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

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Etymology

Origin of neuroscience

First recorded in 1960–65; neuro- + science

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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

René Descartes believed animals were soulless, unthinking automatons, though modern neuroscience has repeatedly disproven that one.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

"This is a long-sought goal in neuroscience because the brain is so complicated with billions of cells that are next to each other and do completely different things," Deisseroth told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Early Chinese AI was considered a part of neuroscience, William Hannas, a lead analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026

The discovery may also explain a long-standing problem in neuroscience: why researchers have had so much difficulty growing certain brain cells in the laboratory.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

The former thought might preoccupy professors in departments of psychology, and their colleagues in the neighboring departments of neuroscience.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Monica Ann Johnston, admission/discharge co-ordinator of neurosciences at Belfast Health and Social Care - for services to nursing and to the community in Northern Ireland.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2023

The committee recommended that the HBP should re-evaluate and more sharply articulate its scientific goals, as well as re-integrate cognitive and systems neurosciences into its core programme.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 24, 2023

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

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