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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
Neural representation
Various parts of the brain contain representations not only of the sensory systems, but also of objects such as faces. For example, so-called place cells in the hippocampus appear to play an important role in the representation of space. Each place cell represents a specific location in the environment and becomes active when its owner is at that location. Another group of neurons, grid cells, fire in a regular hexagonal pattern that is interpreted as a metric grid of the environment. This grid provides a kind of coordinate system that place cells can use for location coding.
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- Glossary
Anterior nuclei
This anterior, or front, core group of the thalamus maintains fiber connections with limbic areas, especially the hippocampus and the cingulate gyrus. It is considered an important hub of the limbic system.
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- Glossary
Place cells
Pyramidal cells in the hippocampus that encode a specific location in a specific environment – for example, a section of a maze. When a test animal is in the center of this area, the cell fires most strongly. Place cells were discovered in 1971 by John O'Keefe and Jonathon Dostrovsky.
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- Glossary
Temporal lobe
The temporal lobe is one of the four lobes of the cerebrum and is located laterally (on the side) at the bottom. It contains important areas such as the auditory cortex and parts of Wernicke's area, as well as areas for higher visual processing; deep within it lies the medial temporal lobe with structures such as the hippocampus.
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- Basics
- Anatomy
The Corpora Mamillaria
Mammillary bodies located between the cerebral peduncles – play an important role in memory formation.
28.11.2025
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- Act
- Sports
Dancing keeps you young
Exercise is beneficial for the brain: it improves cognitive performance and protects against age-related decline.
01.09.2021
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- Basics
- Anatomy
The Cingulate Gyrus
When paying attention, experiencing pain, or feeling emotions, the cingulate gyrus on the inside of the cortex becomes active.
22.09.2023
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- Think
- Emotions
What are Emotions?
What we feel shapes our emotional life – and helps us react correctly and quickly.
11.09.2025
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- Basics
- Anatomy
The Cortex
The brain's control center, seat of perception, consciousness, and behavior
20.09.2025
