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- Glossary
Ventral tegmental area
Located in the midbrain, the uppermost section of the brain stem, is the ventral tegmental area (VTA) – a central component of the reward system. The area itself is not particularly large, but its influence is immense: the neurons of the VTA send their axons to the nucleus accumbens and widely into the prefrontal cortex (PFC), where they release the neuromodulator dopamine. In this way, they enhance learning processes, but can also contribute to the development of addictions.
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The Glymphatic System
The brain produces waste, too. And the brain has its own waste disposal system.
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Humor
There is an art, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to through yourself at the ground and miss.
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Stress!
Lifing under pressure
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Successful aging
What is going right in the brains of superagers?
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Act
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Discover
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Pain
Pain – considered by the ancient Greeks to be the “barking watchdog of health” – spans all scales of the nervous system.
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Vision
About 80 percent of the information about the environment comes from our eyes. A good quarter of the brain is involved in processing this input.
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Feeling
Uneven ground, the heat of the oven, a gentle caress on the arm – our body perceives a variety of stimuli, which it transmits to the brain.
