Download - What is Behavioral Neuroscience?
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What is Behavioral Neuroscience?
Chapter One
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• Neuroscience– “The scientific study of the brain and nervous
system, in health and in disease” (UCLA, 2000)
– Incorporates the fields of psychology, biology, chemistry, medicine, mathematics, physics, engineering, and computer science
Neuroscience as an Interdisciplinary Field
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• The functions of the brain and nervous system are studied on many different levels
From Molecules to Behavior
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• Ancient milestones– Trepanation– Egyptian medical papyrus; mummification – Ancient Greeks: Hippocrates, Galen
• The dawn of scientific reasoning – Descartes (1596-1650): mind-body dualism– Van Leeuwenhoek– Galvani and du Bois-Reymond– Bell and Magendie
Historical Highlights in Neuroscience
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Prehistoric Brain Surgery
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Galvani – the Role of Electricity in Neural Communication
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• Santiago Ramón y Cajal and Camillo Golgi– The Neuron Doctrine
• Gall and Spurzheim: phrenology• Paul Broca• Fritsch and Hitzig• John Hughlings-Jackson (1835-1911)
– Founding of modern neuroscience
• Sherrington, Loewi, Eccles, Katz, Huxley, Hodgkin
Modern Neuroscience Begins
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Phrenology Bust
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• The study of microscopic structures and tissues
• Provides the means for observing structure, organization, and connections of individual cells
• Tissue fixation, microtome machine, and specialized stains
Behavioral Neuroscience Research Methods – Histology
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Tissue Sectioning using a Microtome
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• Examination of the body after death• Correlational method that must be
interpreted carefully and precisely
Behavioral Neuroscience Research Methods – Autopsy
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• Types of imaging technologies– Computerized tomography (CT)– Positron emission tomography (PET)– Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Functional MRI (fMRI)• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
• Advantage of imaging over autopsy– Can watch the living brain as it behaves
Behavioral Neuroscience Research Methods – Imaging
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CT Scans – Historical and Modern
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PET Scans Show Patterns of Brain Activation
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Functional MRI (fMRI) Tracks Cerebral Blood Flow
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Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) Constructs Maps of the Brain’s Fiber Pathways
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• Records electrical and magnetic output from the brain – Electroencephalogram (EEG)– Event-related potentials– Magnetoencephalography (MEG)– Single-cell recordings
Recording
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Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)
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Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
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• Artificial stimulation of specific brain regions and observation of resulting behavior– Surface electrodes during neurosurgery– Surgically implanted electrodes– Repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation
(rTMS)– Optogenetics
Brain Stimulation
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Deep Brain Stimulation and rTMS
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• Lesion: injury to neural tissue • Naturally occurring• Deliberately produced
• Ablation– Surgical removal of neural tissue
Lesions
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• Biochemical methods– Use of chemical stimulation and microdialysis
• Genetic methods– Twin studies (concordance rates)– Adoption studies (heritability)– Studies of genetically-modified animals
(knockout genes)– Epigenetics (gene expression due to external
factors)
Other Research Methods
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• Stem cells– Undifferentiated cells that can divide and
differentiate into other types of cells– One of the most promising approaches to
understanding neural development, regeneration, and disease
– Embryonic or adult: advantages and disadvantages of both
– Can be used to repair the nervous system
Other Research Methods (cont’d.)
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• Mechanisms for protection of human participants and animal research subjects– Hippocrates– Federal government and the Common Rule– University review and institutional review
boards
Research Ethics in Behavioral Neuroscience
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• Coercion of research participants is unacceptable
• Benefits to participants should not be “excessive or inappropriate”
• Participants must be informed that they can leave without penalty at any time
• Participants must be told enough about the experiment to make an informed decision about participating
Research Ethics – Human Participants
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• Participants must receive contact information in case they have questions
• Participants must be assured their data will be confidential
Research Ethics – Human Participants (cont’d.)
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• Animal research should have a clear scientific purpose
• Excellent care and housing should be provided
• Experimental procedures should cause as little pain and distress as possible
Research Ethics – Animal Subjects