Neuroscience is the basic science of psychiatry. Neuroscience describes the brain mechanisms that
• gather information from the external and internal world,
• analyze the information, and
• execute the best response.
Psychiatric disorders are the result of problems with these mechanisms.
The increased accessibility to the workings of the brain in the last 25 years has resulted in an explosion of information about neuroscience. Different lines of research such as brain imaging and animal studies along with more traditional postmortem analysis, medication effects, and genetic studies have transformed the way we conceptualize normal and abnormal behavior.
Bits and pieces of the neuroscience literature have filtered up to the practicing clinician, but a comprehensive understanding of the field is almost inaccessible to all but the most dedicated self-educators. The jargon is foreign and difficult to navigate. The standard textbooks are thick with contributions from multiple authors and almost impossible to read cover to cover. The relevance to the practice of psychiatry can sometimes be hard to appreciate.
We hope this book will provide a way for residents and practicing clinicians to gain a thorough appreciation for the mechanisms within the brain that are stimulating (or failing to stimulate) their patients. We also hope that the reader will have more accurate answers for the patient who asks, “What’s causing my problem?” Likewise, we hope the reader will be better prepared for the increasingly difficult neuroscience questions that appear on board certification tests.
If we’ve learned anything from our studies of the brain, it is that LEARNING IS WORK! The brain increases its metabolism when conducting academic assignments. The process of focusing one’s attention, understanding the concepts, and storing the new information requires energy. There is no passive learning.
Consequently, when learning is interesting and relevant it requires less energy. We have made every effort to make this material appealing and easy to consume. Pictures, drawings, and graphs have been liberally incorporated to allow the reader to learn the concepts quickly and efficiently. Every effort has been made to keep the material short and concise, but not too simple. Finally, we think information that is relevant to the reader is easier to retain, so we have tried to keep bringing the focus back to the practice of psychiatry.
We intend our book to be for three populations. First, it is for those in training: psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, and allied physicians. Second, it is for psychiatric residents seeking to review the topics in preparation for their board examinations. And last, it is for the practicing clinician who was trained before the revolution in neuroscience and who would like to become more up-to-date and familiar with the field.
We hope that the reader will have a thorough—soup to nuts—understanding of the important topics in neuroscience and will henceforth be able to read and comprehend the future research in this field.
Edmund S. Higgins, MD
Mark S. George, MD