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- Glossary
Hypercomplex cell
A nerve cell in the primary visual cortex that responds most strongly to short, moving lines or corners in its receptive field. It exhibits end-stopping, meaning that the response strength decreases when the stimulus becomes longer than optimal. Hypercomplex cells are sensitive to the orientation and direction of movement of the stimulus and contribute to the perception of edges, corners, and curves.
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- Glossary
Posterior ventral nucleus
A nucleus of the dorsal thalamus that serves as the main somatosensory thalamic nucleus. The VPL receives somatosensory afferents from the body via the spinal cord (pressure, touch, vibration, proprioception, pain, temperature), while the VPM receives afferents from the head region via the trigeminal nerve. It transmits this information to the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and thus plays a central role in the awareness of somatosensory stimuli, including pain.
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- Glossary
Pyramidal neurons
Pyramidal neurons are the most common neurons in the cerebral cortex. They are particularly large, and their "three-pointed" cell body resembles a cone or pyramid when viewed in cross-section.
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- Glossary
Lewy body dementia
A neurodegenerative disease that resembles Alzheimer's disease, but also Parkinson's disease in its symptoms. The Lewy bodies that give the disease its name are caused by protein deposits in the nerve cells of the cerebral cortex and brain stem, which impair the function of the corresponding neurons. In addition to cognitive impairment, Lewy body dementia often causes hallucinations or depression, as well as changes in mobility similar to those seen in Parkinson's disease.
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- Glossary
Postcentral gyrus
The postcentral gyrus is the fold on the surface of the cerebrum located immediately behind the central sulcus. It contains the primary somatosensory cortex, where touch, pressure, temperature, and proprioceptive stimuli are processed.
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- Glossary
Septum
The septal nuclei are located medially in the basal forebrain, near the anterior tip of the cingulate gyrus. They are connected to the olfactory cortex and linked to other limbic structures via the fornix. Functionally, they play a role in emotional processes and reward processing.
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- Glossary
Cingulate gyrus
The cingulate gyrus is an important part of the limbic system in the cerebrum. This strip of cortex runs medially in the cerebrum, directly above the corpus callosum. Among other things, it is involved in emotions and memory. Through its connections to limbic and autonomic centers, it can also influence autonomic responses (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure). The anterior (front) region in particular is also associated with attention, motivation, error monitoring, and emotion regulation.
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- Glossary
Neocortex
The neocortex is the phylogenetically youngest part of the cerebral cortex. Since it is structured relatively uniformly in six layers, it is also referred to as the isocortex.
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- Glossary
Lateral geniculate nucleus
The lateral geniculate nucleus is the section of the thalamus (the largest part of the diencephalon) where around 90% of the optic nerve axons terminate. It has a characteristic stratification into six cell layers. The nerve cells of the lateral geniculate nucleus send their projections to the visual cortex. Together with the medial geniculate nucleus, it forms the metathalamus.
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- Glossary
Acoustic radiation
The acoustic radiation is part of the auditory pathway, i.e., the areas of the brain involved in hearing. More specifically, it is the section located between the thalamus and the sensory cortex.
