"Does this mean that { } dereference a pointer whereas () gives a pointer?"
In an approximate way you could think of it like that.
But rather than thinking in terms of pointers it is much more useful to think in terms of arrays. Arrays are what MATLAB works with. Container arrays (e.g. cell arrays) can contain other arrays. That is all. Where and how those arrays are stored in memory and how many copies of them exist are not matters that generally need to be considered by MATLAB users in most circumstances:
Some users with a programming background struggle with MATLAB because they keep trying to understand everything in terms of concepts that apply to C/C++ or whatever language they happen to like.
