TOPICS

• The divisions of the nervous system are central and peripheral (somatic and autonomic.

• The structure and function of sensory, relay, and motor neurons. The process of synaptic transmission, including neurotransmitters, excitation, and inhibition.

• The function of the endocrine system: glands and hormones.

• The fight or flight response includes the role of adrenaline.

• Localisation of function in the brain: motor, somatosensory, visual, auditory and language centres; Broca’s and Wernicke’s area

• Hemispheric lateralisation: visual, auditory and language centres; Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas,

• Split-brain research.

• Plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma.

• Ways of studying the brain: scanning techniques, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); electroencephalogram (EEGs) and event-related potentials (ERPs); post-mortem examinations.

• Biological rhythms: circadian, infradian, and ultradian, as well as the difference between these rhythms. The effect of endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers on the sleep/wake cycle

INTRODUCTION TO NEUROSCIENCE

NTRODUCTION TO NEUROSCIENCE

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system, focusing on understanding how the brain and its connections influence behaviour, cognition, emotions, and bodily functions. The field covers a broad range of topics, including genetics, epigenetics, brain chemistry, and the anatomy of brain structures such as the frontal lobe and the cerebral cortex. By examining these areas, neuroscience seeks to uncover how the brain's physical makeup and chemical processes give rise to complex behaviours and cognitive functions.

In genetics, neuroscientists explore how inherited traits affect brain development and function. Epigenetics builds on this by studying how environmental factors can alter gene expression without changing DNA, offering insights into how experiences shape brain function over a lifetime. Brain chemistry, especially the role of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate, is crucial to understanding how communication between neurons underpins mood, memory, and decision-making. Brain structures, such as the frontal lobe, governing decision-making and social behaviour, and the limbic system, responsible for emotional regulation, are key areas of study in understanding the neural underpinnings of behaviour.

Neuroscience closely aligns with cognitive neuroscience, which focuses on how brain functions like perception, memory, and problem-solving arise from neural activity. However, where neuroscience broadly examines the biology of the brain and nervous system, cognitive neuroscience emphasises the mental processes behind cognition. Despite these distinctions, both fields often overlap, especially in areas like neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to change in response to learning and experience.

Similarly, neuroscience intersects with evolutionary psychology, examining how the brain evolved to solve problems faced by our ancestors. Studying brain structures provides a biological foundation for understanding these evolutionary mechanisms.

Furthermore, the concept of neuroplasticity creates a bridge between neuroscience and behaviourism, showing that behaviours, often the focus of behaviourist theories, can lead to changes in the brain’s structure and function, highlighting a dynamic relationship between behaviour, environment, and brain development.

Through its exploration of brain chemistry, genetics, and brain structure, neuroscience contributes to a deeper understanding of how the brain supports not only basic bodily functions but also complex behaviours, thought processes, and emotions.