Putting the Question in Perspective

2019 ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Dale Purves
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Scientific Progress ◽  
Operating Principle ◽  
Neural Function ◽  
Nervous Systems ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Human Nervous System

Basic to the question of whether or not the brain and the rest of the human nervous system have a simple operating principle are some central facts about biology and its relation to neuroscience. What nervous systems do is best appreciated in the context of what all organisms must accomplish in order to survive and prosper, with or without neural assistance. Although the author’s understanding of these issues is no more than that of any other student who pays a modicum of attention to the broader sweep of scientific progress, this chapter considers some points of consensus. The aim is to situate the quest for a principle of neural function in the context of biology writ large.

scholarly journals Network Neuroscience and Personality

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Markett ◽  
Christian Montag ◽  
Martin Reuter
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Actual Behavior ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Nervous Systems ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Network Neuroscience

AbstractPersonality and individual differences originate from the brain. Despite major advances in the affective and cognitive neurosciences, however, it is still not well understood how personality and single personality traits are represented within the brain. Most research on brain-personality correlates has focused either on morphological aspects of the brain such as increases or decreases in local gray matter volume, or has investigated how personality traits can account for individual differences in activation differences in various tasks. Here, we propose that personality neuroscience can be advanced by adding a network perspective on brain structure and function, an endeavor that we label personality network neuroscience.With the rise of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the establishment of connectomics as a theoretical framework for structural and functional connectivity modeling, and recent advancements in the application of mathematical graph theory to brain connectivity data, several new tools and techniques are readily available to be applied in personality neuroscience. The present contribution introduces these concepts, reviews recent progress in their application to the study of individual differences, and explores their potential to advance our understanding of the neural implementation of personality.Trait theorists have long argued that personality traits are biophysical entities that are not mere abstractions of and metaphors for human behavior. Traits are thought to actually exist in the brain, presumably in the form of conceptual nervous systems. A conceptual nervous system refers to the attempt to describe parts of the central nervous system in functional terms with relevance to psychology and behavior. We contend that personality network neuroscience can characterize these conceptual nervous systems on a functional and anatomical level and has the potential do link dispositional neural correlates to actual behavior.

Summing Up

2019 ◽  
pp. 145-158
Author(s):  
Dale Purves
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Cardiovascular System ◽  
Digestive System ◽  
Neural Function ◽  
Empirical Basis ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
The World ◽  
Survival And Reproduction ◽  
Successful Behavior ◽  
The Brain

A major challenge in neuroscience today is to decipher the operating principle of the brain and the rest of the nervous system in the same straightforward way that biologists have come to understand the functions of other organs and organ systems (e.g., the cardiovascular system, the digestive system, and so on). The argument here has been that the function of nervous systems is to make, maintain, and modify neural associations that ultimately promote survival and reproduction in a world that sensory systems can’t apprehend. In this way, we and other animals can link the subjective domain of perception to successful behavior without ever recovering the properties of the world. Neural function on a wholly empirical basis may be the key to understanding how brains operate.

Organisms With Nervous Systems

2019 ◽  
pp. 23-34
Author(s):  
Dale Purves
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Operating Principle ◽  
The Other ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Nervous Systems ◽  
Life On Earth

Definitions of the term “animals” in dictionaries and textbooks are surprisingly vague. The characteristics usually mentioned are eukaryotic, multicellular, heterotrophic, sexually reproducing, and capable of rapid and independent movement. But some or all of these properties are characteristic of many organisms in the other kingdoms of life on Earth. In fact, the major distinguishing feature of animals in most cases is the presence of a nervous system. But if nervous systems are indeed one of the main attributes that distinguish organisms in the animal kingdom, what exactly are nervous systems and what advantages do they bring? Without at least some provisional answers, seeking the operating principle of neural systems would be futile.

Neurodevelopment

2020 ◽  
pp. 91-100
Author(s):  
Karl Zilles ◽  
Nicola Palomero-Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Neural Plate ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Specialized Region ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Rostral Part ◽  
Human Nervous System

The pre- and post-natal development of the human nervous system is briefly described, with special emphasis on the brain, particularly the cerebral and cerebellar cortices. The central nervous system originates from a specialized region of the ectoderm—the neural plate—which develops into the neural tube. The rostral part of the neural tube forms the adult brain, whereas the caudal part (behind the fifth somite) differentiates into the spinal cord. The embryonic brain has three vesicular enlargements: the forebrain, the midbrain, and the hindbrain. The histogenesis of the spinal cord, hindbrain, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex, including myelination, is discussed. The chapter closes with a description of the development of the hemispheric shape and the formation of gyri.

The Rise of the Electrophorus

2011 ◽  
pp. 401-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katina Michael ◽  
M.G. Michael
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Sociotechnical Systems ◽  
Technological Society ◽  
Jacques Ellul ◽  
Automatic Teller Machines ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Human Nervous System

When Jacques Ellul (1964, p. 432) predicted the use of “electronic banks” in his book, The Technological Society, he was not referring to the computerization of financial institutions or the use of Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs). Rather it was in the context of the possibility of the dawn of a new entity- the coupling of man and machine. Ellul was predicting that one day knowledge would be accumulated in electronic banks and “transmitted directly to the human nervous system by means of coded electronic messages… [w]hat is needed will pass directly from the machine to the brain without going through consciousness…” As unbelievable as this man-machine complex may have sounded at the time, forty years on visionaries are still predicting that such scenarios will be possible by the turn of the twentysecond century. A large proportion of these visionaries are cyberneticists. Cybernetics is the study of nervous system controls in the brain as a basis for developing communications and controls in sociotechnical systems.

Analyzing the brain

2000 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 540-541
Author(s):  
Peter Gouras
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Neural Modeling ◽  
Neural Function ◽  
Link Structure ◽  
Neural Organization ◽  
On Line ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Combining Information

Neural organization describes an approach to analyzing neural function in anatomically defined subsystems in the brain, the hippocampus, cerebellum, sensory systems, thalamus, basal ganglia, and cerebral cortex, combining information on neurocircuitry with mathematical models that link structure with function. It is an up-to-date source on the major schemes and background for neural modeling of the central nervous system and is combined with a Web site that includes tutorials and on-line modeling possibilities.

Medical Neurobiology

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy Mason
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Medical Student ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Voluntary Movement ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Travel Guide ◽  
Neural Communication ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Human Nervous System

This textbook guides the medical student, regardless of background or intended specialty, through the anatomy and function of the human nervous system. In writing specifically for medical students, the author concentrates on the neural contributions to common diseases, whether neurological or not, and omits topics without clinical relevance. The two fundamental building blocks of the nervous system are neural communication and neuroanatomy. Foundations in both topics must be mastered. After learning the neurons and glial cells that comprise the nervous system, the book begins with a study of the anatomy of the nervous system before moving on to neural communication. With these basics of neurophysiology and neuroanatomy in hand, the reader is ready to tackle how the brain “works” by examining perception, voluntary movement, and homeostasis. The book is intended as a “travel guide” to the human brain, one that communicates to the reader the profound power and beauty of brain function while providing a memorable and enjoyable trip.

scholarly journals Viewpoint: What the Marine Mollusc Aplysia Can Tell the Neurologist About Behavioral Neurophysiology

1981 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 275-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Ruben ◽  
Jeff Goldberg ◽  
Jon Edstrom ◽  
Karen Voshart ◽  
Ken Lukowiak
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Realistic Model ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Neural Function ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Nervous Systems ◽  
Physical And Chemical

Only recently has man begun to regard himself as mundane and not divine. This conceptual liberation has allowed him to ask frank questions concerning the physical and chemical mechanisms which determine or affect his behavior. Unfortunately the answers to these questions have been slow in coming. The reasons for this are two-fold: Basic ethical considerations preclude the experiments necessary to investigate the neural substrates of human behavior in man. Further, man’s behavior and nervous system are both so enormously complex and subtle, it is therefore unlikely that much real fundamental knowledge could be gained from such experiments if performed. It is more expedient to study simple behavior in simpler organisms than man to understand how nervous systems operate in general and, it is hoped, to eventually gain a better understanding of the human in particular. This tactic is known as the “model systems” approach. By discovering the strategies adopted by less complex nervous systems to deal with simple situations one can devise a realistic model of the neural mechanisms that control more complex behavior in more advanced animals.Many animals have served as valuable sources of model systems. Among them the marine gastropod mollusc Aplysia has received considerable attention. In comparison to the human nervous system with approximately 50 billion neurons, the Aplysia nervous system contains relatively few neurons — about 20,000. Furthermore the study of the Aplysia nervous system has several other advantageous characteristics. A number of forms of behavioral plasticity that are found in all higher metazoans including man are also found in the Aplysia. These simple but non-trivial types of behavioral plasticity include habituation, sensitization and associative learning as well as easily defined qualities of neural function which we choose to call “behavioral states”. In addition the nervous system is composed of neurons which are large and, in many cases, easily identified by anatomical and physiological criteria so that the “same” cell can be studied in more than one animal under more than one set of experimental conditions. The cell bodies of the neurons in Aplysia, from which electrical recordings can be fairly easily obtained, are electrically close to their dendrites so that changes in postsynaptic potentials occurring during modifications of behavior can be monitored.

scholarly journals Type 3 Deiodinase Deficiency Causes Spatial and Temporal Alterations in Brain T3 Signaling that Are Dissociated from Serum Thyroid Hormone Levels

Endocrinology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 151 (11) ◽  
pp. 5550-5558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arturo Hernandez ◽  
Laure Quignodon ◽  
M. Elena Martinez ◽  
Frederic Flamant ◽  
Donald L. St. Germain
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Elevated Serum ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Neural Function ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Type 3 ◽  
The Brain

The type 3 deiodinase (D3) is an enzyme that inactivates thyroid hormones (TH) and is highly expressed during development and in the central nervous system. D3-deficient (D3KO) mice develop markedly elevated serum T3 level in the perinatal period. In adulthood, circulating T4 and T3 levels are reduced due to functional deficits in the thyroid axis and peripheral tissues (i.e. liver) show evidence of decreased TH action. Given the importance of TH for brain development, we aimed to assess TH action in the brain of D3KO mice at different developmental stages and determine to what extent it correlates with serum TH parameters. We used a transgenic mouse model (FINDT3) that expresses the reporter gene β-galactosidase (β-gal) in the central nervous system as a readout of local TH availability. Together with experiments determining expression levels of TH-regulated genes, our results show that after a state of thyrotoxicosis in early development, most regions of the D3KO brain show evidence of decreased TH action at weaning age. However, later in adulthood and in old age, the brain again manifests a thyrotoxic state, despite reduced serum TH levels. These region-specific changes in brain TH status during the life span of the animal provide novel insight into the important role of the D3 in the developing and adult brain. Our results suggest that, even if serum concentrations of TH are normal or low, impaired D3 activity may result in excessive TH action in multiple brain regions, with potential consequences of altered neural function that may be of clinical relevance to neurological and neuroendocrine disorders.

scholarly journals The Brain of the Planarian as the Ancestor of the Human Brain

1985 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 296-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harvey B. Sarnat ◽  
Martin G. Netsky
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Photoreceptor Cells ◽  
Bilateral Symmetry ◽  
Entire Body ◽  
Synaptic Organization ◽  
Vertebrate Brain ◽  
Neurotransmitter Substances ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Human Nervous System

ABSTRACT:The planarian is the simplest living animal having a body plan of bilateral symmetry and cephalization. The brain of these free-living flatworms is a biiobed structure with a cortex of nerve cells and a core of nerve fibres including some that decussate to form commissures. Special sensory input from chemoreceptors, photoreceptor cells of primitive eyes, and tactile receptors are integrated to provide motor responses of the entire body, and local reflexes. Many morphological, electrophysiological, and pharmacological features of planarian neurons, as well as synaptic organization, are reminiscent of the vertebrate brain. Multipolar neurons and dendritic spines are rare in higher invertebrates, but are found in the planarian. Several neurotransmitter substances identified in the human brain also occur in the planarian nervous system. The planarian evolved before the divergence of the phylogenetic line leading to vertebrates. This simple worm therefore is suggested as a living example of the early evolution of the vertebrate brain. An extraordinary plasticity and regenerative capacity, and sensitivity to neurotoxins, provide unique opportunities for studying the reorganization of the nervous system after injury. Study of this simple organism may also contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of the human nervous system.

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