What is neuroscience?
Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary science that works closely with other disciplines such as mathematics, linguistics, engineering, computer science, chemistry, philosophy, psychology, and medicine. Research in this field can improve our understanding of both the brain and the body, how they work, and the health issues that affect them
Neuroscience affects many, if not all, human functions, but it also contributes to a better understanding of a wide range of common conditions.
A greater understanding of neurological factors can help in developing medications and other strategies to treat and prevent these and many other health issues.
The ancient Egyptians thought the seat of intelligence was in the heart
During the mummification process, they would remove the brain but leave the heart in the body
- The ancient Greeks were among the first people to study the brain
- They attempted to understand the role of the brain and how it worked and to explain neural disorders
Major branches of neuroscience
Affective neuroscience: Research looks at how neurons behave in relation to emotions
- Behavioral neuroscience: The study of how the brain affects behavior
- Clinical neuroscience: Medical specialists, such as neurologists and psychiatrists, look at the disorders of the nervous system from basic neuroscience findings to find ways to treat and prevent them
- Cognitive neuroscience: This combines neuroscience with the cognitive sciences of psychology and psychiatry
- Computational neuroscience: Scientists try to understand how brains compute
- Cultural neuroscience: Looks at the interaction between cultural factors and are genomic, neural, and psychological processes
- Developmental neuroscience: A new discipline that may help explain variations in health measures between different populations
- Molecular and cellular neuroscience: Look at the role of individual molecules, genes, and proteins in the functioning of nerves and nervous system at a molecular and cellular level
- Neuroengineering: Researchers use engineering techniques to better understand, replace, repair, or improve neural systems
- Neuroscienceimaging: Used to diagnose disease and assess the health of the brain
Comments ()