Human brain, as the source of knowledge and human intellect, is the most complex system in the known universe. At least, for being aware of other more complex systems, the humanity first has to gain enough knowledge about the workings and limits of the human brain. One of the main reasons of this complexity is the unique versatility of the nerve cells, the neurons, which can reshape their structure, function and contribution to neuronal circuits according to the ever-changing requirements of processing information arriving from the various parts of the body and from the external environment. This plasticity, which is especially high in brain parts, which are associated with higher intellectual functions, makes the structure-function relationship in the brain a very complex problem to be handled.
The above-mentioned properties of the central nervous system shape also the spatial scales of brain functional organization. The human brain function relies on processes running at molecular and subcellular levels, which then integrate to more comprehensive interactions at the levels of local neuronal circuitry and the large-scale networks, which finally produce the behavior and social interactions. In parallel to these spatial scales, information processing in the brain requires also processes at many different time scales from almost instantaneous molecular processes to those running in milliseconds at the cellular and local circuitry level to perceptual processes requiring hundreds of milliseconds to shortterm memory processes lasting seconds up to learning and long-term memory processes that may last a life-long. Hence, the evaluation of all mechanisms at these various spatiotemporal scales requires the utilization of a large set of scientific approaches and methodologies.
The fact that understanding brain function requires a multi-disciplinary and even inter-disciplinary work in addition to the more conventional fields of Neuro-Psychiatry or Psychology, has led to the development of a novel inter-disciplinary field coined as Neurosciences in the last quarter of the last century. The study of the brain needs in addition to the well-known life and health science disciplines such as Physiology, Morphology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Neurology, or Psychiatry, also the contribution of the behavioral studies from Psychology, computational studies, advanced statistics and signal and image analysis techniques from the Engineering, and even important concepts from Sociology and Philosophy areas.
This book as a volume of the “100 e-books Project on the 100th Anniversary of the Republic of Turkey” designed by Istanbul University aims to be a building block in the development of this interdisciplinary area by providing an overview of the new developments in Neurosciences. The text includes basic knowledge on the research methods and approaches in various subfields from molecular to cellular, cognitive and social Neurosciences for beginners in this field, but also provides important original findings, which stem from the PhD and residency theses carried out in recent years at Istanbul University and can be important for advanced Neuroscientists. Finally, we hope that this book serves as a valuable resource for those working in the field. |
