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Glossary
15.03.2017
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- Glossary
Adaptation
Adaptation refers to the process by which the sensory organs, the perceptual system, or the entire organism adjusts to the intensity and quality of stimuli and to changes in environmental conditions. In visual adaptation, for example, the pupil and the sensitivity of the photoreceptors regulate themselves according to the prevailing light conditions.
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- News from the Institutes
Keeper or corner? How the brain enables flexible decisions
Neuroscientists show how the brain enables flexible decisions
03.02.2025
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- News from the Institutes
Early Life Stress Can Build Resilience in Females
Groundbreaking results offering new insights into psychiatric disorders
23.04.2025
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- Question to the brain
What is transgenerational trauma?
How are traumas passed on to subsequent generations? What happens in the brain during this process?
12.05.2024
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- Emotions
On the Trail of Emotions
How do feelings arise? Emotion theories provide different answers.
18.07.2018
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- News from the Institutes
Two Brain Areas Compete for Control
The locus coeruleus and the ventral tegmental area compete for control over the formation of memory content
14.03.2025
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- Glossary
Plasticity
The term neuroplasticity describes the ability of synapses, nerve cells, and entire areas of the brain to change structurally and functionally depending on the degree to which they are used. Synaptic plasticity refers to the adaptation of the signal transmission strength of synapses to the frequency and intensity of incoming stimuli, for example in the form of long-term potentiation or depression. In addition, the size, interconnection, and activity patterns of different areas of the brain also change depending on their use. This phenomenon is referred to as cortical plasticity when it specifically affects the cortex.
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Pupil
The opening in the eye through which light enters. The size of the pupil is determined by the iris and changes reflexively (pupillary reflex). This process of adjusting to the brightness of the environment is called adaptation.
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Evolution
Everyone started small, even life itself. It is still small, almost tiny. And everywhere.
