In fact, far from being completely unrelated disciplines, psychology and neuroscience can complement one another in several ways. Together, the two areas can help answer questions around cognition and behavior, neural development, neuropsychopharmacology and plasticity, for example.
Understanding how the brain works on a scientific level and utilizing technology such as brain scanners can help identify correlations between brain and mental states. Neuroscience has created new and advanced ways for scientists to assess the biological processes that underpin behavior, which in turn enables professionals to make more informed decisions about mental interventions and treatments.
Looking specifically at how psychology and neuroscience link up to produce positive effects, neuroscience has contributed some important findings in relation to the following conditions that affect mental health and behavior:
Parkinson’s disease
A degenerative disorder of the nervous system, Parkinson’s causes impairment of the brain nerve cells that control movement, also affecting a person’s decision-making abilities. Neuroscience is helping advance understanding of the disease’s course in a variety of ways, including the creation of computational models that offer insight into the strength of connections within the brain’s basal ganglia region. How the connections differ in patients with Parkinson’s can help scientists create therapies personalized to patterns of neural degeneration (Frontiers Science News 2017).
Alzheimer’s disease
Characterized by cognitive deterioration, Alzheimer’s leads to a decline in a person’s intellectual abilities and can cause changes in personality and behavior. Through neuroscience applied to animals, researchers have discovered that age-associated memory loss might be reversible using a gene transfer approach.
In studies with monkeys, scientists have identified that control neurons in an area of the brain shrink with age and stop making the regulatory chemicals that affect reasoning ability and memory. By inserting a nerve growth factor into the cells and re-injecting them into the brains of the monkeys, scientists were able to restore cell count and function, providing invaluable insights into the potential for the treatment of age-related disorders in humans (National Institute on Aging 2019).
Huntington’s disease
A neurological disorder that causes involuntary movements and impaired intellect, Huntington’s is caused by a defective DNA sequence that creates toxic protein and damages sufferers’ neurons. Huntington’s disease has no cure as yet, but neuroscience is assisting with finding a solution.
Various types of gene editing therapy have been applied through research in recent years but a new system was generated in 2018 that showed promise in terms of being safer and more specific than previous creations. The more recently developed system was able to cut a strand of DNA, deactivate the defective gene and prevent the production of the toxic protein, providing vital data to inform a potential future cure for Huntington’s (Frontiers Science News 2018).
Schizophrenia
A psychiatric disorder characterized by an impaired perception of reality, schizophrenia has a range of debilitating symptoms including psychosis and hallucinations. Through neuroscience, scientists have made some advances in categorizing symptoms and assigning them to brain structures and functions, with the goal of helping develop and improve treatment strategies (Strik et al 2017).
Neuroscience is also helping advance research at a time when drug development for schizophrenia has deteriorated. Scientists have now discovered when and where dopamine alterations occur in the brain of sufferers. Understanding which neurotransmitter systems and brain regions are involved may help to identify the core neurobiological features of schizophrenia, such as changes in dopamine neurochemistry (Kesby et al 2018).
Clinical depression
Characterized by persistent low mood, clinical depression has been addressed through various branches of neuroscience. Studies have used brain scans before a course of treatment to identify changes in individuals with depression, with findings showing that some types of treatment work better for individuals with relatively normal baseline activation of the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) brain region, while some worked better for those with abnormal baseline sgACC activation (Roiser 2015). From such studies, data may be gathered and used to inform treatment selections for individuals with clinical depression. Some may respond best to psychological treatments; others to pharmacological treatment, for example.
Autism
Covering a broad spectrum of conditions, autism is characterized by challenges in areas like social skills, behavior, and both verbal and non-verbal communication. Neuroscience research is contributing important information in relation to when and how autism is diagnosed, as well as helping provide insight into the characteristics of the condition in terms of brain activity.
Researchers have been able to identify both structural and functional differences in the brains of people with autism and related spectrum disorders, discovering that the amygdala brain region is underactive when people with autism try to read facial expressions, for example. Because more males than females are affected by autism, researchers have also been exploring the impact of fetal testosterone levels, discovering that higher levels of prenatal testosterone are associated with reduced social skills but higher attention to detail in infants – markers of autism that could help with early identification (Cambridge Neuroscience, The University of Cambridge 2019).
Anxiety
Anxiety disorders are characterized by persistent feelings of unease or worry. Treatment for anxiety disorders may take the form of therapy and/or medication, with varying degrees of success. A recent neuroscience-based breakthrough may change how some anti-anxiety drugs are formulated, however, after researchers identified a brain pathway that could be a new target for anxiety-reducing drugs.
Assessing a brain chemical messenger called NPY in relation to the stress-sensitive amygdala brain region, scientists identified the mechanism by which the chemical helps reverse the stress response caused by the hormone CRH. Both chemicals use the same channels, and researchers have been able to identify and inhibit the production of the anxiety-causing protein until the channels eventually disappear, providing a potential target for new drug production (University of Alberta 2018).
Drug abuse
Drug abuse is classed as harmful patterns of misusing substances or alcohol that cause detriment in some area of a person’s functioning. In recent years, there has been much research into the causes of drug abuse, including neuroscientific assessments that analyse how external influences affect unconscious processing and drive addictive behavior.
A range of factors contribute to the onset of addiction and some neuroscientists suggest that as well as the neurochemical foundations of addiction, a person’s socioeconomic status influences their wellbeing through non-conscious processing, creating a higher need for additional rewards in the brain (Farisco et al 2018).
These are just several areas directly related to psychology in which neuroscience is making a tangible difference – there are many other ways in which neuroscience is informing research and scientific opinion across a broad array of disciplines.
Neuroscience and psychology: a happy couple?
There are, unarguably, distinct differences between the disciplines of neuroscience and psychology – but that’s what makes the relationship between these two subjects so fascinating.
Advances in neuroscience help solidify psychological theory in some cases; in others, neuroscience provides breakthroughs that challenge classical ways of thinking. Meanwhile, psychology provides vital insight into the complexity of human behavior – the product of all those neural processes.
Neuroscience and psychology work together and challenge one another in equal measure.
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