Neuroscience Disciplines
• Neuroanatomy
• Neurochemistry
• Neuroendocrinology
• Neuropathology
• Neuropharmacology
• Neurophysiology
• BIOPSYCHOLOGY
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?
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
Divisions of Biopsychology
• Physiological Psychology
• Manipulations of nervous system in controlled
experimental settings
• Laboratory animals
• “Pure” or “basic” research
Psychopharmacology
• Drug effects on behavior and how these
effects are mediated
• “Applied” research - purpose to develop
therapeutic drugs
Neuropsychology
• Effects of brain damage on human
behavior
• “Applied” research to help those afflicted
with behavioral disorders
Psychophysiology
• Study of the relationship between
physiology and behavior in humans
• Non-invasive procedures taken from the
body surface of humans (e.g., EEG, heart
rate, electrical conductance of the skin)
• Strive to understand the physiology of
basic psychological processes such as
information processing, emotion
Cognitive Neuroscience
• The neural basis of cognition including
thought, attention and memory
• Human research involving non-invasive
human brain imaging techniques (e.g.,
PET scan)
• Involves interdisciplinary collaboration
among neuroscientists
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
Research approaches used in
Biopsychology
Somatic Intervention
• Bodily Intervention Behavioral Effect
Examples Examples
• Administer hormone Measure Mating
• Stimulate Brain Area Measure Aggression
• Local Brain Damage Measure Memory
Behavioral Intervention
• Somatic Effect Behavioral Intervention
• Examples Examples
• Measure Hormones Female with Male
• Measure Brain Activity Memory Task
• Measure Brain Anatomy Altered Rearing
Correlational Studies
Somatic Variables Behavioral Variables
Examples Examples
Brain Size Learning Scores
Hormonal Levels Strength of Mating
Why does one study the
biological basis of behavior?
Brain Function and Behavior
Early Theories
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
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
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