Monday, November 14, 2011

Neuroscience And Our Brains


Neuroscience is generally defined as the scientific study of the nervous system. It has certainly evolved greatly over the years. However the study of the brain and the nervous has its root in Neolithic times and many documented research studies have been made throughout ancient Egypt, Greece and Middle Ages.

The study of neuroscience progressed significantly following invention of the microscope. It is now to the point where there are many specialized fields of study related to neuroscience. We’ll review and summarize some of the key specialties.

Affective neuroscience is the study of the neural processes which are involved in emotion. This is generally done through animal studies.
Behavioral neuroscience utilizes the principles of biology to study the physiological and developmental aspects of behavior in animals and humans.
Cellular neuroscience studies neurons at the microscopic level. It analyzes the morphological and physiological properties in the neurons.
Clinical neuroscience encompasses medical specialties such as neurology, psychiatry along with speech language pathologists. Neurology deals with disorders of the nervous system. Psychiatry deals with disorders of the mind and has to do with mental health. This can include a variety of affective, behavioral, cognitive and perceptual disorders.
Cognitive neuroscience involves the study of biological processes which involves cognition.
Computational neuroscience studies brain functions in terms of its information processing abilities. It can also involve computer simulations and other theoretical models to study the function of the nervous system.
Cultural neuroscience has to do with the impact of how cultural practices, beliefs and values shape our minds across multiple timescales.
Developmental neuroscience studies the processes which develops our nervous system and how processes at the cellular level impact this.
Molecular neuroscience studies neurons and other nervous system components at the cellular level. It examines the chemical processes as well as genetics, protein chemistry and other methodologies.
Neuroengineering applies engineering techniques to understand, repair, replace or improve nervous system functions and components.
Neuroimaging involves the use of innovative techniques to provide images of the structure and function within the brain.

There are a number of other important specialties within the field of neuroscience including neuroinformatics, neurolinguistics, neurophysiology, social neuroscience and systems neuroscience.

These have all increased our understanding of brain function and the interaction of neurons throughout the nervous system. It has also helped to demonstrate the impact of outside influences on the effective operation of our brains and nervous system as well.

There will most likely be continued enhancement and evolution of neuroscience specialties in support of increased knowledge and understanding related to the way in which we think, learn and react to the world around us.

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