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- Glossary
Positron emission tomography
An imaging technique that helps doctors visualize metabolic processes in the body. The patient is injected with a weakly radioactive substance that emits positrons, i.e., beta radiation. When the positrons encounter electrons in the body, energy is released in the form of two photons. These photons travel in opposite directions. Detectors are arranged around the patient in the PET scanner to register the photons that strike them. This makes it possible to track whether the radioactive substance accumulates in certain areas of the body, which can indicate the presence of a tumor, for example. Positron emission tomography is also used in the early diagnosis of dementia. The radiation exposure is low and acceptable in a medical context.
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- Milestones
Rita Levi-Montalcini: How Nerves grow
Despite being banned from her profession and persecuted, Rita Levi-Montalcini enjoyed a brilliant career in research.
28.09.2012
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- Grundlagen
- Communication in the Brain
Legalize it?! What are the medical benefits of cannabis?
Are cannabinoid-based drugs suitable for clinical use? Experts remain divided on the issue.
11.12.2025
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- Acting
- Motor Skills
Highway through the Spinal Cord
Thanks to motor pathways from the brain to the spinal cord, we can move at lightning speed.
01.12.2025
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- News from the Institutes
New Highly Effective Bitter Compound Identified
Mushroom study expands knowledge of natural bitter compounds
07.04.2025
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- Grundlagen
- Communication in the Brain
On the Scent of Cell Communication
A lot has to happen before nerve cells reveal their secrets. A historical review.
22.12.2023
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- Grundlagen
- Anatomy
The Flocculonodular Lobe
The oldest part of the cerebellum is primarily concerned with balance.
05.08.2025
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- Glossary
Acetylcholine
Acetylcholine is one of the most important neurotransmitters in the nervous system. In the central nervous system, it is involved in attention, learning, and memory; in the peripheral nervous system, it transmits excitation from nerves to muscles at the neuromuscular end plates and controls processes of the autonomic nervous system, i.e., the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts. Areas in which acetylcholine acts as a messenger substance are called cholinergic. It was the first neurotransmitter to be discovered, identified in 1921 by Otto Loewi in the heart of a frog.
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- Glossary
Adrenaline
Along with dopamine and norepinephrine, it belongs to the catecholamines. Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is the classic stress hormone. It is produced in the adrenal medulla and causes an increase in heart rate and heartbeat strength, thus preparing the body for increased stress. In the brain, adrenaline also acts as a neurotransmitter (messenger substance), where it binds to so-called adrenoreceptors.
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- Glossary
Biomarker
In medicine, a biomarker is a substance that provides information about the physiological state of an organism. Biomarkers can either be produced in the body itself or describe chemical compounds that doctors introduce into the body to test certain physiological functions. Several indicators, for example, are being discussed as possible biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease. These include the concentration of soluble amyloid precursor protein in the blood and the activity of the enzyme that cleaves the precursor protein to produce plaque-forming beta-amyloid. Disease-related changes detected by imaging techniques are also often referred to as biomarkers. For example, the breakdown of brain tissue can be detected by MRI.
