What Is Neuroscience?

The Brain Makes Us Who We Are

What Is Neuroscience?Function of NeuronsFunction of Neurons

The human brain The human brain contains an contains an appallingappalling number of neurons number of neurons (hundreds of billions)(hundreds of billions)

The number of synaptic The number of synaptic connections connections (communication nodes) (communication nodes) between neurons is even between neurons is even more more appallingappalling (hundreds (hundreds of trillions)of trillions)

The brain is the ultimate The brain is the ultimate ‘Social Network’‘Social Network’

How does this Network, How does this Network, uh, work?uh, work?

Organisms are made of several distinct components - organs

In turn, each organ is made of several distinct components - cells

Mechanical Integration Integration Through Communication

How can we get a bunch of different parts (cells) to work together?

Integration Through Communication

• This fundamental insight drives the major research goals of modern neuroscience and psychology:

• TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE BRAIN GENERATES OUR EXPERIENCES, OUR THOUGHTS, OUR MEMORIES AND OUR EMOTIONS….

• WE MUST FIRST UNDERSTAND HOW THE CELLS OF THE BRAIN COMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHERCOMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND HOW THE BRAIN AND THE OTHER ORGANS OF THE BODY COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHERCOMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER.

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Integration Through Communication

• For example, what is memory?

– Ah-ha! A ‘memory’ would be a relatively permanent change in the way that a particular group of brain cells communicate with each other.

• How about something clinical, like depression?

– Ah-ha! Depression is going to be some sort of abnormality in the way that brain cells communicate (why we think that some types of depression can be treated with drugs that influence neurotransmitter signaling in the brain).

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Integration Through Communication

• Let’s take one more example: How do sex differences in brain and behavior develop?

• While some limited aspects of brain sex are determined genetically, large portions (perhaps most) of the cells in the brain don’t really know what sex they are. The gonads (ovaries, testes) must communicate this important information to the brain by the release of sex steroids (estrogen, testosterone).

• This is strange – every cell has sex chromosomes. Why do this? Think about development…

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An Example of ‘Real-World’ Success• The Cochlear Implant

• How is the stimulus for sound (vibrating air) turned into neural information? And how is that information communicated to the brain?

• Both of these problems were solved by psychologists and neuroscientists, who then worked with electrical engineers to design a device that could interface with the brain.

Neuroscience is Interdisciplinary• Studying the brain requires several different types of expertise

– must have a broad curiosity and enjoy working in teams.

• To name a few: – Psychology (the Psychology (the functionsfunctions of the Brain) of the Brain)

– Biology, Genetics, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Statistics (the underlying structures of the Brain)

• A DIS is a good place to start – research experience a must.

• Career outlook is research and/or teaching in academic or governmental setting, although careers in industry are slowly emerging (e.g., several companies develop and market cochlear implants).