Neuroscience is a scientific discipline that encompasses various areas and for this reason the term is sometimes used in the plural. Neuroscientists investigate the different aspects that make up the nervous system: its structure, functions, pathologies and molecular bases. Likewise, this discipline analyzes the interactions between the different dimensions of the human brain, since all of them serve to understand the biological foundations of behavior.
Neuroscience derives from the Greek word neuroswhich means nerves. From it also derives the term neurology, neuropsychology, neurosis or neuron among others.
Due to how complex and rich the brain organ is, which has nothing to do with anatomical issues but also with the development of skills such as learning, language, etc., neuroscience is a very broad scientific field and varied that is classified in sub-sciences or scientific fields specifically dedicated to each of these functions or particularities of the brain.
The structure and functions of the Nervous System
From a structural point of view, neuroscientists focus on studying the lobes that make up the brain. There are three lobes: the prefrontal, the occipital, and the temporal lobes. Each of them is responsible for different brain functions.
Apart from the lobes, the nervous system also contains a series of organs, such as the hippocampus, the hypothalamus or the olfactory bulb. Some functions (for example, olfactory or cognition) require the intervention of various brain structures.
The molecular basis of the brain
Neurochemical and hormonal changes occur in the nervous system. These changes are integrated in the section on molecular bases. In this way, neuroscientists can study what are the chemical reactions that occur in relation to motivation or in situations of depression (depressed people usually have some kind of deficit in the chemical reactions that affect neurotransmitters).
Neuroscience is a phenomenon that humans have known and carried out since time immemorial, although obviously in much more precarious ways. Neuroscience has made many advances in modern times and this has allowed the treatment of previously insurmountable diseases to have real effects on the quality of life of patients who suffer from them, for example in the case of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and many others that have to do with the central nervous system of humans.
Pathologies such as Alzheimer's or schizophrenia are also studied in the neurosciences
Certain mental disorders are only understood by analyzing brain structures and neurochemical activity. In the case of Alzheimer's disease, there is a deficiency of acetylcholine. In schizophrenia there are a series of chemical alterations and the most significant are related to dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, chemicals that facilitate neuronal connection.
Neuroscience and other related disciplines
In recent years, knowledge of the brain has been projected onto all kinds of areas. In the business sphere there is neuromarketing and in the world of mental relaxation a new technique stands out, mindfulness.
