CARTA Glossary

The delay or slowing of development. Compared to other primates, humans are considered neotenous due to the retention of physiological traits typical of juveniles such as facial features (globular skull shape, thinness of skull bones, reduction of browridge, flattened face, larger eyes), limb length ratio, and behavior.

The network of nerve cells, fibers, and associated glia cells that transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body.

Cells that are capable of dividing a limited number of times and have the capacity to differentiate into a restricted repertoire of neuronal and glial cell types.

The study of the morphology, behavior, and other qualities of the nervous system.

The process by which neural stem cells produce neurons.

A branch of linguistics that examines the connection between language and the structure and functioning of the brain.

A subset of neurotransmitters that regulate diverse populations of other neurons.

Small protein-like molecules that act as neurotransmitters or modulators in the brain and nervous system. They are involved in regulating a wide range of physiological processes, including pain, stress response, mood, appetite, and reproduction.

The study of the relationship between behavior, emotion, and cognition and brain function.

A type of chemical messenger that transmits signals across a chemical synapse, such as a neuromuscular junction, from one neuron (nerve cell) to another “target” neuron, muscle cell, or gland cell.

A membrane receptor protein that is activated by a neurotransmitter.

A bundle of fibers that transmits impulses of sensation to the brain or spinal cord, and impulses from these to the muscles and organs.

A form of ecological inheritance in which organisms alter the environment in ways that affect the developmental context and selection pressures acting on subsequent generations.

A receptor polypeptide that responds to the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, and also responds to nicotine.

RNA that is not translated into a protein. Important ncRNAs include transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), as well as small RNAs such as microRNAs, siRNAs, piRNAs, snoRNAs, snRNAs, exRNAs, scaRNAs and the long ncRNAs such as Xist and HOTAIR.

The finding that care giving behavior can occur in female rats and mice that have not reproduced themselves through repeated exposure to infants.

Depression that is not related to changes in the seasons.

A hormone and neurotransmitter that mobilizes the brain and body for action.

New or innovative therapies, medications, or medical procedures that have been developed to address health conditions or diseases. These treatments are typically characterized by their uniqueness, often offering new mechanisms of action, improved effectiveness, or fewer side effects compared to existing options. Novel treatments may emerge from advancements in medical research, technology, or scientific understanding.

One of the four classes of major biomolecules. The overall name for DNA and RNA, which are composed of nucleotides. DNA is double-stranded and more stable while RNA is single-stranded and less stable.

Glycosylamines corresponding to nucleotides lacking a phosphate.

Exact symbolic quantifier that designates the cardinality of a collection of objects. It is abstract (i.e., it transcends perceptual modalities), relational, and operable. In its most prototypical case it is associated with the familiar counting sequence ‘1, 2, 3, . . . ’

A scale of measurement for evaluating the numerousness of stimuli (e.g., a collection of discriminable objects) utilized especially by psychophysicists in the mid-20th century, and by means of which an experimenter establishes the cardinal attribute of physical collections of objects.

Excessive body fat that increases the risk of health problems. Defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30.0 or higher. Obesity rates in the US have reached 42%, up 12% in the last 10 years.

A type of igneous rock occurring as a natural glass formed by the rapid cooling of viscous lava from volcanoes. Sometimes called “volcanic glass.”

The ratio between the odds of individuals having a phenotype associated with a specific allele and the odds of the same phenotype for individuals who do not have that same allele. 

A 48km ravine in the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania that was occupied by hominins such as Homo habilis (1.9 mya) and Zinjanthropus (Australopithecus) boisei (1.8 mya). Today, Oldupai Gorge is an important paleoanthropological site and has been under excavation since 1913, most famously by Mary and Louis Leakey. “Oldupai” is the Maasai word for “the place of the wild sisal.”

A type of neuroglia that supports and insulates axons in the central nervous system of some vertebrates.

An organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet of plant, animal, and fungal origin.

The origin and development of an organism (from fertilization of the egg to the organism’s mature form). Can also refer to the study of an organism’s lifespan.

The ratio of fertile males to fertile females that are ready to mate.

A biological technique that involves the use of light to control gene expression and cellular function in living tissue, typically neurons, that have been genetically modified to express light-sensitive ion channels.

Genes that are found in different species that evolved from a common ancestral gene and typically retain the same function.

A minority ethnic group of central Mexico during the 16th century CE.

Found in the outer subventricular zone of the neocortex, outer radial glia preferentially express genes related to extracellular matrix formation, migration, and stemness.

The timepoint of the menstrual cycle involving the release of an egg from an ovary.

A peptide hormone made by the hypothalamus and stored in the pituitary gland, from which it is released into the blood stream. Oxytocin has many physiological and behavioral functions. It is considered “the love hormone” due to its association with reproduction, social bonding, sexual behavior, childbirth, maternal bonding, and milk production. Oxytocin is also an anti-inflammatory and is associated with sociostasis and longevity.

The formation of long-lasting bonds between two individuals.

A broad prehistoric period during which stone was used to make tools and weapons and is synonymous with Stone Age. During the paleolithic, hunting and gathering (foraging) was the primary subsistence method. The period ended with a flourishing of culture, not only in the manufacture of new stone (and bone tools) and other innovations (such spear thrower, bow and arrow, eyed needle, fishing implements), but also the development of splendid cave art paintings and engravings. Subdivisions:

• Lower Paleolithic: ~3.4 million years ago (mya) - 300 thousand years ago (kya).
• Middle Paleolithic: Consists of use of prepared cores (i.e. Levallois Technique) and hafted tools and weapons. ~300 - 30 kya.
• Upper Paleolithic: Coincides with behavioral modernity and predates the advent of agriculture. Artifacts include finely crafted stone blades and bone and antler tools, such as harpoons and needles. ~50 - 10 kya.

A theory of the mental representations (or “data structures”) involved in the language faculty that are organized by phonology, syntax, and semantics.

An organism that lives on or in a host organism at the expense of the host.

Any behavior of a member of a species toward an immature conspecific that increases the likelihood that the immature organism will survive to maturity.

The portion of reproductive effort in form of parenting (protection, feeding, provisioning).

The correlation between parental investment and mate choice where the greater the parental investment the more selective, and the lesser the investment the greater the access to more mates (Trivers, 1972).

The parental effort of fathers.

The ability of males to assess the likelihood of having sired a particular offspring.

Uncertainty about paternity due to female mating behavior.

The biological mechanism (or mechanisms) that leads to a disease state and can also refer to the origin and development of a disease, and whether it is acute, chronic, or recurrent.