Neuroscience

Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system, including the brain. It investigates how nervous tissue is organised and how its activity relates to perception, thought, emotion and behaviour. Questions range from the operation of individual cells to the coordinated activity of networks.

Cells and systems

Neurons receive and transmit information. Their membranes support electrical changes, while communication between cells often involves chemical signals at synapses. A typical neuron has a cell body, branching dendrites and an axon, though cells vary in their form and connections. Glia perform functions that support and regulate nervous tissue, including the formation of insulating myelin around some axons.

The brain and spinal cord form the central nervous system. Different regions contribute to different functions, but these contributions operate through connected systems. Studying an isolated region is therefore only one level of explanation for an activity such as remembering or moving.

Methods and interpretation

Researchers compare nervous-system structure with physiological activity and behaviour. Imaging methods provide different kinds of evidence: magnetic resonance imaging can depict anatomy, while functional imaging tracks changes related to activity, including blood oxygenation. Electroencephalography records electrical signals through electrodes at the head and is useful for examining their timing.

The nervous system can change with development and experience, a capacity called neuroplasticity. Understanding these changes connects studies of cells and circuits with questions about learning. No single measurement, such as a structural image or electrical recording, supplies every level of that explanation.

Attribution

Adapted with reference to English Wikipedia, revision 1378753188 (contributors and history), under CC BY-SA 4.0. The prose has been rewritten and checked against the cited sources; changes have been made.