Neuroscience

Terminology definition

Neuroscience is a branch of science that deals with scientific study of nervous system. Neuroscience correlates the other field of science like physiology, physics, mathematics, medicine, philosophy, computer science and psychology. The word neurobiology is used in conjunction with neuroscience; neurobiology refers to correlation between biology and nervous system whereas neuroscience refers to science of nervous system.

Scope of neuroscience

An aspect of neuroscience has extended the approaches as follows.

• Structure
• Function
• Evolution
• Development
• Molecular
• Computation
• Medical

A task of the individual nerve cells is predicted by molecular and biophysical studies. Advanced research of nervous system is plausible with the advent of neural network. Neural network is nothing but circuit or network of biological neurons that are connected with or related to nervous system. In neuroscience, neurons are considered as specific groups which perform physiological functions.

History

Study of Nervous system started from the period of ancient Egypt. During the New Stone Age, a period of human technology development has a surgical practice of drilling a hole in the skull  to cure the mental disorders and headaches. Egyptians’ manuscripts of 1700 BC are aware of damage to brain. It is considered as cranial stuffing. During the middle kingdom period of Egypt, practice of mummification refers to removal of brain properly. First step of mummification is to remove the brain with the help of an iron hook. Hippocrates believed that brain is not the only organ involved in sensation but it is the seat of intelligence.  Aristotle believed that the center of intelligence is heart whereas brains serve the blood. This was widely accepted till the invention of mental patients of Galen, a Roman physician and follower of Hippocrates.Neurosurgery material and surgery designs were formulated by father of modern surgery, Abulcasis. Parkinson’s disease’s existence was proved by Averroes. Modern neuropharmacology was contributed by Avenzoar. A neuropsychiatric disorder like rabies intoxication was described by Maimonides, a Jewish Philosopher. Scientists like Vesalius, anatomist and physician and Rene Descartes, French mathematician, philosopher and physicist made their remarkable contributions to neuroscience.

To study the structure of single neurons, Camillo Golgi used silver chromate for microscopic observation in late 1890s. Neuron doctrine was formulated by Santiago Ramon Y. Cajal. Both of them shared Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in the year 1906. Muller, Du Bois Reymond and Von Helmholtz proved the electrical stability of neurons. The term affective neuroscience was coined by neuroscientist  Jaak Panksepp in the 1990s.

Types of neuroscience

Based on the structure and examination system, neuroscience is classified as follows.

• Molecular & cellular neuroscience:
• Behavioral neuroscience
• Developmental neuroscience
• System neuroscience
• Cognitive neuroscience
• Computational neuroscience
• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Neural engineering
• Neuroscience studies
• Neuro linguistics
• Neuro imaging

Role of neuroscience in medicine

Neuroscience involvement in the field of medicine is listed below.

• Prediction of behavior of an individual
• Control of motor cells
• Effects of hormones
• Resolving immunochemistry problems
• Treatment of Parkinson’s disease, speech problems, Alzheimer disease, mania disease and schizophrenia disease

Unresolved neuroscience problems

Neuroscientists are not able to interlink or correlate the reasons behind the neuroscience of following functions.

• Alertness
• Perception
• Consciousness
• Sleep
• Memory
• Learning
• Neuro plasticity
• Development
• Evolution
• Language
• Psychotic disorders