Clinical Neuroscience Glossary

A rapid, all-or-none electrical signal that propagates along a neuron's axon, initiated by the opening of voltage-gated sodium channels.

An almond-shaped structure in the medial temporal lobe involved in processing emotions, especially fear and threat detection.

A star-shaped glial cell that supports neurons by regulating the blood-brain barrier, maintaining ion homeostasis, recycling neurotransmitters, and contributing to the glymphatic system.

The long projection of a neuron that conducts electrical impulses (action potentials) away from the cell body to synaptic terminals.

A measurable indicator of a biological state or condition, used in clinical neuroscience for early diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of neurological diseases.

Blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal detected by fMRI, reflecting local changes in blood oxygenation that correlate with neural activity.

A hindbrain structure critical for motor coordination, balance, motor learning, and increasingly recognized for roles in cognition and affect.

The outer layer of the cerebrum composed of folded gray matter. Responsible for higher-order functions including perception, language, reasoning, and voluntary movement.

The loss or destruction of the myelin sheath surrounding nerve fibers, impairing signal conduction. Central to diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

A branching extension of a neuron that receives electrochemical signals from other neurons via synapses.

A monoamine neurotransmitter critical for motor control, reward processing, motivation, and executive function. Deficiency in Parkinson's; dysregulation in schizophrenia and addiction.

The process by which a normal brain develops epilepsy, involving molecular, cellular, and network changes that lead to recurrent spontaneous seizures.

The primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult brain. GABAergic dysfunction is implicated in epilepsy, anxiety disorders, and insomnia.

Non-neuronal cells of the nervous system including astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia, and Schwann cells, which support, protect, and maintain neurons.

The principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Excessive glutamate release can cause excitotoxicity, contributing to neuronal damage in stroke and neurodegeneration.

A medial temporal lobe structure essential for forming new explicit memories, spatial navigation, and contextual learning.

An area of tissue damage or abnormality in the brain caused by injury, disease, or surgical intervention, often used to study brain-behavior relationships.

Three protective membranes (dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater) surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

The fundamental excitable cell of the nervous system, specialized for transmitting information via electrical and chemical signals.

A CNS glial cell that produces the myelin sheath around axons, enabling rapid saltatory conduction of action potentials.

A nuclear imaging technique that uses radioactive tracers to visualize metabolic activity, neurotransmitter systems, and pathological protein deposits in the brain.

A transient episode of abnormal, excessive, or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain, which may manifest as motor, sensory, autonomic, or cognitive disturbances.

The junction between two neurons where neurotransmitters are released from the presynaptic terminal to bind receptors on the postsynaptic cell.

A diencephalic structure serving as the brain's relay station, routing sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex and regulating consciousness and alertness.

Brain tissue composed primarily of myelinated axons that form tracts connecting different brain regions, enabling rapid long-range communication.