Search
-
- Glossary
Transducin
A G protein found in the photoreceptors of the retina. It is activated when a photon hits a photopigment and causes the cation channels in the photoreceptor to close. It is therefore an important component of the visual signal transduction cascade.
-
- Glossary
Transcranial direct current stimulation
A therapeutic procedure in which a weak electrical current is conducted from the outside into the brain with the aid of electrodes. This is intended to stimulate the formation of new connections there. Transcranial direct current stimulation was originally developed for the treatment of brain trauma. Today, neurologists also use it to relieve migraine attacks and headaches. However, the effectiveness of the procedure is controversial.
-
- Glossary
Trigeminal nerve
In accordance with its literal translation, "triple nerve," the trigeminal nerve consists of three main branches: the ophthalmic branch, the maxillary branch, and the mandibular branch. The trigeminal nerve originates in the brain, where it is connected to four different nerve nuclei – three sensory and one motor. It reaches large parts of the head via the three branches. The sensory and motor fibers supply the face, nasal and oral cavities, and masticatory muscles.
-
- Glossary
Olfactory trigone
At the trigonum olfactorium, the tractus olfactorius divides – forming a triangle – into the stria olfactoria lateralis and medialis.
-
- 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.
-
- 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.
-
- 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.
-
- 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.
-
- 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.
-
- 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.
