Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system, its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developmental biology, cytology, psychology, physics, computer science, chemistry, medicine, statistics, and mathematical modeling to understand the fundamental and emergent properties of neurons, glia and neural circuits. The understanding of the biological basis of learning, memory, behavior, perception, and consciousness has been described by Eric Kandel as the "epic challenge" of the biological sciences.
Cognitive neuroscience is the scientific field that is concerned with the study of the biological processes and aspects that underlie cognition, with a specific focus on the neural connections in the brain which are involved in mental processes. It addresses the questions of how cognitive activities are affected or controlled by neural circuits in the brain. Cognitive neuroscience is a branch of both neuroscience and psychology, overlapping with disciplines such as behavioral neuroscience, cognitive psychology, physiological psychology and affective neuroscience. Cognitive neuroscience relies upon theories in cognitive science coupled with evidence from neurobiology, and computational modeling.
Behavioral neuroscience, also known as biological psychology, biopsychology, or psychobiology, is the application of the principles of biology to the study of physiological, genetic, and developmental mechanisms of behavior in humans and other animals.
Nature Neuroscience is a monthly scientific journal published by Nature Publishing Group. Its focus is original research papers relating specifically to neuroscience and was established in May 1998. The chief editor is Shari Wiseman. According to the Journal Citation Reports, Nature Neuroscience had a 2022 impact factor of 25.0.
Nature Reviews Neuroscience is a monthly peer-reviewed review journal published by Nature Portfolio. It was established in 2000. The editor-in-chief is Darran Yates.
The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a professional society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., for basic scientists and physicians around the world whose research is focused on the study of the brain and nervous system. It is especially well known for its annual meeting, consistently one of the largest scientific conferences in the world.
Social neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field devoted to understanding the relationship between social experiences and biological systems. Humans are fundamentally a social species, rather than solitary. As such, Homo sapiens create emergent organizations beyond the individual—structures that range from dyads, families, and groups to cities, civilizations, and cultures. In this regard, studies indicate that various social influences, including life events, poverty, unemployment and loneliness can influence health related biomarkers. The term "social neuroscience" can be traced to a publication entitled "Social Neuroscience Bulletin" which was published quarterly between 1988 and 1994. The term was subsequently popularized in an article by John Cacioppo and Gary Berntson, published in the American Psychologist in 1992. Cacioppo and Berntson are considered as the legitimate fathers of social neuroscience. Still a young field, social neuroscience is closely related to personality neuroscience, affective neuroscience and cognitive neuroscience, focusing on how the brain mediates social interactions. The biological underpinnings of social cognition are investigated in social cognitive neuroscience.
From the ancient Egyptian mummifications to 18th-century scientific research on "globules" and neurons, there is evidence of neuroscience practice throughout the early periods of history. The early civilizations lacked adequate means to obtain knowledge about the human brain. Their assumptions about the inner workings of the mind, therefore, were not accurate. Early views on the function of the brain regarded it to be a form of "cranial stuffing" of sorts. In ancient Egypt, from the late Middle Kingdom onwards, in preparation for mummification, the brain was regularly removed, for it was the heart that was assumed to be the seat of intelligence. According to Herodotus, during the first step of mummification: "The most perfect practice is to extract as much of the brain as possible with an iron hook, and what the hook cannot reach is mixed with drugs." Over the next five thousand years, this view came to be reversed; the brain is now known to be the seat of intelligence, although colloquial variations of the former remain as in "memorizing something by heart".
The Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience is a monthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering cognitive neuroscience. It aims for a cross-discipline approach, covering research in neuroscience, neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, neurobiology, linguistics, computer science, and philosophy. The journal is published by the MIT Press and the Cognitive Neuroscience Institute and the editor-in-chief is Bradley R. Postle.
Social Neuroscience is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering research in social neuroscience. It was founded in March 2006 by Jean Decety and Julian Paul Keenan. It is published by Psychology Press, a division of Taylor and Francis. The current editor is Paul J. Eslinger. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2022 impact factor of 2.0. Originally, it published 3 issues per year.
Viktor Hamburger was a German-American professor and embryologist. His collaboration with neuroscientist Rita Levi-Montalcini resulted in the discovery of nerve growth factor. In 1951 he and Howard Hamilton published a standardized stage series to describe chicken embryo development, now called the Hamburger-Hamilton stages. He was considered "one of the most influential neuroembryologists of the twentieth century".
The Annual Review of Neuroscience is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes review articles relevant to neuroscience. In publication since 1978 by Annual Reviews, founding editor W. Maxwell Cowan led the editorial committee until his death in 2002. Botond Roska and Huda Y. Zoghbi are the current co-editors. As of 2023, it is being published as open access, under the Subscribe to Open model.
Tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone, also referred to as allotetrahydrocorticosterone, is an endogenous neurosteroid. It is synthesized from the adrenal hormone deoxycorticosterone by the action of two enzymes, 5α-reductase type I and 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. THDOC is a potent positive allosteric modulator of the GABAA receptor, and has sedative, anxiolytic and anticonvulsant effects. Changes in the normal levels of this steroid particularly during pregnancy and menstruation may be involved in some types of epilepsy and premenstrual syndrome, as well as stress, anxiety and depression.
The Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the American Psychological Association. It publishes original research dealing with the application of psychological theories and/or neuroscientific methods to business and economics and, therefore, is at the core of research in neuroeconomics, decision neuroscience, and consumer neuroscience. It is currently edited by Samuel M. McClure.
PNU-120596 is a drug that acts as a potent and selective positive allosteric modulator for the α7 subtype of neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. It is used in scientific research into cholinergic regulation of dopamine and glutamate release in the brain.
PNU-282,987 is a drug that acts as a potent and selective agonist for the α7 subtype of neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. In animal studies, it shows nootropic effects, and derivatives may be useful in the treatment of schizophrenia, although PNU-282,987 is not suitable for use in humans because of excessive inhibition of the hERG antitarget. PNU-282987 has been shown to initiate signaling that leads to adult neurogeneis in mammals.
Neuroscience Letters is a biweekly rapid-publication scientific journal for short articles covering all aspects of neuroscience. According to the Journal Citation Reports, Neuroscience Letters has a 2020 impact factor of 3.046.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering behavioral neuroscience published by Elsevier. The journal publishes reviews, theoretical articles, and mini-reviews. It is an official journal of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society.
MIN-117 is an investigational antidepressant which is under development by Minerva Neurosciences for the clinical treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). It is described as a 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor antagonist and inhibitor of serotonin and dopamine reuptake, and is also reported to possess affinity for the α1A- and α1B-adrenergic receptors. As of May 2015, MIN-117 is in phase II clinical trials for MDD. In December 2019, Minerva announced that MIN-117 was no longer in clinical development for MDD after disappointing results in a phase IIb trial.
Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (PCN) is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering psychiatry and neuroscience. It was established in 1933 as Folia Psychiatrica Et Neurologica Japonica, and was renamed The Japanese Journal of Psychiatry and Neurology in 1986. It obtained its current name in 1995. It is published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology(JSPN), of which it is the official journal. The editors-in-chief are Shigenobu Kanba (Kyushu University) and Tadafumi Kato (RIKEN Brain Science Institute,Juntendo University). According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2021 impact factor of 12.145, ranking it 14th out of 155 journals in the category "Psychiatry" and 16th out of 274 in the category "Neurosciences". PCN's mission is to become an international academic hub of psychiatry as well as a leading journal in the East disseminating prominent research which are valuable to the psychiatry field. PCN is published 12 online issues a year by JSPN in all fields of psychiatry and related neurosciences in the following categories: Review Articles, Regular Articles, and Letters to the Editor.
