1.1: What is Neuroscience?
- Page ID
- 151210
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)In short, neuroscience is the study of the nervous system, the collection of nerve cells that interpret all sorts of information, which allows the body to coordinate activity in response to the environment.
The study of neuroscience has taught us that the brain is a complicated organ with several connection routes, both between different bodily organs and within itself. Some of those connections communicate information down towards the body, such as signals that allow us to control the movements of our muscles, or to change the activity of our internal organs. Other connections ascend into the brain, conveying all sorts of information from the world around us into a representation of our surroundings. Still, other routes communicate between brain areas, such as when the sudden detection of a threat passes through our visual system and turns into a “get ready” signal that then prepares the rest of our body for conflict. Because of this complex system of communication, the nervous system can be thought of as a series of highways and roads that connect different cities (organs.)
The nervous system conveys all of these different types of information using a combination of electrical and chemical signals. The main active cellular units of the nervous system, the neurons, are highly sensitive to changes in their environment. Similar in the way that computers do all their work using a highly coordinated binary signal of 0s and 1s, the electrical output of many neurons is an all-or-nothing response called an action potential. A wide variety of chemicals called neurotransmitters is responsible for passing information between neurons.
The brain is the main computational powerhouse of the body, much more complex and intricate than any artificially created system thus far. Estimations of the computational power of the brain suggest that we can handle somewhere around 10^28 operations per second, processing power that is many orders of magnitude faster than any supercomputer to date. While it’s true that computers can do large, mathematical calculations that (most) humans can’t, the real strength of our brain is its flexibility: brains are capable of changing and adapting to a wide variety of circumstances. Blind people use their visual areas of the brain while echolocating, stroke survivors can regain lost motor functions using the unaffected brain circuits, and babies can effortlessly learn two languages simultaneously in a bilingual household.
The brain is also responsible for the most abstract and unique human functions, such as the origin of consciousness, the place where our thoughts, fears, and desires are born, and the endless creativity of our species. All the musical works of Mozart, the literary genius of Shakespeare, and the philosophical theories of Aristotle were produced through some complex interaction of neurons that we may never understand.
The brain is also responsible for the most abstract and unique human functions, such as the origin of consciousness, the place where our thoughts, fears, and desires are born, and the endless creativity of our species. All the musical works of Mozart, the literary genius of Shakespeare, and the philosophical theories of Aristotle were produced through some complex interaction of neurons that we may never understand.