What is psychobiology?

Psychobiology is the study of brain, human or animal behavior and the relationship between them. Psychobiology, which is also called behavioral neuroscience, uses the facts and principles of biology on mental, emotional and behavioral processes in humans or animals. Those who study this topic seek to find out which types of behavior are caused by biological processes. Biology and psychology studies have existed much longer as separate areas. But scientists may have studied it for centuries without giving it a formal name. For example, Avicenna (980-1037), a physician and philosopher, is attributed to the search for a relationship between certain diseases, psychology and biology. He argued that the content of high bridge, referred to as moisture, inside the human head can cause the development of mental conditions. Over the years, scientists have been looking for ways to behavior with physical causes.

For studying psychobiology, scientists use special equipment to help them learn more about the brain. For example, psychobiologists can measure brainuse a person's waves to use a device of electroencephalograph (EEG). By attaching specially designed electrodes to the scalp of a person, a scientist can record a person's brain waves and determine how things such as behavior and health are affected.

Some scientists studied the relationship between brain waves and criminal activity and concluded that those who are susceptible to crime may have slower brain waves than others. Such studies can reveal why some criminals are able to deceive the tests of lie detector or demonstrate whether head injuries can contribute to the probability of person to engage in crime. Some scientists even assume that vitamin deficiencies can play a role in criminal behavior.

Psychobiologists can also study how biology can contribute to certain mental illnesses or even cause. For example, person genes may affect whether it is likely to be diagnosticVána schizophrenia. Other mental states can be influenced by such things as hormonal fluctuations and even differences in the brain structure. Scientists can use brain scanning to learn more about depression and bipolar disorder, for example.

Psychobiology Studies often include the use of animals for research. For certain studies, animal subjects can be easier to be available than human beings and animal brain studies can give scientists important traces of how the human brain can work. Animal studies can be particularly important, for example, in the study of the effects of medicines on mental processes, behavior and certain conditions. They may also prove to be useful for studying the effects of alcohol, and unlawful drug use may have on the brain.