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1. Discover
2. The Fly

Learning on a Pinhead

When it comes to learning, fruit flies are true masters of association.

19.01.2026

1. Basics
2. Communication of Cells

Terminals of Communication

Most nerve cells use chemical synapses to communicate.

10.05.2012

1. Glossary

Grandmother neuron

Reference to a now outdated model from learning psychology. The term was coined by Polish neurophysiologist Jerzy Konorski in the 1960s. He imagined that a specific cognitive process in the brain – such as thinking about one's grandmother – is always linked to the activity of one and the same neuron. However, scientists have since discovered that the whole process is somewhat more complicated: memories are generated by a spatial and temporal pattern of action potentials from different nerve cells.

1. 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.

1. Glossary

Neuron doctrine

The neuron doctrine forms the basis for our current understanding of the nervous system. According to this doctrine, the brain does not consist of a single, interconnected nerve network, but rather of individual nerve cells that communicate with each other via contact points. This was discovered by the Spanish Ramon y Cajal at the end of the 19th century when he stained nerve cell preparations from chickens and mammals. He used a staining technique developed by Camillo Golgi. For their achievement, the two researchers – who were unfortunately at odds with each other – were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1906.

1. Glossary

Projection neuron

A neuron that transmits information via its axon (long fiber-like extension of nerve cells) from one area to another, distant area, projects.

1. Glossary

Sensory neuron

A sensory neuron is a specialized nerve cell that perceives stimuli – for example, chemical (sweet), visual (bright), or acoustic (loud) – and transmits the information to the central nervous system.

1. Basics
2. Communication of Cells

Cells: Specialized Workers of the Brain

Several billion tiny cells are located in the brain. There they perform amazing work.

01.07.2025

1. Discover
2. Milestones

John Eccles: Across the Gap

John Eccles disproved his own theories. In doing so, he helped to elucidate synaptic transmission.

06.06.2013

1. Basics
2. Anatomy

The Corpus Callosum

The corpus callosum allows information to flow between the two hemispheres of the cerebrum. This is urgently needed.

01.07.2025