Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system. It joins psychology and biology, and many other disciplines encompassing cellular and molecular, behavioural, cognitive, developmental and social neuroscience as well as clinical neuropsychology. It uses a multitude of tools and methods from special dyes to computer simulations, from antibodies to functional imaging to examine the vast networks of some 100 billion nerve cells. How do neurons work and communicate? How does the nervous system create human thought, emotion, and behaviour across the lifespan? Moreover, from such understanding, it searches for causes and cures of neurological and psychiatric disorders. U of T Scarborough has tremendous research strength in neuroscience. One focus is directed towards understanding various forms of psychopathology including depression and anxiety, drug addiction, impulsivity, psychopathy, schizophrenia and brain injury. Another focus is on the neural stress response. To this end, The Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress at Scarborough is comprised of a complement of behavioural neuroscientists from the Department of Psychology and molecular and systems neuroscientists from the Department of Biological Sciences. Other areas of strength are learning and memory, neurodegenerative diseases, and sensorimotor control. Finally, the interdisciplinary undergraduate program in Neuroscience offers courses and a co-op stream in psychology and biology thus reflecting the integrative, multi-level analytical approach of neuroscience.
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