Search
-
- Glossary
Interneurons
A small multipolar neuron that is neither sensory nor motor, connected between two other neurons and conducting impulses from one nerve cell to another. In the central nervous system, interneurons are mostly inhibitory and use the neurotransmitters GABA and glycine.
-
- Glossary
Ion channel
Ion channels are embedded in the cell membrane of nerve cells and all other cells in the body. They enable electrically charged particles, known as ions, to pass through the cell membrane into and out of the cell. They can therefore influence the membrane potential of a cell and trigger an action potential. A large number of different ion channels are known. Normally, ion channels have a specific permeability for only one type of ion, e.g., sodium ions or potassium ions. These are referred to as sodium channels or potassium channels, respectively.
-
- Glossary
ipsilateral
Ipsilateral is a positional term. It means "located on the same side of the body."
-
- Glossary
Iris
The (German) name "rainbow membrane" refers to the pigment coloration of the iris. Its size changes depending on the brightness of the surroundings, and with it the size of the pupil.
-
- Glossary
James-Lange theory
A theory of emotion developed by William James and (independently) Carl Lange in 1884, which assumes that emotions go through a kind of loop before they become conscious: the brain processes sensory signals, to which it responds by causing changes in the organism. It is only on the basis of these physical processes that the emotion becomes conscious. For example, the heart beats faster, which promotes the emotion of fear.
-
- Glossary
Jennifer Aniston neuron
The neuroscientific granddaughter of the grandmother neuron: In 2005, Rodrigo Quian Quiroga and his team discovered nerve cells in the temporal lobe of epilepsy patients that reacted specifically to certain objects – such as a picture of actress Jennifer Aniston. The angle from which the photos were taken was irrelevant. These neurons are part of a network of neurons that together represent a concept. However, there are strong indications that these cells are responsible not only for a single concept, but for several.
-
- Glossary
Fight-or-flight response
According to Walter Cannon's theory from 1929, animals – just like humans – respond to acute threats with increased arousal. They have the choice between fight or flight. Both reactions are triggered by the same feeling of stress.
-
- Glossary
caudal
A positional term – caudal means "towards the tail." In relation to the nervous system, it refers to a direction along the neural axis, i.e., towards the rear. In animals (that do not walk upright), the term always means: located at the end of the spine. Due to the upright gait of humans, the brain bends in relation to the spinal cord, which means that caudal also means downward.
-
- Glossary
Nucleus
In cell biology, the nucleus in a cell is the cell nucleus, which contains the chromosomes, among other things. In neuroanatomy, the nucleus in the nervous system refers to a collection of cell bodies – known as gray matter in the central nervous system and ganglia in the peripheral nervous system.
-
- Glossary
Magnetic resonance imaging
A device used by medical professionals for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI is an imaging technique used to diagnose malformations in various tissues or organs of the body. This method is particularly effective for imaging parts of the body that contain a lot of water. Patients are placed in a tube (scanner) and exposed to a strong magnetic field. However, they are not exposed to X-rays or other forms of ionizing radiation.
