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brain comparator

a theoretical structure in the brain that compares an intended movement with sensory feedback that results from the movement (see comparator). The cerebellum is believed to act as a brain comparator to coordinate and calibrate movements in response to visual and somatosensory feedback. See also corollary discharge.

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Psychology term of the day

February 17th 2025

sexually dimorphic nucleus

sexually dimorphic nucleus

a nucleus of the central nervous system that differs in size between males and females. In humans, for example, a nucleus in the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus that synthesizes gonadotropin-releasing hormone tends to be larger and more active in males than in females because gonadotropin release is continuous (it is cyclical in females). In songbirds whose males sing more than females, several brain nuclei associated with both song learning and song production are larger in males than in females.