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Neurobiology studies the brain and nervous system of humans and animals, including brain development and disease. It encompasses molecular structures, systems, and genetic factors. Brain imaging and addiction studies are also important areas of research. Neurobiology is still in its early stages but may hold the key to understanding learning, development, and nervous system diseases.
Neurobiology is a complex science that studies the brain and nervous system of humans and other animals. Neurobiology can study brain development in the developing animal or the neurological origin of disease, for example. This field encompasses many different methods of study.
Some neurobiology focuses on the molecular structures of the brain and nervous system. Larger complete systems, such as the function and structure of the cerebral cortex, can be studied. Scientists can examine biological factors that affect learning or mood, or they can study how early genetic material develops in various areas of the brain.
The first discoveries in modern neurobiology date back to the 1960s. Such studies have helped explain processes and aspects of brain development. Early neurobiologists studied the properties of individual neurons and amine neurotransmitters, assessed the role of peptides in neurotransmission, and traced fetal brain development. Perhaps the most significant study of this era was the groundbreaking work on visual processing, for which David Hubel and Torston Wiesel won the 1981 Nobel Prize.
The field of neurobiology changed as DNA began to be studied and understood. Neurobiologists can now study how genes affect brain structures. As the human genome project has grown, neurobiology has taken on the challenge of understanding the precise relationship between specific genes and neurological responses.
Harvard University, in 2001, hailed the opening of its Brain Imaging Center. With magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, neurobiology has sought to explore the relationship between brain activity and mental events or disorders. These studies have proven effective in helping diagnose difficult cases of schizophrenia, epilepsy, anxiety, and other disorders. Furthermore, these studies produced specific images of how the brain reacts to distressing or engaging stimuli.
The US National Institute on Drug Abuse uses neurobiology to understand the function of the brain in causing, sustaining and overcoming addiction. More specifically, this work examines how taking addictive drugs regulates certain genes and proteins. Scanning of genes for predisposing addiction factors is also in use and has identified some genetic factors related to addiction. A very important aspect of these studies is an attempt to increase understanding of why and how drugs such as antidepressants work or don’t work.
Most of the banned drugs for psychological illnesses are chosen based on probable theories. For example, those with manic depression are often prescribed medications intended to reduce seizures. The benefits of these drugs and how they affect the brain are not clearly understood and require further study. Neurobiological work employed at the US National Institute on Drug Abuse and in scientific laboratories, schools and hospitals may ultimately increase our understanding of this field.
Compared to other sciences, neurobiology can be considered still in its infancy. Continued applications and studies in neurobiology may hold the key to many poorly understood aspects of learning and development and may give us greater power to fight diseases of the nervous system.
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