ElectroencephalographyElectrophysiological method to record electrical activity of the brainMedical interventionElectroencephalography (EEG) is a method to record an electrogram of the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain. The bio signals detected by EEG have been shown to represent the postsynaptic potentials of pyramidal neurons in the neocortex and allocortex.
NeuronPrimary cell of the nervous systemA neuron (American English), neurone (British English), or nerve cell, is a cell that is excitable, firing electric signals called action potentials. Neurons form neural networks in the nervous system, mainly in the central nervous system. Neurons receive and conduct impulses.
Action potentialAn action potential (also known as a nerve impulse or "spike" when in a neuron) is a series of quick changes in voltage across a cell membrane. An action potential occurs when the membrane potential of a specific cell rapidly rises and falls. This "depolarization" (physically, a reversal of the polarization of the membrane) then causes adjacent locations to similarly depolarize.MicroelectrodeA microelectrode is an electrode used in electrophysiology either for recording neural signals or for the electrical stimulation of nervous tissue. They were first developed by Ida Hyde in 1921. Pulled glass pipettes with tip diameters of 0.5 μm or less are usually filled with 3 molars potassium chloride solution as the electrical conductor.
Brain–computer interfaceA brain–computer interface (BCI), sometimes called a brain–machine interface (BMI), is a direct communication link between the brain's electrical activity and an external device, most commonly a computer or robotic limb. BCIs are often directed at researching, mapping, assisting, augmenting, or repairing human cognitive or sensory-motor functions.
MagnetoencephalographyMagnetoencephalography (MEG) is a functional neuroimaging technique for mapping brain activity by recording magnetic fields produced by electrical currents occurring naturally in the brain, using very sensitive magnetometers. Arrays of SQUIDs (superconducting quantum interference devices) are currently the most common magnetometer, while the SERF (spin exchange relaxation-free) magnetometer is being investigated for future machines.
AxonAn axon (from Ancient Greek: ἄξων, romanized: áxōn, lit. 'axis'; also called a nerve fiber or fibre) is a long slender projection of a nerve cell or neuron found in most animals that typically conducts electrical impulses known as action potentials away from the nerve cell body. The function of the axon is to transmit information to different neurons, muscles, and glands.
NeuroscienceNeuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developmental biology, cytology, psychology, physics, computer science, chemistry, medicine, statistics, and mathematical modeling to understand the fundamental and emergent properties of neurons, glia, and neural circuits.
Electrical impedanceIn electrical engineering, impedance is the opposition to alternating current presented by the combined effect of resistance and reactance in a circuit. Quantitatively, the impedance of a two-terminal circuit element is the ratio of the complex representation of the sinusoidal voltage between its terminals, to the complex representation of the current flowing through it. In general, it depends upon the frequency of the sinusoidal voltage.Cortical mapCortical maps are collections (areas) of minicolumns in the braincortex that have been identified as performing a specific information processing function (texture maps, color maps, contour maps, etc.). The sensory systemsCortical organization, especially for the sensory systems, is often described in terms of maps. For example, sensory information from the foot projects to one cortical site and the projections from the hand target in another site.
Cell membraneThe cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a semipermeablebiological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extracellular space).
Cognitive scienceInterdisciplinary scientific study of cognitive processesFigure illustrating the fields that contributed to the birth of cognitive science, including philosophy of mind, linguistics, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, anthropology, and psychologyCognitive science is the interdisciplinary, scientific study of the mind and its processes. It examines the nature, the tasks, and the functions of cognition (in a broad sense).Soma (biology)In cellular neuroscience, the soma (pl.: somata or somas; from Greek (sôma)'body'), or cell body, is the bulbous, non-process portion of a neuron or glial cell that contains the cell nucleus. The part of the soma without the nucleus is called the perikaryon (pl.: perikarya).*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.