L1: The brain through the ages

• what are the learning objectives?

  • Defining neuroscience and biological psychology

  • The importance of neuroscience

  • Historical perspectives of the brain and neuroscience

  • Brain Evolution
• define neuroscience


  The scientific study of the nervous system and how it controls behaviour, thoughts, and emotions.
• the nature of behavioural neuroscience is interdisciplinary, what is this?

  • biology, physiology, psychology, computer science, mathematics, physics, philosophy, medicine
• what is the nervous system (NS)?

  Network of neurons in the brain, spinal cord, and periphery
• what is the central nervous system (CNS)?

  • brain and spinal cord
• what is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?

  • nerves (Cranial and Spinal)
  • Ganglia (a mass of nerve cell bodies)
• define neurone 


  the information processing and information-transmitting cells of the nervous system.
• define plasticity in the nervous system


  change, flexibility, or adaptation, usually in response to an experience or learning.
• what is neurogenesis? 


  Production of new neurons

  • occurs in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb
•  why is neuroscience important?

  -          an essential part of modern psychology
• what initiates behaviour? what does this mean for neuroscience?

  the nervous system initiates behaviour

  • Neuroscience can therefore be used to help understand behaviour
• what are behavioural neuroscientists? 


  Psychologists who study biological bases of behaviour

  Advance of neuro-imaging and measures of brain function
• what are the 2 forms of scientific explanation?

  generalization: a general conclusion based on many observations of similar phenomena.

  reduction : explanation of a complex phenomena using a series of smaller ones
• what is dualism? 


  Mind and body are separate. The body is physical but the mind (or soul) is not
• what is monism? 


  everything in the universe is made from matter and energy, and the mind is produced by the workings of the nervous system
• what approach do behavioural neuroscientists take? 


  empirical, monistic to study human behaviour
• what is a reflex?

  An automatic, involuntary movement that is produced as the direct result of a stimulus
• what is the docterine of specific nerve energies? 


  muller said nerves go to different areas of the brain, therefore brain must be functionally divided.
• what is the Broca area? 


  named after Paul Broca, discovered damage to left frontal cortex caused damage to a person's ability to speak