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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
- Anatomy
The Epithalamus
Probably not the seat of the soul after all: the pineal gland in the epithalamus.
09.10.2025
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- Discover
- Milestones
René Descartes: Father of the Body-Mind Theory
Descartes viewed the body and soul as separate entities within humans that interact in the brain.
02.05.2016
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- Diseases
- Successful aging
The Old, Healthy Brain
Some people seem to be unaffected by aging. Research is currently being conducted to find out why this is the case.
01.02.2026
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- News from the Institutes
How disturbed signaling pathways could promote epileptic seizures
For the first time, a research team in Bonn is systematically investigating the role of the dopamine system in a common form of therapy-resistant epilepsy.
15.04.2025
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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
Ampakine
A group of active substances that belong to the "neuroenhancers" and can improve cognitive performance. Among other things, they increase attention span, promote memory, and facilitate learning processes. Their effect is based on binding to AMPA receptors in the brain, which facilitates synaptic transmission at glutamatergic synapses and enhances overall neuronal signal transmission.
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- Glossary
Change blindness
Change blindness is a phenomenon of visual perception whereby changes in the environment are not noticed. It is a problem of attention that can also arise due to distraction or concentration on other things. In experiments, a scene that changes during masking or distraction is often shown. Test subjects are unable to perceive the change.
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- Glossary
Executive functions
Brain research uses the term "executive functions" to describe the "higher" mental abilities of living beings. These include, for example, focused attention, planning actions, error correction, decision-making, impulse control, and emotional regulation.
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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.
