What is Neuroscience: Definition and 150 Discussions

Neuroscience (or neurobiology) is the scientific study of the nervous system. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developmental biology, cytology, computer science and mathematical modeling to understand the fundamental and emergent properties of neurons and neural circuits. The understanding of the biological basis of learning, memory, behavior, perception, and consciousness has been described by Eric Kandel as the "ultimate challenge" of the biological sciences.The scope of neuroscience has broadened over time to include different approaches used to study the nervous system at different scales and the techniques used by neuroscientists have expanded enormously, from molecular and cellular studies of individual neurons to imaging of sensory, motor and cognitive tasks in the brain.

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  1. S

    Advice on neuroscience academic path?

    So I'm a junior in high school currently with a very, very strong interest in neuroscience, among other sciences (specifically chemistry and physics), and engineering as well (part of school's FIRST robotics team as lead programmer). For the past few months or so, I've been exploring academic...
  2. G

    Designing physics experiment (vibration)

    Hello all, I'll start by explaining that this is my first post, and I have very little engineering and mechanical knowledge. I am currently completing my phd in neuroscience so the purpose of this post is to seek information to indulge in some of my hobbies :) I am designing a machine...
  3. A

    Ph.D in Cognitive Neuroscience: Is Complementary Postgraduate Degree Worth It?

    Hey all! I have a personal question, but hopefully this will be useful to more than just me. I'm going for a Ph.D in cognitive neuroscience. I am convinced this is what I want to do. Once I've achieved that, is it totally unrealistic to attempt another postgraduate degree in another field...
  4. Greg Bernhardt

    Sleep loss may cause brain damage

    Shift workers beware: Sleep loss may cause brain damage, new research says http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/19/health/sleep-loss-brain-damage/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
  5. P

    Can someone be too old or too late for physics?

    Can someone be "too old" or "too late" for physics? I am a first year physics student, but I am 20 years old (pretty old for my country, average starting age is 18), because I started after leaving med school, which I find extremely jailed in "memorization walls", with no place for analytical...
  6. Y

    Exploring EE Research Fields for Postgraduate Study

    I've got one more year left to finish my undergraduate EE degree and I'm planning on continuing straight into a PhD. I've had the chance to work with a postdoc on remote sensing/space science research and I've really enjoyed it. I've also developed an interest in neuroscience and plasma physics...
  7. D

    Please give me some advice about math self-study

    Hello, This is my first post, so my backgrounds is basically that I've studied biochemistry and neuroscience in university, and I want to continue working in science in some capacity, although that's not my profession at the moment. I've come to the realization that the all of the cutting-edge...
  8. F

    How did you decide on a field for graduate studies?

    Hi everyone, I myself am unsure of what field/program to pursue for grad studies. For sure, want to get a Masters (msc/masc). I feel it is too early for me to decide if I want a PhD, and that decision I could only make after some time doing a masters. I've been looking at a lot of...
  9. P

    GCSE/IGCSE course choice for sciences

    Hello, I live in England, and in the future I would like to study physics or neuroscience at university. I am currently taking my GCSEs, and I have a dilemma with some of the courses I am taking: I'm taking a Science GCSE course which includes Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and I am also...
  10. J

    Math major working in a warehouse. How can I get a real job now?

    Backstory. Graduated March of this year. Typical "jack of all trades" Mathematics major: I know basic probability, programming fundamentals, good logical-analytical skills, did data analysis for an esoteric research project for the Computational Neuroscience Grad Dept, but of course I'm not...
  11. K

    Question about biophysics, mathematical biology etc.

    Right now I'm a 2nd year biology major, focusing on neurobiology. During my first year I noticed that biology outside neuroscience and some physiology doesn't really interest me that much. So I started taking some maths and programming already during my 1st year. Now I'm taking mostly maths and...
  12. S

    Post-Bac Physics Programs in LA

    I graduated from USC with a BA in English Lit and a minor in Neuroscience. I have since taken general physics courses at a community college, following my passion for physics and astrophysics. In addition I took one Astronomy course and some math at the undergraduate level. There seem to be...
  13. J

    Engineering Biochemistry vs. Chemical Engineering

    i'm not exactly sure what i want my future career to be (my interests keep changing) but right now I'm set on engineering. i did a little research and I've narrowed it down to either chemical or systems design engineering. if there are any chemical engineers out there, why did u choose this...
  14. P

    Can I get into computational neuroscience from EE?

    I am finishing my BS this semester in electrical engineering with an emphasis in signal processing and I want to eventually become a researcher in computational neuroscience. Is this transition viable? Since I ultimately want a Ph.D in neuroscience should I get my masters in neuroscience or...
  15. L

    Physics, Neuroscience, and Cognitive Sciences

    Hi! I'm looking for help to choose a Phd program and find possible advisors for next year. I'm interested in studying mathematical models of the mind, including decision theory and neural networks. I've been doing research in the possible programs but I find myself lost amog them. My...
  16. T

    Cognitive Neuroscience: the Biology of Mind

    From, ''Cognitive Neuroscience: the Biology of Mind'': A patient has a terrible time seeing everyday objects but has no problem seeing faces! In fact, if the faces are composed of fruit arranged to look like a face, the patient says he sees the face but does not realize it is made up of...
  17. B

    PhD in Computational/Theoretical Neuroscience

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  18. C

    Medical Question of Obsession: The Impact of Math and Neuroscience on Personal Life

    I am a 22 year-old male in the U.S. My fascination (or obsession) for math/computational neuroscience/set-theory/Analysis & Topology topics has reached nearly unprecedented levels in my life to the point of posing a detriment to my personal life (insomnia, pickiness, and periodic rage). I never...
  19. fluidistic

    Neuroscience Neural impulse, references and ideas

    Hello people, I would like some references, be it book or papers about the process of neural impulses at a single neuron level. My only reference so far is a book from 1974 (Stochastic models in biology) and so is probably outdated despite having around 30 pages on the subject. The more...
  20. B

    What field of psychology should I read?

    Hi! I was curious about what the various fields of psychology are and which field would be most appropriate for learning about how emotions, anxieties, complexes, thought patterns, etc. are developed and processed. I'm an engineering student, but have a strong hobby in learning about the social...
  21. S

    Schools Graduate school app - Do I have a shot?

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  22. Pythagorean

    Orexin: a unifying theory for a lesser known neurotransmitter

    This perspective article covers several functions of Orexin, a lesser known neurotransmitter: Arousal and sleep/wake transitions Reward seeking Stress Homeostatic regulation Cognition: attention, learning and memory and concludes: http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v17/n10/abs/nn.3810.html
  23. M

    Mathematical Integral in Neuroscience Paper

    Hi everyone, I'm having trouble getting a mathematical result in the following paper: http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-540-88853-6_4#page-1 In particular, I can't figure out how they reach equation 7. They use equations (3) and (5), and I think they discard a lot of the...
  24. D

    How much physics & EE for computational neuroscience?

    So there seems to have been many posts about how much math is required for computational neuroscience, but I don't know if anyone has raised the question of how much physics&EE is required for this field. It seems like circuit analysis is used quite extensively in modeling single neurons, but...
  25. C

    Masters doubt regarding computational neuroscience career

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  26. J

    Can someone explain the neuroscience conjoined twins?

    Twins conjoined at the head Brains conjoined, thalamus connected They are aware of each other's thoughts They can see out of each other's eyes What the heck? Someone explain this. I'm having major cognitive dissonance trying to fit this into my worldview.
  27. N

    Neurophysics vs computational neuroscience

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  28. N

    Neuroscience: poisson and gauss in neuron firing rate model

    Hello! I was reading a journal article on modeling the interaction between different neural networks and I am confused about the follwoing method (cited below). It is describing the spike rate output of a neuron based on oscillating firing rates of excitatory (E) and inhibitory (I) inputs...
  29. N

    Neuroscience MS considering switch to EE. Help?

    If this post looks too long for you to read, please go to the end, read the summary paragraph and respond to that. I'm going to summarize my history as concisely as I can without leaving out any important info. So I got a BS in Neuroscience (3.8 GPA), and throughout undergrad, I knew I...
  30. N

    Schools Biomathematics major in undergrad for computational neuroscience in grad school?

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  31. N

    A few questions about the field of computational neuroscience

    Hi, I am a physics & math double major but I am very interested in computational neuroscience. I am particularly very curious about how the field will potentially be around 10 years from now. I am extremely interested in things such as the blue brain project, the connectome project, and the...
  32. N

    Neuroscience: LFP at fixed point with different simulataneous frequencies

    Hello! I have a neuroscience question about local field potenitals (LFPs). I was reading a jounral article where the LFP in a given location was recorded overtime, and then the LFP at ecah time point was divided into different frequency groups: i.e. the LFP at a given point in space...
  33. D

    Schools Neuroscience (reading material and grad school programs?)

    Hi, Over the past year, I've started finding the field of neuroscience very interesting. Can anyone recommend any books for a complete newbie on the field? And just out of curiosity, what graduate schools have good neuroscience/neurophysics programs?
  34. A

    Programs Cognitive Neuroscience: Chemistry vs Physics for UC Davis Biochemistry Major

    I attend UC Davis, which doesn't offer Neuroscience as a major. What is the next best alternative if I want to go into cognitive neuroscience? I'm currently majoring in Biochemistry. Is that the best major for Cognitive Neuroscience? If not, what is? According to wikipedia:" Due to its...
  35. S

    Is Computational Neuroscience the Key to Understanding the Mind?

    I've always want to understand the mind and its inner working. After lots of consideration I've narrowed my choice down to computational neuroscience. I know it's a hardcore science but I'd like to know more about it. How much math is required? What disciplines would suit it best? Every...
  36. A

    Neuroscience & Math: Advice for Beginners

    I am interested in Neuroscience, but have little computer experience- can anyone advise me on a good place to start? Also, I would like to know which areas of Mathematics could most benefit me to look at. I worry that I am weak in Math, and would like to bolster relevant applications. TIA!
  37. jbrussell93

    Computational Neuroscience Programs in different departments?

    So I have been looking into different computational neuroscience programs lately, and I'm wondering what the difference is between departments. Some comp neurosci programs are housed in applied mathematics, computer science, engineering, or biology while others are just in the neuroscience...
  38. jbrussell93

    Preparation for subfields of neuroscience

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  39. T

    Programs Theoretical Neuroscience - Which Undergrad Major?

    Hello. I'm currently a junior undergraduate at a liberal arts school. Next year I'm transferring to Columbia's engineering program through a wonderful Combined Plan Program. If anyone knows anything about this, I would love some more information than just what I could find on their website...
  40. M

    Medical Are there any neuroscience journals that I could get for free?

    Like any free articles online?
  41. M

    Neurology or Neuroscience? Plus how much is a neuroscientist paid?

    I can;t decide between trying for neurology or neuroscientist. All though I think neuroscientist would be a more interesting job, I do not like maths or chemistry( I love Bio and Physics). Being a neurologist would not only be satisfying aswell, but it will also pay aLOT! But the time of MBBS...
  42. V

    Looking for website on Molecular Neuroscience

    Hello, some time ago I found a website dedicated to neuroscience. It deals with neurons, receptors, synapses etc on molecular level. The site is free and has a lot of information, including pictures, diagrammes etc. I think it is a project of some professor who wants that information be...
  43. P

    Relationship Between Uncertainty and Emergence (neuroscience)?

    A huge common misconception about brain function is that function can be localized to "very" specific locations. However, reductionism falls apart when speaking about emergent phenomenon such as higher order brain functions (e.g. feeling of knowing, consciousness, visio-spatial processing). Just...
  44. N

    Knowing more about the discipline of mathematical neuroscience

    I've been looking for curriculum (e.g. classes needed) for mathematical/theoretical neuroscience but with no success. Math, physics, and neuroscience are some of my prime interests, but I have no idea on how to go about thinking if I should pursue theoretical neuroscience instead of theoretical...
  45. S

    Physics Help with physics and neuroscience

    Let me get to the point. I'm extremely interested in neuroscience, and also with physics; specifically astrophysics. I have two questions here: Is there much math/physics involved with neuroscience? And what has a better job outlook, etc, astrophysics or neuroscience? Thanks.
  46. F

    Chemistry or physics: what to study for biophysics or neuroscience?

    I am interested in both physics and chemistry and I am going to choose my undergraduate studies in the next two days. A bachelor's degree in my country lasts three years and there is no major/minor option (one can study physics OR chemistry). I would love to get a master's deegre in biophysics...
  47. StevieTNZ

    Medical Is Perception Equivalent to Thinking in Neuroscience?

    When you consciously perceive something, are we thinking the thing we're perceiving? Not necessarily the same kind of thinking as a thought 'I'm alive'? For example, I see a cat. But what is that perception? Is it a generation of thoughts that produces the image I see? The stimuli makes my...
  48. J

    Looking for an interesting Neuroscience article

    Just bored and looking for some new (<2 years ago) articles people find interesting. If anyone knows of any diseases that may be caused by neurological disorders which isn't proven yet, for example diabetes, they'd be a good start. Cheers
  49. N

    Medical Does higher level neuroscience still require a great deal of memorization?

    One thing that put me off from pursuing the study of biology or neuroscience was that it all seemed to involve a loot of memorization. Which is why I am attracted to pursuing mathematics and physics instead.. because things just click together and relatively little memorization is needed. Is...
  50. K

    What Careers Combine High-Level Mathematics and Programming?

    I just have a few quick questions on mathematical neuroscience. What are the branches of mathematics that are used frequently in neuroscience? And finally, is it common for math majors to enter neuroscience in graduate school? Yes, I'm thinking about it micro, now don't pester me!
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