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- Glossary
Pallidum
The globus pallidus, also known as the pallidum, is an important nucleus of the basal ganglia. It is a motor nucleus of the extrapyramidal system involved in the regulation of movement. The pallidum has an inhibitory and an excitatory part. The Latin name pallidus – pale – refers to the color of this nucleus.
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- Glossary
Glutamate
Glutamate is an amino acid and the most important excitatory neurotransmitter, which acts as a messenger substance in the transmission of information between neurons at their synapses.
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Golgi’s method
A staining method that can be used to visualize entire nerve cells. When Italian physician and scientist Camillo Golgi (1843–1926) treated nerve tissue with a solution of potassium dichromate and silver nitrate, small crystals of silver chromate formed in the cells – but only in every 10th cell. Golgi initially called his method the "black reaction." With the help of this process, it was shown that the entire nervous system consists of individual neurons.
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Golgi tendon organ
The Golgi tendon organ is a sensor located at the junction between the tendon and the muscle. It reacts primarily to muscle contraction and can thus register muscle tension. This in turn provides information about the position of individual body parts in space.
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- Glossary
Gray matter
Grey matter refers to a collection of nerve cell bodies, such as those found in nuclei or in the cortex.
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Cerebrum
The cerebrum comprises the cerebral cortex (gray matter), the nerve fibers (white matter), and the basal ganglia. It is the largest part of the brain. The cortex can be divided into four cortical areas: the temporal lobe, frontal lobe, occipital lobe, and parietal lobe.Its functions include the coordination of perception, motivation, learning, and thinking.
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Grandmother neuron
Reference to a now outdated model from learning psychology. The term was coined by Polish neurophysiologist Jerzy Konorski in the 1960s. He imagined that a specific cognitive process in the brain – such as thinking about one's grandmother – is always linked to the activity of one and the same neuron. However, scientists have since discovered that the whole process is somewhat more complicated: memories are generated by a spatial and temporal pattern of action potentials from different nerve cells.
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- Glossary
Gustatory cortex
Here, the brain processes information from the taste receptors. When these are stimulated, the sensory cells in the taste buds send a signal to the thalamus via various intermediate stations. The thalamus then forwards this signal to the insular lobe. This is where the primary gustatory cortex is located, which combines the information from the taste pathways with other sensory impressions. The primary gustatory cortex then forwards the combined data package to its secondary counterpart. This is located in the orbitofrontal cortex, where the final processing of olfactory information also takes place.
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- Glossary
Angular gyrus
The angular gyrus is part of the cerebrum and is considered part of the parietal lobe. Anatomically, however, it is located at the intersection of the temporal, occipital, and parietal lobes. Functionally, visual and auditory impressions are integrated here, and it is also involved in writing, reading, and arithmetic.
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- Glossary
Cingulate gyrus
The cingulate gyrus is an important part of the limbic system in the cerebrum. This strip of cortex runs medially in the cerebrum, directly above the corpus callosum. Among other things, it is involved in emotions and memory. Through its connections to limbic and autonomic centers, it can also influence autonomic responses (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure). The anterior (front) region in particular is also associated with attention, motivation, error monitoring, and emotion regulation.
