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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- Glossary
Inhibiting hormones
Hormones produced in the hypothalamus that inhibit the release of other hormones from the adenohypophysis (part of the pituitary gland).
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- Glossary
Inner hair cell
Outer and inner hair cells are sensory cells for acoustic signals in the organ of Corti. At their tips, they have hair-like projections called stereocilia, which are interconnected. The approximately 3,000 inner hair cells are all arranged in a row. They are the actual acoustic sensory cells. The stereocilia are deflected by fluid movement in the subtectorial cleft.
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- Glossary
Savant syndrome
Savant syndrome is a rare phenomenon in which people with cognitive deficits in one or more very limited areas possess astonishing abilities – for example, reciting six-digit prime numbers or drawing a city correctly from memory in detail after flying over it. Probably the best-known savant was Kim Peek, the inspiration for the film Rain Man.
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- Glossary
Insula
The insula is a recessed part of the cortex (cerebral cortex) that is covered by the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. This overlay is called the opercula (lid). The insula influences the motor and sensory functions of the intestines and is considered to be the link between cognitive and emotional elements in pain processing. It is also involved in processes such as taste and physical self-awareness.
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- Glossary
Intelligence
Collective term for human cognitive performance. According to British psychologist Charles Spearman, cognitive performance in different areas correlates with a general factor (g factor) of intelligence. This means that intelligence can be expressed as a single value. American psychologist Howard Gardner, among others, has developed a counter-concept to this, known as the "theory of multiple intelligences." According to this theory, intelligence develops independently in the following eight areas: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical-rhythmic, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, naturalistic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal.
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- Glossary
Intelligence quotient
A measure intended to express a person's intellectual capacity. Tests designed to determine intelligence are based on the concept that there is a general factor of intelligence that is normally distributed across the population. The first IQ tests were developed in the early 20th century by Alfred Binet, who wanted to use them to determine the relative intelligence age of schoolchildren. According to his definition, IQ is the quotient of intelligence age and chronological age multiplied by 100. This is also the average IQ of a person. Modern tests often use standard deviations for normalization, which means that IQ is still scaled to average = 100, SD = 15, without directly calculating intelligence age. 95 percent of the population has IQ scores between 70 and 130. If someone scores below 70, they are considered to have intellectual disability, while a score above 130 is considered gifted.
