Neurosciences are, in many aspects, the basis of current psychology, that which allows the structuring of the theories and models that try to explain behavior and mental processes. Knowing how the nervous system works, and in particular our brain, contributes to hypotheses that we can test through research.

In this article you will find a collection of questions on neuroscience , useful for reviewing the basic concepts related to this field of knowledge.

17 questions about neuroscience

These questions are not ordered according to a particular criterion, so feel free to start answering them wherever you want.

1. What is brain plasticity?

This is the brain’s ability to move away from new situations , whether they have to do with changes in the environment (e.g. going to live in another ecosystem) or changes in its own morphology (e.g. due to injury).

2. What is the most abundant cell type in the brain?

These are glial cells, which perform a variety of functions, including supporting neurons.

3. What kind of memory is not involved in the hippocampus?

Memories based on memorization of one’s body movements, as well as those that are fundamentally the emotional burden of an experience, do not compete with the hippocampus, and are related rather to the amygdala and basal ganglia.

4. What is the difference between hormones and neurotransmitters?

Neurotransmitters are fundamentally so because act as mechanisms of information transmission between neurons , and as such they travel through the synaptic space, exerting their effects rapidly. Hormones, on the other hand, travel through the blood, and take longer to reach a place where they trigger an effect. This is one of the questions in neuroscience that is based on knowledge not limited to the nervous system.

5. Approximately how many neurons are there in the brain of an adult human being?

There are about 80 billion neurons.

6. At what stage of life do neurons in the brain have more connections with other neurons?

This happens during the first months of life. Shortly thereafter, through a genetically programmed pruning system, many of these synaptic connections disappear.

7. Which structures in the brain are most related to emotions?

These correspond to the limbic system : the hypothalamus, the amygdala, the septum, the fornix and the cingulate gyrus.

8. What kind of emotions and sensations do dopamine and GABBA produce?

This is a trick question, since each neurotransmitter has no specific sensations associated with it. All of them can have different effects, depending on the context in which they are used.

9. What is corpus callosum?

This is the part of the brain that connects both hemispheres of the brain, causing the axons of the neurons to pass from one side to the other .

10. To what does the so-called “white substance” of the nervous system owe its color?

What gives it this characteristic color is primarily myelin, which covers the axons of the neurons to make the nerve impulses travel through them at a higher speed .

11. Why are there side effects of psychotropic drugs?

These effects appear, fundamentally, because the molecules released by these compounds reach areas of the organism that are not interested in being affected in order to solve the problem that the treatment is focused on.

12. Is it possible to know the personality of a person from images of brain activity obtained with fMRI?

No, this type of technique for studying nerve activity does not serve to predict people’s behaviour well, although in some cases it may help to provide some information based on probability .

13. What is the Penfield homunculus?

It is a representation of the brain mapping in which are the groups of neurons that process the tactile sensations of each of these areas, and those that send movement orders to the muscles of these areas.

14. Which lobe of the brain is basically dedicated to the processing of visual information?

This is the occipital lobe, located at the back of the brain. It is dedicated to working with the “raw” data that enter through the visual system.

15. Are there pain detectors in the brain?

No, and so it is possible for small parts of your nerve tissue to be broken down without any noticeable discomfort.

16. When does the system of interconnections of the brain’s neurons stop changing?

In human beings, never, or at least while you’re alive. Even while sleeping, there are connections that are strengthened and others that are weakened .

17. Is the size of the brain compared to the rest of the body related to intelligence?

Yes, but only up to a point. When the differences in size are not very noticeable, this relationship is diluted.