COMMON SENSE NEUROSCIENCE: WHY IMPORTANT

COMMON SENSE NEUROSCIENCE: WHY IMPORTANT

Why is neuroscience important?

• What is it all about?
• Why is it important?

What is neuroscience?

Neuroscience is the study of the brain and the nervous system. The brain is the organ that enables us to adapt to our environment - to learn. The brain is constantly changing and everything we do changes our brain - this is called 'plasticity' and allows us to continuously take account of the environment and store memories to use in the future.

We know that both nature (genetics) and nurture (the environment) affect the learning brain but it is not understood exactly how genes influence the brain's development and function. For example we know that genes can partially explain differences in reading ability, but there is no single gene that makes someone a good or poor reader. Also genes can be turned on and off by environmental factors such as diet, chemicals and social interactions (known as 'epigenetics').

The brain continues to change in adults as skills, such as music, juggling and dance, are repeated and learned. However it seems to be the case that you should "use it or lose it". One study showed that an area of the brain called the hippocampus showed high areas of activity in taxi drivers who had spent years navigating the streets of London, compared with controls. When these drivers left their jobs, after a while the activity levels in these parts of the brain went back to normal.

Why is studying neuroscience important?

Increasing understanding of the brain and improved methods to study it will enable scientists to develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease) and mental illnesses. Research will also help us find out more about normal human behaviour and mental wellbeing, and can help develop artificial intelligence. As well as treating illnesses, research could also lead to better understanding of how we learn, allowing us to optimise our intelligence.

These developments are likely to provide significant benefits for society and have implications for a diverse range of public policy areas such as health, education, law, and security. However they will also raise major social and ethical issues and raise questions about personality, identity, responsibility, and liberty.