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- Glossary
working memory
A form of memory, often used synonymously with the term "short-term memory." However, many theorists clearly distinguish between the two concepts with regard to the manipulation of information in working memory. It temporarily retains information, including newly acquired information and memory content from long-term memory that is associated with the new information. In the model developed by Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch, it includes a central executive, a phonological loop, an episodic buffer, and a visuospatial sketchpad.
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Archicortex
An ancient structure of the cerebrum in terms of evolutionary development, which, in contrast to the isocortex (also called the neocortex), has a three-layer structure. The archicortex mainly comprises the hippocampal structures.
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Area F5
A part of the ventral premotor cortex located in the frontal lobe of the mammalian brain. The nerve cells in this region of the brain are involved in planning and organizing purposeful movements, especially of the mouth and hand/grasping movements. Area F5 also has historical significance: it was here that researchers first discovered mirror neurons in macaques – the nerve cells in the brains of primates that fire just as strongly when their owners observe an action as when they perform it themselves.
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Praepiriform area
The praepiriform area is part of the piriform cortex in the ventral temporal lobe and belongs to the primary olfactory cortex, i.e., the primary olfactory cortex. Among other things, it contains inputs from the olfactory bulb (bulbus olfactorius) and is therefore involved in the initial cortical processing of olfactory stimuli.
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- Glossary
Asomatognosia
Asomatognosia literally means "not knowing" one's own body. The term refers to the loss of perception or feeling of belonging to one's own body parts. Asomatognosia is usually caused by damage to the right parietal lobe, which means that the left side of the body is usually affected.
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Association cortex
Parts of the cerebrum that are not assigned to the primary and secondary areas for sensory processing and motor function. They are mainly located in the neocortex, integrate information from multiple sources, are the center of thalamocortical and cortico-cortical networks, and cannot be clearly distinguished functionally.
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Astrocyte
Astrocytes are among the largest glial cells. Their tasks include maintaining the blood-brain barrier and reabsorbing released neurotransmitters (messenger substances in the brain).
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Ataxia
A medical umbrella term for the disturbance or loss of coordination of movement. In the case of target ataxia, for example, a targeted grasp of an object may be slow, shaky, or too fast. Ataxia can be congenital or the result of lesions or degeneration.
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Auditory cortex
The auditory cortex is a part of the temporal lobe that is involved in processing acoustic signals. It is divided into the primary and secondary auditory cortex.
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- Glossary
Attention
Attention serves as a tool for consciously perceiving internal and external stimuli. We achieve this by focusing our mental resources on a limited number of stimuli or pieces of information. While some stimuli automatically attract our attention, we can select others in a controlled manner. The brain also unconsciously processes stimuli that are not currently the focus of our attention.
