sciatic nerve

a large peripheral nerve that connects the receptor and effector cells in the leg to the spinal cord. Pain in the leg, which may extend over the entire length of this nerve, from the buttocks to the foot, is called sciatica. The cause is most commonly a slipped disk pressing on the nerve root emerging from the spinal cord.

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Psychology term of the day

February 23rd 2025

vacuum activity

in classical ethology, the occurrence of a fixed action pattern in the absence of the usual external stimulus (the releaser, or sign stimulus) that triggers the pattern. This is believed to be caused by a build-up of action-specific or motivational energy that overrides the innate releasing mechanism. Also called vacuum response. [proposed by Konrad Lorenz]