Glossary

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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…

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…

Fovea(also: Foveal Vision, Fovea Centralis)

The small, central area of the retina responsible for sharp, detailed vision, covering approximately 1 degree of visual angle. The fovea contains the highest density of cone photoreceptors and provides the clearest visual acuity, which is why people move their eyes to point the…

Frisson(also: Aesthetic Chills, Musical Chills, Piloerection)

A psychophysiological response to music, art, or other aesthetic stimuli characterised by a pleasurable shiver or chills sensation accompanied by piloerection (goosebumps) and transient increases in heart rate and skin conductance. Frisson is associated with high emotional…

Kinesthetics(also: Kinaesthetics, Kinesthesia, Kinesthetic sense)

The sense of body position, movement, and muscular effort derived from receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints. Kinesthetics is closely related to — and often used interchangeably with — proprioception, though kinesthesia typically emphasizes awareness of active movement while…

Mechanoreceptor(also: Tactile Receptor, Touch Receptor)

A sensory receptor in the skin that responds to mechanical pressure or distortion, enabling the sense of touch. Different types of mechanoreceptors detect various tactile qualities: Meissner corpuscles sense light touch and low-frequency vibration (10-65 Hz), Pacinian corpuscles…

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…

Muscle Fatigue(also: Motor fatigue)

A decline in the capacity of a muscle or muscle group to generate force or sustain activity after prolonged or repeated exertion. In human-computer interaction, muscle fatigue is a central concern for input modalities requiring sustained or repetitive motion — notably mid-air…

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…

Trichromat(also: Trichromacy, Trichromatic Vision)

A person with typical colour vision based on three types of functional cone cells (L, M, and S cones) in the retina, each sensitive to different wavelengths of light corresponding roughly to long (red), medium (green), and short (blue) wavelengths. Trichromatic vision allows…

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