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- Glossary
Substance P
Substance P is a neuropeptide that acts as a neurotransmitter and belongs to the tachykinin family. High concentrations are found in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, where it is involved in pain modulation.
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- Basics
- Anatomy
The Mesencephalon
Important neurotransmitters, an astonishing array of colors, and a water pipe – that's the midbrain.
20.09.2025
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- Glossary
Cerebrospinal fluid
A clear fluid that fills the ventricular system and bathes the brain and spinal cord in the subarachnoid space, protecting them from impact. Three to five times a day, 100 to 160 ml of fluid is renewed by the choroid plexus. Certain diseases are reflected in the composition of the cerebrospinal fluid.
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- Glossary
Mossy fiber
Mossy fibers are nerve fibers that conduct impulses from the spinal cord and the pontine nuclei to the cerebellum. There they terminate in the granule cell layer. The axons of the granule cells of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus, which extend to CA3, are also referred to as mossy fibers.
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- Glossary
Betz giant cells
Betz giant cells are particularly large pyramidal cells in the primary motor cortex (area 4). They have very large cell bodies with a diameter of 100 µm and heavily myelinated axons that project directly into the spinal cord. This makes them part of the corticospinal neurons of the pyramidal tract. Although they make up only a small portion of the fibers of the pyramidal tract, they are functionally important for the control of voluntary movements, especially fine motor skills.
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- Glossary
cranial
A positional term – cranial means "towards the head." In relation to the nervous system, it refers to a direction along the neural axis, i.e., forward. In animals (without upright gait), the designation is simpler, as it always means forward. Due to the upright gait of humans, the brain bends in relation to the spinal cord, where cranial also means "upward."
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- Glossary
rostral
A positional term – rostral means "towards the beak." In relation to the nervous system, it refers to a direction along the neural axis towards the front, towards the face. In animals (without upright gait), the designation is simpler, as it always means located toward the front. Due to the upright gait of humans, the brain bends in relation to the spinal cord, making rostral at the level of the back become "up."
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- Glossary
caudal
A positional term – caudal means "towards the tail." In relation to the nervous system, it refers to a direction along the neural axis, i.e., towards the rear. In animals (that do not walk upright), the term always means: located at the end of the spine. Due to the upright gait of humans, the brain bends in relation to the spinal cord, which means that caudal also means downward.
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- Percieve
- Smell & Taste
The Secret of Taste Perception
We don't just taste with our tongues. Many senses work together to create the taste experience.
02.09.2025
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- Act
- Motor Skills
Command Center for Movement
The primary motor cortex triggers movements – how this happens remains a mystery to researchers to this day.
01.12.2025
