Overview

The deepest unknowns are not in outer space but behind the eyes, in the brain. This inner space is the newest frontier of investigation. Neuroscience, the study of the brain and nervous system, seeks not only to understand brain structure but also human thought and behavior. From the 1950s on, steady progress in research has been made—so much that President George Bush declared the 1990s to be the "decade of the brain." Using tools ranging from computers to special dyes to high throughput technology, neuroscientists study neurons, neural networks, the brain, and behavior. Learning how the nervous system functions normally is important in understanding complex neurological disorders, such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease.

Background

For thousands of years people have tried to figure out why they act and behave in a certain way and in the...