Neurobiology Glossary

Immune cells of the central nervous system that monitor brain health and respond to injury or infection.

Small spontaneous depolarizations at the neuromuscular junction caused by single vesicle release.

Aberrant growth of hippocampal mossy fibers that creates new excitatory synapses, often associated with temporal lobe ep...

A motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates, functioning as the basic unit of muscle contraction.

Rhythmic fluctuations in electrical activity across neural populations, measured as coordinated changes in membrane pote...

Extracellular deposits of amyloid-beta protein surrounded by dystrophic neurites, a hallmark pathological feature of Alz...

Progressive disorder characterized by the gradual loss of structure or function of neurons, leading to cognitive or moto...

A benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor composed of Schwann cells, fibroblasts, and perineural cells.

The process by which new neurons are generated from neural stem cells in the developing and adult brain.

The study of how drugs affect cellular function in the nervous system and their mechanisms of action on neural processes...

Dense network of unmyelinated axons, dendrites, and glial processes between neuronal cell bodies in gray matter.

The brain's ability to reorganize and form new neural connections throughout life.

Chemical messengers that transmit signals across synapses between neurons.

Gaps in the myelin sheath along myelinated axons where voltage-gated ion channels cluster for saltatory conduction.

A type of glial cell responsible for producing myelin sheaths around axons in the central nervous system.

Technique using light to control genetically modified neurons expressing light-sensitive proteins.

Enhanced neurotransmitter release when two stimuli are delivered in close succession.

A prolonged depolarization of neurons that underlies epileptic seizure activity, characterized by sustained calcium infl...

Fast-spiking inhibitory neurons expressing the calcium-binding protein parvalbumin.

An electrophysiological technique using a glass micropipette to measure ionic currents across cellular membranes.

The time period immediately before, during, and after a seizure, encompassing preictal, ictal, and postictal phases.

The cell body of a neuron containing the nucleus and most organelles, excluding axons and dendrites.

Extracellular matrix structure surrounding certain neurons that regulates synaptic plasticity and stability.

Hippocampal neurons that fire when an animal is in a specific location within its environment.