Perception is not true reality, but at least, it is our reality. We have no mean to apprehend the true reality, but only to merely estimate the reality from the observation in a limited and distorted way using our brain.
Neuroscience is the study of the human brain and nervous system, which includes 1) sensing the world, 2) feeling the emotion, 3) forming the memory, 4) processing the logic, and 5) moving the muscle. It is said that if the body is the hardware, the nervous system is the software. Neuroscience combines knowledge from various disciplines to explore the complexity of the human brain and nervous system.
The Basics of Neuroscience
The basics of neuroscience begins with how the nervous system is constructed with the biological units.
Biomedical Science
Biomedical science is a broad field that deals with human health and disease using many different disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Neuroscience is considered a subfield of biomedical science, which specifically concerns with the study of the human brain and nervous system. Given that knowledge map in neuroscience aligns with biomedical science, this section provides an introduction to some fundamental aspects of biomedical science.
Before getting into the actual contents, in order not to get confused with medical science, here is the difference between the term medical science and biomedical science.
- Medical Science: The practical application of scientific knowledge to patient care.
- Biomedical Science: The scientific investigation of the underlying mechanisms of human health and disease.
So, medical science regards on doctor position while biomedical science is more closely related to researcher position.
The basics of biomedical science begins with the biological units. An organism has levels of organization that build on each other, from the smallest to the largest, Cell → Tissue → Organ → Organ System.
- A cell is the smallest biological unit of an organism.
- A tissue is a group of cells that work together to perform specific functions.
- An organ is a group of tissues that work together to perform specific functions.
- An organ system is a group of organs that work together to perform specific functions.
A single organ or organ system is composed of many different types of cells and tissues, so in biomedical science, every biological unit is often studied all together.
Biomedical science can also be viewed from two key concepts:
- Structure refers to the physical form or arrangement of an organism or its parts.
- Anatomy is the study of the presence of the structure of organisms.
- Morphology is the study of the relationships between the structures of organisms.
- Function refers to the purpose or role of a structure or system within an organism.
- Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes that occur within organisms.
- Physiology is the study of the normal functions at both the cellular and organism levels.
From Cells to Systems
In the field of neuroscience, there are specific biological components that play unique roles. Neurons are specialized cells dedicated to transmitting and processing information. They form neural tissues, which operate collectively to manage information. These tissues assemble to manage information in clusters and contribute to the formation of the spinal cord and brain, which serve as specialized organs in the nervous system.
| Cell | Neuron, Neuroglia |
| Tissue | Nerve, Ganglion, White Matter, Gray Matter |
| Organ | Peripheral Nerve, Brain, Spinal Cord |
| Organ System |
Peripheral Nervous System,
Central Nervous System,
Somatic Nervous System, Autonomic Nervous System |