Behavioural Neuroscience

Brain and behaviour are intrinsically linked. Animals demonstrate a huge and complex repertoire of behaviours, so how can specific behaviours be mapped onto the complicated neural circuits of the brain? Highlighting the extraordinary advances that have been made in the field of behavioural neuroscience over recent decades, this book examines how behaviours can be understood in terms of their neural mechanisms. Each chapter outlines the components of a particular behaviour, discussing laboratory techniques, the key brain structures involved, and the underpinning cellular and molecular mechanisms. Commins covers a range of topics including learning in a simple invertebrate, fear conditioning, taste aversion, sound localization, and echolocation in bats, as well as more complex behaviours, such as language development, spatial navigation and circadian rhythms. Demonstrating key processes through clear, step-by-step explanations and numerous illustrations, this will be valuable reading for students of zoology, animal behaviour, psychology, and neuroscience.

• Provides an introduction to brain, behaviour and neurons, drawing on examples from a wide range of behaviours and species from the simplest organisms to humans
• Offers step-by-step explanations of the mechanisms underlying various behaviours, helping students to understand complex neural processes
• A summary box at the end of each chapter poses open questions, stimulating further interest and encouraging readers to think about where their research might go next