Glossary

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Attention(also: Attentional processing, Selective attention)

The cognitive process of selectively focusing on relevant stimuli while filtering out competing information. Cognitive neuroscience typically decomposes attention into three networks: alerting (maintaining readiness to respond), orienting (shifting focus across space or sensory…

Attention Network Test(also: ANT, ANT-I, ANT-Child)

A computer-administered cognitive task developed by Fan, Posner, and colleagues that measures three functionally distinct attention networks — alerting (sustained readiness), orienting (shifting attentional focus in space), and executive control (resolving conflict between…

Autonomic Nervous System(also: ANS)

The division of the nervous system that regulates involuntary physiological processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and stress responses. The ANS has two main branches: the sympathetic nervous system (activating "fight or flight" responses) and…

Beta Rhythm(also: Beta Wave, Beta Oscillation)

A pattern of electrical brain activity oscillating at approximately 13-30 Hz, commonly recorded over the sensorimotor cortex. Like mu rhythms, beta rhythms are modulated by movement and motor imagery — they are suppressed during movement and show a characteristic post-movement…

Brain-Computer Interface(also: BCI, Brain-Machine Interface, BMI)

A technology that enables direct communication between the brain and an external device by detecting and interpreting neural signals. BCIs can use invasive methods (implanted electrodes) or non-invasive approaches (EEG headsets). In accessibility contexts, BCIs allow people with…

C-tactile Afferents(also: CT afferents, C-tactile fibres, CT fibres)

Unmyelinated, slow-conducting nerve fibres found in hairy skin that respond selectively to gentle, slow stroking touch at velocities of approximately 1-10 cm/s. C-tactile afferents are strongly associated with affective and social touch, activating neural pathways linked to…

Cerebral Visual Impairment(also: CVI, Cortical Visual Impairment)

Cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is an umbrella term for visual deficits resulting from damage to the brain rather than the eyes. It affects visual perception, including visual acuity, cortical image processing, and pattern recognition. CVI is often associated with additional…

Cocktail Party Effect

The human ability to focus auditory attention on a single speaker or sound source while filtering out competing voices and background noise. Named after the experience of following one conversation at a noisy party, this perceptual phenomenon demonstrates that the auditory…

Cortical Plasticity(also: Brain Plasticity, Neural Plasticity, Cortical Reorganization)

The brain's ability to reorganize its neural connections and functional organization in response to injury, learning, or environmental changes. In the context of disability and rehabilitation, cortical plasticity is the mechanism by which undamaged brain areas can assume…

Cross-Modal Transfer(also: Cross-Modal Perception, Sensory Substitution)

Cross-modal transfer refers to the ability to recognize or process information received through one sensory modality (such as touch or hearing) based on experience gained through a different modality (such as vision). In accessibility and assistive technology, cross-modal…

Cross-modal Plasticity(also: Cross-modal Reorganisation, Cross-modal Cortical Recruitment, Sensory Substitution)

A neurological phenomenon in which brain regions typically dedicated to processing one sensory modality are repurposed to process information from another sense, often as a result of sensory deprivation. In deaf individuals, auditory cortical areas can reorganise to support…

Electroencephalography(also: EEG)

A non-invasive method of recording electrical activity of the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp. In assistive technology, EEG is the primary sensing technology behind brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which allow people with severe motor impairments such as paralysis or…

Episodic Memory(also: Autobiographical Memory, Personal Experience Memory)

The memory of specific personal experiences and events, including details about what happened, where and when it occurred, and the emotions associated with it. Episodic memory allows people to mentally "travel back in time" to re-experience past events from a first-person…

Event-Related Potential(also: ERP)

An event-related potential (ERP) is a measured brain response that is the direct result of a specific sensory, cognitive, or motor event. ERPs are extracted from electroencephalography (EEG) recordings by averaging brain signals time-locked to repeated presentations of a…

Imagined Voluntary Movement-Related Potentials(also: IVMRPs, Motor Imagery Potentials)

Electrical brain signals generated when a person imagines performing a voluntary movement without actually executing it. These potentials, detectable via EEG electrodes placed over motor cortex areas, are similar in pattern to the signals produced during actual movement. IVMRPs…

Mirror Neuron System(also: Mirror Neurons)

The mirror neuron system is a network of brain regions that activate both when a person performs an action and when they observe another person performing the same action. It is implicated in motor simulation, action understanding, and learning by imitation. Neuroscientific…

Motor Cortex(also: Primary Motor Cortex, M1)

The region of the cerebral cortex responsible for planning, controlling, and executing voluntary movements. Located in the frontal lobe along the precentral gyrus, the motor cortex is organised somatotopically — different areas control different body parts. In brain-computer…

Mu Rhythm(also: Mu Wave, Mu Oscillation)

A pattern of electrical brain activity oscillating at approximately 8-12 Hz, recorded over the sensorimotor cortex. Mu rhythms are suppressed (desynchronised) when a person performs or imagines performing a movement, a phenomenon known as event-related desynchronisation. In…

Multisensory Integration

The neural and perceptual process by which the brain combines information from different sensory modalities — sight, hearing, touch, proprioception — into a unified percept. Integration relies on temporal and spatial binding windows that widen with age: older adults tolerate…

Neural Plasticity(also: Neuroplasticity, Brain Plasticity)

The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. In the context of accessibility, neural plasticity explains how people who are blind or visually impaired develop enhanced auditory and tactile processing abilities—the brain regions that…

Neural Prosthetics(also: Neuroprosthetics, Neural Prostheses)

Devices that interface directly with the nervous system to restore or supplement lost sensory, motor, or cognitive functions. Neural prosthetics can be input devices (reading neural signals to control external equipment, as in brain-computer interfaces) or output devices…

Neuroplasticity(also: Brain Plasticity, Neural Plasticity)

The brain's ability to reorganize its structure and function in response to experience, learning, and environmental stimulation throughout life. Neuroplasticity is a legitimate neuroscience concept, but in autism tech marketing it is often invoked to suggest that technology can…

Neurotrophic Electrode(also: Neurotrophic Brain Electrode, Cone Electrode)

A type of implantable brain electrode designed for long-term, stable recording of neural signals. Unlike conventional electrodes that sit on the brain surface or are inserted as rigid probes, a neurotrophic electrode consists of a hollow glass cone coated with neurotrophic…

Optic Flow(also: Visual Flow, Optical Flow)

The pattern of apparent motion of objects, surfaces, and edges in a visual scene caused by relative movement between the observer and the scene. Optic flow provides critical information about self-motion, speed, direction, and the structure of the environment. It plays a key…

P300(also: P3, P300 Component, P3b)

The P300 is an event-related potential (ERP) component — a positive voltage deflection in EEG brain signals that peaks approximately 300 milliseconds after a person perceives a rare or task-relevant stimulus among frequent non-target stimuli. It is named for its polarity…

Proprioception(also: Proprioceptive Sense, Body Position Sense)

The body's ability to sense its own position, movement, and orientation in space without relying on vision. Proprioceptive information comes from sensory receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints that detect stretch, tension, and pressure. For people who are blind or have low…

Sensorimotor Rhythm(also: SMR, Sensorimotor Cortical Rhythm)

Oscillatory electrical brain activity recorded over the sensorimotor cortex, the brain region responsible for planning and executing voluntary movements. Sensorimotor rhythms include mu rhythms (8-12 Hz) and beta rhythms (18-26 Hz), which change in amplitude when a person…

Sensory Compensation(also: Cross-Modal Plasticity, Sensory Substitution)

The phenomenon whereby the loss of one sense leads to enhanced abilities in remaining senses, driven by neuro-plasticity — the brain's capacity to reorganise its neural pathways. Research shows that blind individuals, particularly those blind from birth or early childhood,…

Slow Cortical Potential(also: SCP, Slow Cortical Potentials)

Gradual voltage shifts in the electrical activity of the brain, occurring over periods of several hundred milliseconds to several seconds. Slow cortical potentials reflect changes in the overall excitability level of cortical neural networks — negative shifts indicate increased…

Visual Cognition(also: Visual Processing, Visual Perception)

The set of mental processes involved in perceiving, interpreting, and responding to visual information, including object recognition, spatial awareness, motion detection, and visual attention allocation. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals demonstrate heightened visual…

Working Memory

The cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information needed for complex tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension. Working memory is a core executive function that is frequently impaired in ADHD, leading to difficulties with following…

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