Neuroscience Disciplines

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Neuroscience Disciplines

• Neuroanatomy
• Neurochemistry
• Neuroendocrinology
• Neuropathology
• Neuropharmacology
• Neurophysiology
• BIOPSYCHOLOGY

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Brain Anatomy - Three Divisions

• FOREBRAIN
• Telencephalon
• Cerebral cortex
• Basal Ganglia
• Limbic System
• Diencephalon
• Thalamus
• Hypothalamus

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Brain Anatomy - Three Divisions

• FOREBRAIN
• Telencephalon
• Cerebral cortex
• Basal Ganglia
• Limbic System
• Diencephalon
• Thalamus
• Hypothalamus

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• MIDBRAIN
• Mesencephalon
• Tectum
• Tegmentum
• Periaqueductal Gray
• HINDBRAIN
• Metencephalon
• Cerebellum
• Pons
• Myelencephalon
• Medulla Oblongata

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Biopsychology

• The discipline of neuroscience that attempts to
  discover how the various neural phenomena studied
  in the other disciplines control behavior.
• Example Sleep Behavior
• What brain structures are responsible for sleep?
• What is the chemical content of the structures?
• What drugs promote sleep?

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Members of Society for Neuroscience -
Departmental Affiliations

• Department Percentage of Sample
• Psychology 16.1
• Physiology 14.3
• Pharmacology 12.5
• Biology 11.2
• Anatomy 11.2
• Neurology 6.7
• Psychiatry 5.8
• Neuroscience-biology 5.3
• Neurosurgery 3.1
• Pathology 3.1

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Divisions of Biopsychology

• Physiological Psychology
• Manipulations of nervous system in controlled
  experimental settings
• Laboratory animals
• Pure or basic research

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Psychopharmacology

• Drug effects on behavior and how these effects
  are mediated
• Applied research - purpose to develop
  therapeutic drugs

9
Neuropsychology

• Effects of brain damage on human behavior
• Applied research to help those afflicted with
  behavioral disorders

10
Psychophysiology

• Study of the relationship between physiology and
  behavior in humans
• Non-invasive procedures taken from the body
  surface
• Strive to understand the physiology of basic
  psychological processes such as information
  processing, emotion

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Cognitive Neuroscience

• The neural basis of cognition including thought,
  attention and memory
• Human research involving non-invasive human brain
  imaging techniques
• Involves interdisciplinary collaboration among
  neuroscientists

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Comparative Psychology

• Comparison of behavior of different species
• Focus on genetics, evolution and adaptiveness of
  behavior
• brain differences that contribute to behavioral
  differences among species

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Research approaches used in Biopsychology
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Somatic Intervention

• Bodily Intervention Behavioral
  Effect
• Examples
  Examples
• Administer hormone Measure Mating
• Stimulate Brain Area Measure Aggression
• Local Brain Damage Measure Memory

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Behavioral Intervention

• Somatic Effect Behavioral
  Intervention
• Examples
  Examples
• Measure Hormones Female with Male
• Measure Brain Activity Memory Task
• Measure Brain Anatomy Altered Rearing

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Correlational Studies

• Somatic Variables Behavioral
  Variables
• Examples
  Examples
• Brain Size
  Learning Scores
• Hormonal Levels Strength
  of Mating

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Why does one study the biological basis of
behavior?
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Brain Function and BehaviorEarly Theories
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Localizationist Theory

• 1800ff. - Gall, Spurzheim
• Brain is not a unitary organ
• Cerebrum is a mosaic of centers
• Each center has a specific mental function
• Centers developed in size as a function of use
• Centers produced protuberances on skull surface
• Anatomical Personality or Phrenology

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Aggregate Field Theory

• 1824 - Flourens 1924 - Lashley
• Specific mental functions are not localized
• Brain acts as a whole for each function
• Any part of cerebral cortex is capable of
  performing all functions

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Cellular Connectionism Theory

• 1876 - Wernicke 1861 - Broca
• Simple mental functions are discretely localized
  to single cortical areas
• The areas for these simple functions are
  interconnected
• Complex mental functions arise from interactions
  among several of these areas