What does Biomedical Neuroscience mean?

 

Bio- living or living organism and Medical- science of diagnosing -cure disease. Emphasis on diagnosis and treating individuals separately from their lifestyle/living conditions- this model of health concentrated on the disease, illness, or disability and attempts to cure- return the physical health of a person to a pre-illness state. The reason for the illness are not at the center of the BioMedical model. Intervention is of the importance: action taken to improve health eg.via medical/herbal intervention with a fix approach. Any action taken to improve health.

 

Neuroscientists focus on the brain and it’s impact on behavior and cognitive functions, or how people think. They investigate what happens to the nervous system when people have chronic illness, chronic pain, neurological, psychiatric, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Neuroscience affects many, if not all, human functions, but it also contributes to a better understanding of a wide range of common health conditions. A greater understanding of neurological factors can help in developing medications/herbal products and other strategies to treat and prevent these and many other health issues.

 

A neuroscientist can specialize in a wide range of fields, from neuroanatomy to neuropsychology. Research in this field can improve our understanding of both the brain and the body, how they work, and the health issues that affect them.

 

Neuroscientists study the cellular, functional, behavioral, evolutionary, computational, molecular, cellular, and medical aspects of the nervous system. There are various fields that focus on different aspects, but they often overlap.

 

Why is neuroscience important?

 

Neuroscience affects many, if not all, human functions, but it also contributes to a better understanding of a wide range of common conditions.

 

These include:

 

Down syndrome

autistic spectrum disorders (ASD)

Depression 

Bipolar disorders 

Anxiety 

ADHD

addiction

schizophrenia

Parkinson’s disease

brain tumors

epilepsy

the effects of stroke, for example, language loss

immune system disorders, such as multiple sclerosis

 

A greater understanding of neurological factors can help in developing medications and other strategies to treat and prevent these and many other health issues.

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WHAT IS NEUROSCIENCE?

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In crude terms, neuroscience is brain science. Less crudely, it’s the scientific study of the nervous system. Neuroscience analyses what makes the brain and broader nervous system function: biological and chemical processes.

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How the brain works has been studied since the era of the ancient Egyptians but neuroscience has developed rapidly as a discipline in recent years, encompassing elements of molecular biology, human behavior, anatomy and more.

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BRANCHES OF NEUROSCIENCE

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There are more than two dozen branches of neuroscience, each with a different focus.

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Some branches of neuroscience concentrate on the neural basis of behavior and the processes that generate and change the nervous system; others organize neuroscientific data by applying computational models and analytical tools.

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Branches of neuroscience include:

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Cognitive neuroscience – The study of how biology produces psychological functions. In cognitive neuroscience, researchers explore the relationship between neural circuits and mental processing.

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Behavioral neuroscience – Applying biological principles to the study of behavior in humans and animals.

 

Behavioral neuroscience – commonly referred to as biopsychology – focuses on the brain mechanisms that underpin behavior.

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Cellular neuroscience – The study of neurons and their physiological properties at a cellular level. Cellular neuroscience focuses on how the brain develops and changes over time as it responds to experiences.

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Molecular neuroscience – Studying the biology of the nervous system. Molecular neuroscientists focus on neurons’ molecular behavior and processes, examining the structure of the nervous system, as well as how it functions and develops.

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Neural systems – The study of neural systems and circuits, with a focus on intricacies like how neural circuits are formed and how they produce functions like reflexes, memory and emotional responses. A key area of research is how networks of neurons underpin complex processes and behaviors.

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Computational neuroscience – The study of brain structure development and functioning through mathematical models, computer simulation and theoretical assessment. Computational neuroscience is sometimes referred to as theoretical neuroscience.

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Neuropsychology – The study of both neuroscience and psychology. Neuropsychologists focus on the relationships between the brain and neuropsychological functioning – typically, the changes in behavior following a neurological illness or injury.

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These are just some of the strands of neuroscience – there are many more separate branches, and areas often overlap in research. The role of neuroscience in psychology incorporates strands of the discipline that include behavioral neuroscience, social neuroscience and more.

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