Neuroscience is the study of how the nervous system develops, its structure, and what it does. Neuroscientists focus on the brain and its impact on behavior and cognitive (thinking) functions, but they also investigate what happens to the nervous system when people have neurological, psychiatric, or neurodevelopmental disorders.
Neuroscience has traditionally been classified as a subdivision of biology , but in reality, it is an interdisciplinary science closely related to other disciplines, such as mathematics, linguistics, engineering, computer science, chemistry, philosophy, psychology or medicine.
Neuroscientists study the cellular, functional, evolutionary, computational, molecular, cellular, and medical aspects of the nervous system.
A little history
The ancient Egyptians thought that the seat of intelligence was in the heart . Due to this belief, during the mummification process, they removed the brain and left the heart.
The first writings on the brain date back to 1700 BC, specifically the word ‘brain’ is mentioned eight times in the Edwin Smith Papyrus, in relation to the symptoms, diagnosis and probable results of two people who had head injuries.
From the 1950s onwards, the scientific study of the nervous system underwent enormous advances, mainly due to progress in other related fields, such as computational neuroscience, electrophysiology, and molecular biology.
Neuroscientists were able to study the structure, functions, development, abnormalities, and ways in which the nervous system could be altered.
Branches of neuroscience
– Affective neuroscience : in most cases, research is carried out in laboratory animals and analyzes how neurons behave in relation to emotions.
– Behavioral neuroscience : study of the biological bases of behavior.
– Cellular neuroscience: the study of neurons, including their shape and physiological properties at the cellular level.
– Clinical neuroscience : examines disorders of the nervous system (psychiatry, for example, analyzes disorders of the mind).
– Cognitive neuroscience : the study of the higher cognitive functions that exist in humans and their underlying neural basis.
– Computational neuroscience : computers are used to simulate and model brain functions, and apply techniques from mathematics, physics and other similar fields to study brain function.
– Cultural Neuroscience : examines how cultural beliefs, practices, and values are shaped and shaped by the brain, minds, and genes at different time periods.
– Developmental Neuroscience : analyzes how the nervous system develops on a cellular basis; what underlying mechanisms exist in neuronal development.
– Molecular neuroscience : it is the study of the role of individual molecules in the nervous system.
– Neuroengineering : uses engineering techniques to understand, replace, repair or improve neural systems.
– Neuroimaging : a branch of medical imaging that focuses on the brain. Neuroimaging is used to diagnose diseases and assess brain health, as well as to study the brain.
– Neuroinformatics : integrates data in all areas of neuroscience, to help understand the brain and treat diseases. Neuroinformatics involves acquiring data, sharing, publishing, and storing information, analysis, modeling, and simulation.
– Neurolinguistics : studies which neural mechanisms in the brain control the acquisition, understanding and enunciation of language.
– Neurophysiology : analyzes the relationship of the brain and its functions, and the sum of the parts of the body and how they interrelate.
– Paleoneurology : it is the study of fossilized brains.
– Social Neuroscience: an interdisciplinary field dedicated to understanding how biological systems implement social processes and behavior. Using concepts and social data refines theories of social behavior.
– Systems neuroscience : follow the pathways of data flow within the CNS (central nervous system) and try to define the types of processing that take place there. Use that information to explain behavioral functions.
