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Human structure and function

2,701 articles

Nerve compression syndrome

Nerve compression syndrome, or entrapment neuropathy, is pressure on a peripheral nerve at anatomical tunnels, causing pain, numbness, and weakness. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common type; cubital tunnel is second.

Nerve conduction study

Nerve conduction study (NCS), also called nerve conduction velocity test, is an electrodiagnostic test stimulating peripheral nerves to measure latency, amplitude, and conduction velocity, used with EMG to diagnose neuropathy and compression syndromes like carpal tunnel.

Nerve conduction velocity

Nerve conduction velocity (NCV), also called a nerve conduction study (NCS), measures how fast electrical signals travel along peripheral nerves using surface electrodes. Covers Helmholtz's 1870 measurement, temperature and age effects, diagnostic thresholds, and AANEM standards.

Nerve growth factor

Nerve growth factor (NGF), the first discovered neurotrophin, found by Levi-Montalcini and Hamburger in the 1950s; signals via TrkA and p75NTR; basis for cenegermin (neurotrophic keratitis) and anti-NGF pain drugs.

Nervous tissue

Nervous tissue, also called neural tissue, is the excitable tissue of the nervous system composed of neurons and glial cells (neuroglia), with six glial types across CNS and PNS, myelin from oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells, and the neuron doctrine of Cajal and Golgi as its foundation.

Netrin

Netrins (from Sanskrit 'Netr', guide) are laminin-related extracellular guidance proteins, including secreted netrin-1, 3, 4 and GPI-anchored netrin G1/G2, that attract or repel migrating axons via DCC and UNC5 receptors and also act in cancer.

Network dynamics of conscious states

Network dynamics of conscious states is the study of how brain integration and segregation change across sleep, waking, and anesthesia, measured by tools like the perturbational complexity index.

Neural computation

Neural Computation (Neural Comput.), MIT Press journal founded 1989 by Terrence Sejnowski; monthly peer-reviewed venue for theory, modeling, and statistics in neuroscience and neurally inspired AI systems.

Neural correlates of consciousness

Neural correlates of consciousness (NCC): the minimal neural mechanisms jointly sufficient for a conscious percept, defined by Crick and Koch (1990); research centers on the posterior cortical hot zone versus fronto-parietal theories, tested by adversarial collaborations and anesthesia studies.

Neural development

Neural development, also called neurodevelopment, is the process by which the nervous system forms, from the embryonic neural plate and tube through neurogenesis, migration, synaptogenesis, and lifelong synaptic pruning.

Neural plate

Neural plate: thickened columnar ectoderm induced by notochord signals during neurulation; folds into the neural tube (brain and spinal cord precursor). BMP antagonism induces it; failure of closure causes neural tube defects like spina bifida.

Neural progenitor cell

A neural progenitor cell is an undifferentiated cell derived from a neural stem cell with limited self-renewal, central to embryonic brain development and under study in clinical transplantation.

Neural stem cell

A neural stem cell (NSC) is a self-renewing, multipotent cell that generates the neurons and glia of the nervous system, persisting into adulthood in mammals.

Neural tube

Neural tube: embryonic epithelium with a central lumen that forms the vertebrate brain and spinal cord during neurulation (weeks 3-4 in humans); closure failure causes neural tube defects preventable by folic acid.

Neural–electrode interface and biocompatibility

The neural–electrode interface is where an implanted electrode meets living neural tissue; immune reactions and scar tissue raise impedance and kill recording sites, making it the bottleneck for devices like Utah arrays and DBS leads.

Neuralink

Neuralink: neurotechnology company co-founded by Elon Musk (2016) making the N1 invasive brain-computer implant (1,024 electrodes, 64 threads, R1 robot insertion) for paralysis; 12 patients implanted by 2025, FDA breakthrough designations for Blindsight and speech.

Neurapraxia

Neurapraxia is the mildest peripheral nerve injury, a temporary conduction block from focal demyelination with the axon intact, per Seddon's 1942 classification; it recovers spontaneously within weeks to about three months.

Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging

Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) is a diffusion MRI technique introduced by University College London researchers in 2012 that estimates the density and angular spread of dendrites and axons in the living human brain.

Neuroblast (sensu Nematoda and Protostomia)

Neuroblast (sensu Nematoda and Protostomia), Cell Ontology term CL:0000338, is the invertebrate CNS neural precursor, a self-renewing stem cell dividing asymmetrically into ganglion mother cells, distinct from the postmitotic vertebrate neuroblast.

Neurochemistry

Neurochemistry: study of the chemistry of the brain and nerves, from Hensing's 1719 phosphorus treatise and French quantitative analyses to neurotransmitters, dopamine, ISN, JNC, and in vivo microdialysis methods.

Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback (EEG biofeedback, neurotherapy): real-time feedback of brain activity to train self-regulation, founded on Kamiya's 1960s alpha work and Sterman's SMR epilepsy research; ADHD meta-analyses find no stand-alone benefit.

Neurofibromatosis

Neurofibromatosis (von Recklinghausen's disease) is a group of autosomal dominant tumor-predisposition disorders: NF1 (chromosome 17, neurofibromin), NF2-related schwannomatosis (chromosome 22, merlin), and schwannomatosis, causing nerve sheath tumors, skin lesions, and hearing loss.

Neurofibromatosis type II

Neurofibromatosis type II, or NF2-related schwannomatosis, is a genetic tumor predisposition syndrome causing bilateral vestibular schwannomas, meningiomas, and spinal ependymomas, caused by NF2 gene variants.

Neurogenic shock

Neurogenic shock: distributive shock from loss of sympathetic tone after spinal cord injury above T6, causing hypotension with bradycardia and warm skin; treated with fluids then norepinephrine to MAP targets.

Neurogenins

Neurogenins (NEUROG1, NEUROG2, NGN1/2) are atonal-related bHLH proneural transcription factors that determine neuronal fate in vertebrate placodes, cortex, spinal cord, and reprogramming.

Neuroimaging

Neuroimaging: imaging of brain structure and function using CT, MRI, fMRI, PET, SPECT, EEG, and MEG. Hemodynamic methods give millimeter spatial but seconds-scale temporal resolution; EEG/MEG give millisecond timing; fMRI has largely replaced PET in research.

Neuroinformatics

Neuroinformatics is a discipline combining neuroscience with informatics, building databases, computational models, and tools that let researchers share and analyze brain data across all scales.

Neurological disorder

Neurological disorder: any condition affecting the brain, spinal cord, or nerves, from epilepsy and migraine to stroke and dementia. Leading cause of ill health worldwide, affecting over 1 in 3 people; WHO's IGAP 2022–2031 targets its care.

Neurological research

Neurological Research (Neurol Res), a peer-reviewed journal of neurosurgery, neurology, and neurosciences founded 1979, ISSN 0161-6412/1743-1328, published by Taylor & Francis since 2016, MEDLINE-indexed, hybrid open access.

Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology

Neurological Sciences is a bimonthly peer-reviewed neurology journal published in Milan by Springer; official journal of the Italian Neurological Society, founded 1979 as the Italian Journal of Neurological Sciences, renamed 2000, ISSN 1590-1874.