neuroscience

American  

[noor-oh-sahy-uhns, nyoor-] / ˌnʊər oʊˈsaɪ əns, ˌnjʊər- /

noun

• neurosciences
  plural

1. the field of study encompassing the various scientific disciplines dealing with the structure, development, function, chemistry, pharmacology, and pathology of the nervous system.

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neuroscience British  

/ ˈnjʊərəʊˌsaɪəns /

noun

1. the study of the anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology of the nervous system

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• neuroscientist
  noun
• neuroscientific
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• neurosciences
  plural

Etymology

Origin of neuroscience

First recorded in 1960–65; neuro- + science

Explanation

Neuroscience is the study of the brain and the nervous system. If you're interested in the way human brains work, you might want to study neuroscience. The scientific field of neuroscience started out as a branch of biology, although people have been fascinated with the brain at least since ancient Egyptians studied the effects of drilling small holes in the skull to treat mental disorders. Today neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field, involving chemistry, linguistics, and genetics, among many other disciplines. Neuroscience has roots in the Greek neuro, "nerve," and Latin scientia, "knowledge."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

neuroscience neurosciences

Many scientific approaches, particularly model-based cognitive neuroscience, are built around this same linear framework.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

“From a neuroscience stance, when you go through something so intense with others, bonding chemicals are activated in your brain, and it’s beneficial for human mental and physical health in a lot of ways.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Belk's interest in neuroscience began while she was a graduate student in the Department of Computer Science at Stanford Humanities and Sciences.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

Cuaya explained that, from a neuroscience perspective, "the dog's brain is quite fascinating".

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

He doesn’t trust himself to be disciplined, and he says some fundamental neuroscience has emerged to support his fears.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

After being woken from the coma, he was transferred to the hospital's high dependency ward, before spending five months on the neurosciences Bluebell ward.

From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2022

Over its 11-year span, the campaign raised $215 million for pediatric cancer, $125 million for the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, $147 million for neurosciences and $450 million in endowment funds.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2022

There is a distinction between reasonable fear and anxiety that becomes disproportionate and all-consuming, said Dr. Itai Danovitch, the chair of the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.

From New York Times ● Dec. 20, 2021

Evolving research in the neurosciences and psychology underscores the value and benefit of these messages, especially if they are handwritten, for sender and receiver alike.

From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2020

“We understand many aspects of it, and now the neurosciences are helping to clarify important issues. But as for its essence, it’s like saying, ‘Let’s define the essence of love.’

From Scientific American ● Jun. 26, 2019