Glossary
Ventromedial prefrontal cortex
Anatomically, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex belongs to the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex. In some patients with decision-making problems, neuroscientists find lesions in this region of the brain. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex also becomes active when we try to suppress negative emotions such as feelings of guilt. It receives signals from many other areas of the brain and innervates the amygdala, hypothalamus, and several areas of the cortex.
