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- Glossary
Parvocellular
"Parvus" means "small." In the lateral geniculate nucleus, the switching station for visual stimuli in the thalamus, the outer four layers are called parvocellular because, unlike the magnocellular cell layers, they have small cell bodies. The parvocellular system transmits information for the perception of color and fine details.
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- Glossary
Psychosomatics
Psychosomatics examines the effects of emotional and cognitive processes on the body, particularly on the subjective perception of illness. This includes mental health problems with physical consequences, such as eating disorders and hypochondria. After psychologists initially used theoretical models to explain psychosomatic phenomena, the field has also been the subject of scientific research since the mid-20th century. Since 2003, there have been officially recognized specialists in psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy.
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- Glossary
Visual pathway
The visual pathway refers to the network of nerve cells involved in visual perception. In mammals, it runs from the retinal ganglion cells in the eye – as the optic nerve to the optic chiasm, then as the visual tract – via the only switching point in the lateral geniculate nucleus to the primary visual cortex.
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- Glossary
Superior temporal sulcus
The superior temporal sulcus is the uppermost groove of the temporal lobe and lies below the Sylvian fissure. It separates the superior temporal gyrus from the middle temporal gyrus. Functionally, this area is involved in auditory processes, language processing, and the perception of socially relevant information.
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- Glossary
Visual agnosia
Agnosia can be translated as "not recognizing." It refers to deficits in visual perception without blindness. The term was coined by Sigmund Freud. Examples of visual agnosia include prosopagnosia (face agnosia) and object agnosia.
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- Glossary
Dorsal pathway
The dorsal visual processing pathway is the part of visual information processing that is responsible for the spatial localization of objects and the perception of movement. It transmits visual information from the primary visual cortex (V1) and secondary visual areas (V2, V3) to the parietal lobes, where spatial orientation, motion analysis, and action planning take place.
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- Glossary
Anterior cingulate cortex
Like the entire cingulate cortex, the anterior region of the limbic system regulates drive-controlled behavior. In the perception of pain, it is particularly associated with the affective pain component - including social pain as experienced through exclusion.
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- Topic
Basics
Basics – we understand this in two ways: On the one hand, you will find here anatomy and physiology – communication in the brain – all the structures and processes on which perception, thinking, and action are based. This also includes the “other” brain cells, the glial cells, which have been criminally neglected for decades. And, of course, the networks, because they are currently the best model we have for understanding the organization of the brain. As an appendage to this spectrum, so to speak, we also describe the scientific methods, the toolbox of neuroscientists. Obviously, the better the methods, the more we can find out. Perhaps even more fundamental for us as individuals is the development of the brain: childhood as the basis – including an instruction manual for babies – for our entire lives. Puberty as the basis for at least our taste in music, and not least with the reminder that it too will pass. And, of course, old age. Read for yourself. But please note: Not all our topics are translated in English yet – there are over 80. Please allow a little time ...
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Spinal Cord
So much for the "blind gut" of the brain!
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Violence
Crusades and witch hunts in the Middle Ages. Concentration camps, genocide, nuclear weapons in the 20th century. And now?
