GLOSSARY

Hippocampus

An area of the brain that is vital to forming different kinds of memories.

Neuron

A cell that is uniquely suited to passing messages around the brain in the form of electrical activity. Our brains contain some 86 billion of them.

Neurotransmitter

A chemical messenger that is released at the end of a neuron by the arrival of an electrical impulse. Neurotransmitters diffuse across the gap and make nearby neurons more or less likely to fire their own electrical impulse.

Semantic memory

A type of long-term memory of ideas and facts that is not drawn from personal experience, such as the name of a colour.

Synapse

The gap between two neurons, which allows activity to flow from one cell to the next. Changes in these structures are integral to memory and learning.