Glossary D

Glossary D

Dopamine transporter refers to membrane protein that enables the presynaptic neuron to reabsorb Dopamine after releasing it

Doppelganger is a German word which literally means "double goer" and refers to a ghostly counterpart or double of a living person.

Dormancy refers to a state of non activity during which sleep brain waves cannot be detected.

Dorothea Lynde Dix (1802 to 1887) refers to an American social reformer who had caused several states (and foreign countries) to reform their facilities for treating mental illness by making them more available to those needing them and more humane in their treatment.

Dorsal means located toward the back, away from the ventral (stomach) side; toward the back. The top of the brain is Dorsal in humans.

Dorsal column medial lemniscal pathway refers to a pathway that carries information pertaining to touch and vibration. It is so named because it is routed up the dorsal aspects of the spinal cord to a white matter tract termed the medial lemniscus that courses through the contralateral side of the brainstem through the medulla, pons, and midbrain to be routed up through the thalamus (ventral posterior nucleus ) and on to the primary somatosensory cortex.

Dorsal flexion (Dorsiflexion) defined as flexion movement of the ankle resulting in the top of foot moving toward the anterior tibia.

Dorsal horns refers to the part of the spinal cord away from the stomach that receives sensory input and that may play an important role in the perception of pain.