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- 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Reference to a now outdated model from learning psychology.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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- Percieve
- Hearing
From Wiggling to the wonderful Variety of Sounds
It is a long way from purely mechanical vibrations to the world of sounds and tones.
17.10.2025
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- Basics
- 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
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- News from the Institutes
AI looks deeper into visual system
Artificial intelligence models provide insights to understand the processing of visual stimuli in the brain
10.04.2025
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- Discover
- Milestones
John Eccles: Across the Gap
John Eccles disproved his own theories. In doing so, he helped to elucidate synaptic transmission.
06.06.2013
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- News from the Institutes
Making up for lost time: Inhibitory neurons catch up during brain development
New insights into the emergence of brain cells that keep neural activity in balance
08.07.2025
