An Introduction to Brain and Behavior, Third Edition

Book Preface

The Third Edition of An Introduction to Brain and Behavior continues to reflect the evolution of the field of behavioral neuroscience. Perhaps the two biggest developments are the rapid emergence of noninvasive imaging to study cognitive processing in human and nonhuman subjects as well as the burgeoning evidence of the plasticity of brain structure and function. We have thus added more imaging and plasticity concepts and research to the text and in Focus boxes.

The biggest change in the book has been the addition of a chapter dedicated to methods. Chapter 6, “How Do We Study the Brain’s Structure and Functions?” was a response to requests from instructors to have a dedicated discussion showcasing the range of methods used by behavioral neuroscientists to study brain and behavior. The chapter includes both traditional methods as well as newer techniques such as optical tomography and epigenetics. Material from the Second Edition’s Appendix on animal welfare has been incorporated in Chapter 6 in the context of how we develop animal models of human disorders. Expanded discussions of other techniques appear in other chapters where appropriate. For example, Chapter 16 includes a discussion of the new methods of virtual-reality therapies for anxiety-related disorders.

Several new features have been added throughout the book. We had originally included background material such as anatomical orientation (Chapter 2) and basic chemistry (Chapter 3) within the main text. This material is now separated into boxes called “The Basics.” So the material is still there for readers who are not familiar with it, and readers familiar with the information can easily skip it.

Another new feature is margin notes that increase the reader’s ease in finding related information elsewhere in the book. This should be especially helpful when concepts are introduced early in the text and then elaborated on in later chapters. Readers can return quickly to the earlier discussion to refresh their knowledge of the basic concept. The margin notes should also allow instructors to move through the book to preview later discussions.

Much of the book remains familiar. Throughout, we continue to examine the nervous system with a focus on function, on how our behavior and our brains interact. We structured the First Edition of An Introduction to Brain and Behavior on key questions that students and neuroscientists ask about the brain:

• Why do we have a brain?
• How is the nervous system organized?
• How do drugs affect our behavior?
• How does the brain learn?
• How does the brain think?

As it was then, our goal in the new edition is to bring coherence to a vast subject by helping students understand the big picture. Asking fundamental questions about the brain has another benefit: it piques students’ interest in the subject and challenges them to join us on the journey of discovery that is brain science.

Scientific understanding of the brain and human behavior continues to grow at an exponential pace. We want to communicate the excitement of recent breakthroughs in brain science and to relate some of our own experiences in studying the brain for the past 40 years, both to make the field’s developing core concepts and latest revelations understandable and meaningful and to take uninitiated students to the frontiers of physiological psychology.

Contents in Brief

Preface xvii
CHAPTER 1 What Are the Origins of Brain and Behavior? 1
CHAPTER 2 How Does the Nervous System Function? 31
CHAPTER 3 What Are the Units of Nervous-System Function? 69
CHAPTER 4 How Do Neurons Transmit Information? 103
CHAPTER 5 How Do Neurons Communicate and Adapt? 133
CHAPTER 6 How Do We Study the Brain’s Structure and Functions? 169
CHAPTER 7 How Does the Nervous System Develop and Adapt? 199
CHAPTER 8 How Do Drugs and Hormones Influence the Brain and Behavior? 237
CHAPTER 9 How Do We Sense, Perceive, and See the World? 279
CHAPTER 10 How Do We Hear, Speak, and Make Music? 317
CHAPTER 11 How Does the Nervous System Respond to Stimulation and Produce Movement? 353
CHAPTER 12 What Causes Emotional and Motivated Behavior? 395
CHAPTER 13 Why Do We Sleep and Dream? 443
CHAPTER 14 How Do We Learn and Remember? 481
CHAPTER 15 How Does the Brain Think? 519
CHAPTER 16 What Happens When the Brain Misbehaves? 561
Glossary G-1
References R-1
Name Index NI-1
Subject Index SI-1