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oneirophrenia

n. a dreamlike, hallucinatory state resembling schizophrenia in certain symptoms, such as disturbances of emotion and associations, but distinguished from schizophrenia by disturbances of the senses and clouding of consciousness. It is associated with prolonged sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, or drug use, but it is not widely considered a distinct clinical entity. [first described in the 1950s by Hungarian-born U.S. psychiatrist Ladislas von Meduna (1896–1964)]

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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.