interesting research topics in neuroscience

Research Topics & Ideas: Neuroscience

50 Topic Ideas To Kickstart Your Research Project

If you’re just starting out exploring neuroscience-related topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research by providing a hearty list of neuroscience-related research ideas , including examples from recent studies.

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . These topic ideas provided here are intentionally broad and generic , so keep in mind that you will need to develop them further. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

To develop a suitable research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan to fill that gap. If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Neuroscience-Related Research Topics

• Investigating the neural mechanisms underlying memory consolidation during sleep.
• The role of neuroplasticity in recovery from traumatic brain injury.
• Analyzing the impact of chronic stress on hippocampal function.
• The neural correlates of anxiety disorders: A functional MRI study.
• Investigating the effects of meditation on brain structure and function in mindfulness practitioners.
• The role of the gut-brain axis in the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
• Analyzing the neurobiological basis of addiction and its implications for treatment.
• The impact of prenatal exposure to environmental toxins on neurodevelopment.
• Investigating gender differences in brain aging and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
• The neural mechanisms of pain perception and its modulation by psychological factors.
• Analyzing the effects of bilingualism on cognitive flexibility and brain aging.
• The role of the endocannabinoid system in regulating mood and emotional responses.
• Investigating the neurobiological underpinnings of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
• The impact of virtual reality technology on cognitive rehabilitation in stroke patients.
• Analyzing the neural basis of social cognition deficits in autism spectrum disorders.
• The role of neuroinflammation in the progression of multiple sclerosis.
• Investigating the effects of dietary interventions on brain health and cognitive function.
• The neural substrates of decision-making under risk and uncertainty.
• Analyzing the impact of early life stress on brain development and mental health outcomes.
• The role of dopamine in motivation and reward processing in the human brain.
• Investigating neural circuitry changes in depression and response to antidepressants.
• The impact of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance and neural function.
• Analyzing the brain mechanisms involved in empathy and moral reasoning.
• The role of the prefrontal cortex in executive function and impulse control.
• Investigating the neurophysiological basis of schizophrenia.

Neuroscience Research Ideas (Continued)

• The impact of chronic pain on brain structure and connectivity.
• Analyzing the effects of physical exercise on neurogenesis and cognitive aging.
• The neural mechanisms underlying hallucinations in psychiatric and neurological disorders.
• Investigating the impact of music therapy on brain recovery post-stroke.
• The role of astrocytes in neural communication and brain homeostasis.
• Analyzing the effect of hormone fluctuations on mood and cognition in women.
• The impact of neurofeedback training on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Investigating the neural basis of resilience to stress and trauma.
• The role of the cerebellum in non-motor cognitive and affective functions.
• Analyzing the contribution of genetics to individual differences in brain structure and function.
• The impact of air pollution on neurodevelopment and cognitive decline.
• Investigating the neural mechanisms of visual perception and visual illusions.
• The role of mirror neurons in empathy and social understanding.
• Analyzing the neural correlates of language development and language disorders.
• The impact of social isolation on neurocognitive health in the elderly.
• Investigating the brain mechanisms involved in chronic fatigue syndrome.
• The role of serotonin in mood regulation and its implications for antidepressant therapies.
• Analyzing the neural basis of impulsivity and its relation to risky behaviors.
• The impact of mobile technology usage on attention and brain function.
• Investigating the neural substrates of fear and anxiety-related disorders.
• The role of the olfactory system in memory and emotional processing.
• Analyzing the impact of gut microbiome alterations on central nervous system diseases.
• The neural mechanisms of placebo and nocebo effects.
• Investigating cortical reorganization following limb amputation and phantom limb pain.
• The role of epigenetics in neural development and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Recent Neuroscience Studies

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual studies in the neuroscience space to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of recent studies to help refine your thinking. These are actual studies,  so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• The Neurodata Without Borders ecosystem for neurophysiological data science (Rübel et al., 2022)
• Genetic regulation of central synapse formation and organization in Drosophila melanogaster (Duhart & Mosca, 2022)
• Embracing brain and behaviour: Designing programs of complementary neurophysiological and behavioural studies (Kirwan et al., 2022).
• Neuroscience and Education (Georgieva, 2022)
• Why Wait? Neuroscience Is for Everyone! (Myslinski, 2022)
• Neuroscience Knowledge and Endorsement of Neuromyths among Educators: What Is the Scenario in Brazil? (Simoes et al., 2022)
• Design of Clinical Trials and Ethical Concerns in Neurosciences (Mehanna, 2022) Methodological Approaches and Considerations for Generating Evidence that Informs the Science of Learning (Anderson, 2022)
• Exploring the research on neuroscience as a basis to understand work-based outcomes and to formulate new insights into the effective management of human resources in the workplace: A review study (Menon & Bhagat, 2022)
• Neuroimaging Applications for Diagnosis and Therapy of Pathologies in the Central and Peripheral Nervous System (Middei, 2022)
• The Role of Human Communicative Competence in Post-Industrial Society (Ilishova et al., 2022)
• Gold nanostructures: synthesis, properties, and neurological applications (Zare et al., 2022)
• Interpretable Graph Neural Networks for Connectome-Based Brain Disorder Analysis (Cui et al., 2022)

As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, for you to develop a high-quality research topic, you’ll need to get specific and laser-focused on a specific context with specific variables of interest.  In the video below, we explore some other important things you’ll need to consider when crafting your research topic.

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If you’re still unsure about how to find a quality research topic, check out our Research Topic Kickstarter service, which is the perfect starting point for developing a unique, well-justified research topic.

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121 Original Neuroscience Research Topics

Now, wouldn’t it be great if you had a list of awesome neuroscience research topics to choose from? Our PhD dissertation help would definitely make writing a thesis or dissertation a lot easier. Well, the good news is that we have a long list of neuroscience paper topics for you right here.

The list of topics is updated periodically, so you will surely be able to find a unique topic; something that nobody has though of yet. And yes, you can use any of our topics for free.

Writing a Neuroscience Dissertation

To write a good dissertation, you need more than just our interesting neuroscience topics. Your supervisor expects you to make some progress pretty quickly, so you really need all the help you can get. You can get all the assistance you need to get started quickly from our dissertation experts and you’ll also find the following guide useful:

Set up your project and conduct the necessary research and data analysis. Don’t forget to think about an interesting, captivating thesis statement. Start by writing the first chapter of the dissertation, the introduction. This will provide your readers with comprehensive background information about your study. Write the Literature Review chapter. This will take some time, especially if you are dealing with a popular subject. Write the Methodology chapter. This is basically an iteration and in-depth description of each and every method you have used to collect the data. Write the Results chapter. In this chapter, you will present your readers the results of your research. You don’t need to provide your own take on the data yet. Next comes the Discussion (or Analysis) chapter. This is where you are free to discuss your results and show your readers how they support your thesis. Finally, the Conclusion chapter wraps everything up. You can summarize your methods, results and analysis and make it clear that your paper has answered all the relevant research questions. Write the References section and the Appendices section. Edit and proofread your work thoroughly to make sure you don’t lose points over some minor mistakes – or have our expert proofreaders and editors do it for you.

This step-by-step guide applies to any thesis or dissertation. However, before you even get this far, you need a great topic to start with. Fortunately, we have 121 brand new topics for you right here on this page.

Interesting Neuroscience Topics

If you are looking for some of the most interesting neuroscience topics, you have definitely arrived at the right place. Our experts have put together the best list of ideas for you:

• Research the occurrence of cerebrovascular disease in the United States
• What causes a headache?
• An in-depth look at muscular dystrophy
• The causes of multiple sclerosis
• Talk about neuroregeneration
• Define cognitive neuroscience
• Everything about dementia
• Study brain development from birth to age 2
• What causes Parkinson’s disease?
• The function of peripheral nerves
• What are vestibular disorders?
• Pain and the science behind it
• An in-depth analysis of stem cells

Engaging Topics in Neuroscience

Are you looking for some engaging topics in neuroscience? If you want the best ideas, all you have to do is take a look at the following list and take your pick:

• Research the Down syndrome
• A closer look at ADHD
• What causes brain tumors?
• What causes epilepsy episodes?
• Research the occurrence of schizophrenia in the UK
• An in-depth look at brain stimulation
• Treating severe depression in young adults
• Improving memory in the adult population
• The importance of sleep for brain health
• Mapping the human brain

Comprehensive Neuroscience Topic for Every Student

The nice thing about our blog is that we have a comprehensive neuroscience topic for every student. Even better, all our topics are relatively simple, so you don’t have to spend a lot of time doing research:

• The future of brain implants
• The processes behind depression
• The role of dopamine
• How are emotions created?
• Love starts in your brain, not your heart
• ADHD behavior and brain activity
• Effects of illegal drugs on dopamine production
• How does dyslexia manifest itself?
• Early stages of Schizophrenia
• The link between gut bacteria and the brain
• Studying the brains of people with a high IQ

Neuroscience Research Questions

The best way to get ideas for your next paper is to take a look at some original neuroscience research questions. Here are some that should get you started right away:

• How do brain tumors cause damage?
• What causes substance addiction?
• What role does the brain play in autistic spectrum disorders?
• Does being a vegetarian influence your brain?
• What causes chronic migraines?
• Why is Pierre Paul Broca’s work important?
• Why is stress so dangerous for the brain?
• How do genes influence the onset of Alzheimer’s disease?
• What can cause a brain tumor?
• Does music affect the human brain?
• Can repeated head injuries damage the brain? (think about modern sports)
• What does being Bipolar I mean?

Easy Neuroscience Paper Topics

Our experts have created a list of easy neuroscience paper topics for you. You could start writing your thesis in no time if you choose one of these great ideas:

• What causes epilepsy?
• A closer look at Alzheimer’s disease
• What can cause a loss of feeling?
• The effects of dementia on the brain
• The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
• What can cause memory loss?
• Mitigating headaches without medication
• The effects of a mild stroke
• Talk about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• What can cause a lack of coordination?

Neuroscience Research Topics for College Students

We have a list of awesome neuroscience research topics for college students and you can use any one of them for free. Take a look at our best ideas yet:

• Can the brain be linked to substance abuse?
• How does the brain recognize people?
• Latest development in brain surgery
• An in-depth look at neuroplasticity
• Innovative medication for treating brain disorders
• Treating Alzheimer’s in 2023
• How damaging is Cannabis for the brain?

Cognitive Neuroscience Research Topics

If you want to talk about something in cognitive neuroscience, we have put together the best and most interesting cognitive neuroscience research topics:

• The role played by neurons in our body
• What is Magnetoencephalography?
• How difficult is it to map the entire brain?
• Define consciousness from a neurological POV
• How does our brain affect our perception?
• Discuss Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation procedures
• Latest advancements in Functional magnetic resonance imaging

Brain Research Topics

Brain research is a very interesting thing to talk about, especially since we are still struggling to understand how certain things work. Take a look at some amazing brain research topics:

• Study the brain development of an infant
• Brain tumor stages
• The effect of social media on the human brain
• Multiple sclerosis treatment options
• What can cause muscular dystrophy?
• Discuss 3 cerebrovascular diseases
• Interesting breakthroughs in cellular neuroscience
• Talk about our brain’s problem-solving abilities
• The effects of sugar on brain chemistry

Neurobiology Topics

We agree, researching a topic in neurobiology is not easy. However, with the right neurobiology topics, you could write an awesome thesis without spending years working on it:

• Research the role of the amygdala
• What are brain neurotransmitters?
• The causes of posttraumatic stress disorder
• How do we recognize a bipolar disorder?
• The importance of hormones
• Talk about experimental psychology

Behavioral Neuroscience Research Topics

Do you want to write your dissertation on a behavioral neuroscience topic? Our experts have compiled a list of the most interesting behavioral neuroscience research topics for you:

• The processes behind sensation
• How does the brain control our movement?
• An in-depth look at motivated behavior
• Best way to diagnose a sleep disorder
• Improving success at academic activities
• How does your brain perceive the environment?

Cool Neuroscience Topics

We have some very cool neuroscience topics right here and the good news is that they’re all relatively easy. The list has been updated recently and new topics have been added:

• Effects of plant-based diets
• The life and work of Cornelia Bargmann
• Discuss a breakthrough in neurotech
• 3D brain function mapping
• Discuss the importance of brain implants
• The life and work of Róbert Bárány

Controversial Topics in Neuroscience

Just like any other field, neuroscience has its controversies. And what better way to start a dissertation than finding the most controversial topics in neuroscience:

• Discuss the Bayesian brain theory
• Ethics behind wearable brain gadgets
• Discuss postnatal neurogenesis
• Can our brain “deep learn”?
• Invasive brain imaging procedures
• How do we differentiate between good and bad?

Hot Topics in Neuroscience

Did you know that getting hot topics in neuroscience is not overly difficult? This section of our list of topics is updated periodically, so you can definitely find an original idea right here:

• Electrical brain stimulation methods
• Define the concept of Free Will
• Talk about hereditary brain disorders
• How is speech formed?
• Can our brain hibernate?
• What causes aggressive behavior?

Current Topics in Neuroscience

The best way to make your thesis interesting is to write about something that is of great interest. This means you need to choose one of our current topics in neuroscience:

• Cerebellar Neurons that can help you lose weight
• Effects of a meat-based diet
• Latest brain mapping technology
• CT scans in 2023
• Brain implants that can control a computer
• An in-depth look at super-agers

Complex Neurological Research Topics

Are you looking for some complex neurological research topics? If you want to give a difficult topic a try, don’t hesitate to choose one of these excellent ideas:

• An in-depth look at the Demyelinating disease
• The effects of a cerebrovascular stroke
• Bioterrorism in 2023
• Legal issues in neurology
• Dopamine’s link to aggressiveness
• Brain changes that lead to alcohol addiction

Can You Help Me With My Thesis?

So, can you help me with my thesis? Of course, we can help you with much more than some interesting neuroscience research paper topics. Our experienced professionals are ready to give you the best dissertation assistance on the Internet and make sure you get a top score on your paper. All our university educated ENL writers have extensive experience writing dissertations on any subject and topic you can imagine. These cheap dissertation writing services can deliver a final paper in no time, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us even if you are on a tight deadline.

Our PhD-holding writers and editors are ready to spring into action right now. We can help you with the research, as well as with thesis writing, editing and proofreading. Moreover, we can write a high quality research paper for any high school, college or university student. Your professor will love our work – guaranteed. Our company has 24/7 customer support, so you can order custom academic content online at any time of day or night. What are you waiting for? Give us a try and get a discount!

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Harvard researchers are deeply committed to understanding nervous system development and function, in both healthy and disease states. Basic scientists and clinician-researchers work together across departments, programs and centers to study the nervous system from diverse perspectives, as shown in the overlapping subfields below. You can click the boxes below to explore news stories on relevant publications in each area. You can also sort our lab directory by these research areas.

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Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Courtesy of Lauren Orefice (MGH/HMS) Tools and Technology: Courtesy of Barbara Robens, lab of Ann Poduri (BCH) Sensory and Motor Systems: Courtesy of Lauren Orefice (MGH/HMS) Mental Health and Illness: Courtesy of Olga Alekseenko, Lab of Susan Dymecki (HMS) Neurodegenerative Disease: Courtesy of Jeff Lichtman (Harvard) and Takao Hensch (Harvard/BCH) Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience: Courtesy of Isle Bastille, lab of Lisa Goodrich (HMS) Theory and Computation: Courtesy of Tianyang Ye, lab of Hongkun Park (Harvard) Development Neuroscience: Courtesy of Katherine Morillo, lab of Christopher A. Walsh (BCH)

150+ Astonishing Neuroscience Research Topics For Students In 2023

Neuroscience is the study of the brain and nervous system, exploring how they work together to control our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It’s a field that delves deep into the complexities of our inner workings.

Why Is Neuroscience Important? Understanding neuroscience is crucial because it unlocks the mysteries of human cognition, behavior, and health. It helps us comprehend mental disorders, develop therapies, and enhance well-being.

In this blog, we will guide you on how to select a captivating subject for your research paper, and we have an extensive list of 150+ astonishing topics suitable for students in 2023. Whether you are a neuroscientist or just curious about the brain, stay tuned with us to learn more about neuroscience research topics. 

What Is Neuroscience?

Table of Contents

Neuroscience is the study of the brain and the nervous system. It helps us understand how our brain works and how it controls things like thinking, feeling, and moving. Imagine your brain as the boss of your body, and neuroscience is like a detective trying to figure out how the boss gives orders and makes things happen.

Neuroscientists use tools like brain scans and experiments to learn about the brain. They also study diseases that affect the brain, like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, to find ways to help people who have these conditions. So, neuroscience is all about discovering the secrets of our brain and helping us live healthier and happier lives by understanding how it works.

Why Is Neuroscience Important?

Neuroscience is important because it helps us understand how our brain and nervous system work, impacting our overall health and well-being. Here are 5 key reasons why neuroscience is crucial:

• Mental Health: It helps us comprehend mental disorders like depression and anxiety, leading to better treatments and support.
• Neurological Diseases: Neuroscience research aids in finding cures and treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and epilepsy.
• Learning and Education: It guides educators in developing effective teaching methods by uncovering how the brain learns and remembers.
• Addiction and Behavior: Neuroscience helps us address addiction issues and understand human behavior better.
• Brain Development: It provides insights into child development, allowing us to support children’s growth and well-being.

How to Choose a Topic for Neuroscience Research Paper

Here are some steps on how to choose a topic for a neuroscience research paper:

1. Personal Interest

Select a topic that genuinely interests you. If you are curious about a specific aspect of the brain or nervous system, it will make your research more enjoyable and motivating. Think about what you find fascinating: memory, emotions, or brain disorders.

2. Relevance

Ensure your topic is relevant and meaningful. Consider how your research can contribute to our understanding of the brain or benefit society. For instance, studying a topic related to brain diseases can directly impact improving treatments and people’s lives.

3. Availability of Resources

Check if there are enough resources available for your chosen topic. This includes access to research papers, books, and equipment. It’s essential to have the necessary tools and information to conduct your research effectively.

4. Feasibility

Assess the feasibility of your research topic. Can you realistically conduct experiments or gather data on this subject? Consider the time, budget, and access to necessary facilities or subjects for your research.

5. Guidance and Mentorship

Seek guidance from professors or mentors in the field. They can help you refine your topic, provide valuable insights, and point you in the right direction. Having expert guidance can significantly enhance the quality of your neuroscience research paper.

Here are 150+ astonishing neuroscience research topics for students in 2023 : 

Simple Neuroscience Research Topics

1. The impact of sleep on memory consolidation.

2. The effects of stress on the brain.

3. How does exercise improve cognitive function?

4. The role of neurotransmitters in mood disorders.

5. The neurobiology of addiction.

6. Brain development in infants.

7. The effects of meditation on brain health.

8. Neural mechanisms of decision-making.

9. Neurological basis of learning disabilities.

10. The relationship between brain injuries and personality changes.

Interesting Neuroscience Research Paper Topics

11. The connection between gut microbiota and brain function.

12. Neural correlates of empathy and compassion.

13. Neuroplasticity and its applications in rehabilitation.

14. The impact of music on brain activity and emotions.

15. Brain-computer interfaces and their potential for communication.

16. The role of genetics in neurological disorders.

17. Neuroimaging techniques for studying brain disorders.

18. The neuroscience of creativity and innovation.

19. Cognitive decline in aging and potential interventions.

20. The neural basis of consciousness and self-awareness.

Unique Neuroscience Research Paper Topics

21. The influence of virtual reality on neural perception.

22. Neurobiology of love and romantic attachment.

23. Exploring the neural basis of synesthesia.

24. The role of mirror neurons in social cognition.

25. Neural mechanisms underlying laughter and humor.

26. Brain activity during lucid dreaming.

27. The neuroscience of fear and phobias.

28. Neuroethical considerations in brain enhancement technologies.

29. The impact of environmental toxins on brain health.

30. Neural mechanisms of religious experiences.

Captivating Neuroscience Research Ideas

31. Studying the effects of micro-dosing psychedelics on brain function.

32. Investigating the neural basis of consciousness in non-human animals.

33. The neurobiology of near-death experiences.

34. Exploring the role of neural oscillations in sensory perception.

35. Brain changes in astronauts during long-term space travel.

36. The influence of social media on brain connectivity.

37. Neurocognitive aspects of artificial intelligence.

38. Neural correlates of deja vu experiences.

39. The impact of chronic pain on brain structure and function.

40. Neurological consequences of extreme sports and high-risk activities.

Impressive Neuroscience Research Paper Ideas

41. Mapping the connectome: A comprehensive study of neural networks.

42. Brain-machine interfaces for neuroprosthetics and communication.

43. The potential for brain rejuvenation through stem cell therapies.

44. The neurobiology of Alzheimer’s disease and potential treatments.

45. Investigating the neural basis of consciousness disorders.

46. role of epigenetics in brain development and aging.

47. Advanced neuroimaging techniques for studying brain connectivity.

48. Neural mechanisms of memory reconsolidation and erasure.

49. Neurobiology of traumatic brain injuries and recovery.

50. The ethics of cognitive enhancement and neuroenhancement.

Top-trending Neuroscience Research Topics

51. What foods you eat affect the health and performance of your brain.

52. Neurobiology of long COVID and neurological symptoms.

53. The use of artificial intelligence in analyzing brain imaging data.

54. Brain mechanisms underlying social isolation during lockdowns.

55. The role of neuroinflammation in neurological disorders.

56. Developing neuroprotective strategies against neurodegenerative diseases.

57. Neural correlates of mindfulness-based interventions for stress reduction.

58. Brain changes associated with addiction to video games and social media.

59. The neuroscience of racial and gender disparities in healthcare.

60. Neuroethical implications of brain privacy in the digital age.

Neuroscience Thesis Topics

61. Examining the role of dopamine in reward-based learning.

62. Investigating the neural basis of post-traumatic stress disorder.

63. Neurobiological markers of autism spectrum disorder.

64. Brain plasticity and recovery after stroke.

65. The impact of sleep disorders on cognitive function.

66. Neural mechanisms of pain perception and chronic pain management.

67. The role of neuroinflammation in multiple sclerosis.

68. Neuroimaging biomarkers for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.

69. Brain-computer interfaces for locked-in syndrome patients.

70. The neural basis of consciousness and its philosophical implications.

• Mental Health Research Topics
• Quantitative Research Topics For STEM Students

Cognitive Neuroscience Research Topics

71. Neural correlates of language processing and comprehension.

72. The role of attention in perceptual processing.

73. Memory consolidation during sleep and wakefulness.

74. Brain mechanisms of decision-making and risk-taking behavior.

75. The neurobiology of creativity and problem-solving.

76. Emotional regulation and its neural substrates.

77. Neural basis of cognitive aging and interventions to improve cognition.

78. Neurocognitive processes involved in learning and education.

79. The impact of mindfulness meditation on cognitive function.

80. Cognitive and neural processes in face recognition.

A Few More Cognitive Neuroscience Research Ideas

81. Neural mechanisms of time perception and its distortions.

82. Investigating the role of the prefrontal cortex in executive functions.

83. The effects of bilingualism on brain structure and cognitive flexibility.

84. Neural substrates of empathy and theory of mind.

85. The influence of culture on the neural processing of emotions.

86. Neural basis of decision-making in ethical dilemmas.

87. Cognitive neuroscience of addiction and relapse prevention.

88. The impact of video gaming on cognitive skills and brain function.

89. Neurocognitive aspects of dyslexia and reading interventions.

90. The role of neurofeedback in enhancing cognitive performance.

Behavioral Neuroscience Research Topics

91. Neural mechanisms of addiction and substance abuse.

92. The role of hormones in shaping behavior and cognition.

93. Brain circuits involved in aggression and violence.

94. Social neuroscience: Understanding the neural basis of social interactions.

95. Investigating the effects of early-life stress on behavior and mental health.

96. Neurobiology of motivation and reward systems.

97. Neural correlates of decision-making in moral dilemmas.

98. Brain mechanisms underlying learning and memory in animals.

99. The impact of traumatic brain injury on behavior and personality.

100. The role of epigenetics in behavioral disorders.

Clinical Neuroscience Research Topics

101. Biomarkers for early diagnosis of neurological diseases.

102. Innovative treatments for neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease.

103. Neuroimaging in psychiatric disorders: Insights and applications.

104. Advances in neurorehabilitation after brain injuries and strokes.

105. Understanding and treating childhood neurological disorders.

106. Precision medicine in neurology and psychiatry.

107. Brain stimulation techniques for mood disorders and chronic pain.

108. The impact of nutrition on brain health and cognitive function.

109. Psychopharmacology and the development of new psychiatric medications.

110. Ethical considerations in clinical trials for neurological interventions.

Neuropharmacology Research Topics

111. Mechanisms of action of common psychiatric medications.

112. Drug development for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.

113. The neurochemistry of addiction and potential pharmacotherapies.

114. Psychotropic drugs and their effects on neurotransmitter systems.

115. Neuropharmacology of pain management and opioid alternatives.

116. The use of psychedelics to help mental well-being.

117. Pharmacological interventions for neuroinflammatory disorders.

118. Neuropharmacology of sleep and wakefulness.

119. Drug interactions in neurological and psychiatric treatments.

120. Precision medicine approaches in neuropharmacology.

Computational Neuroscience Research Topics

121. Modeling neural networks and their dynamics.

122. Machine learning and artificial intelligence in brain research.

123. Computational models of visual perception and object recognition.

124. Simulating brain diseases and disorders for drug discovery.

125. Theoretical models of consciousness and self-awareness.

126. Neural network algorithms for brain-computer interfaces.

127. Computational approaches to studying neural plasticity.

128. Modeling brain disorders in silico for treatment development.

129. The role of computational neuroscience in understanding neurodevelopment.

130. Ethics and biases in machine learning applications to neuroscience.

Neuroscience and Psychology Research Topics

131. What brain structure has to do with behavioral traits.

132. Neurocognitive processes involved in decision regret.

133. The neural basis of cognitive dissonance.

134. Brain mechanisms underlying the placebo effect.

135. The impact of early-life stress on psychological development.

136. Neurobiology of addiction and its psychological consequences.

137. The role of neural oscillations in consciousness and perception.

138. Neural correlates of emotional intelligence.

139. Cognitive and neural factors in resilience to stress.

140. The psychology of neurofeedback therapy.

Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Topics

141. The neurobiology of depression and novel treatments.

142. Neuroimaging markers for predicting schizophrenia risk.

143. Neural mechanisms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

144. It has to do with mental health and the gut-brain connection.

145. Brain changes associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder ( OCD ).

146. Neural correlates of bipolar disorder and mood swings.

147. How traumatic events in childhood can affect mental health as an adult.

148. Neurobiological underpinnings of eating disorders.

149. Psychiatric genetics and the risk of mental illnesses.

150. Neurocognitive interventions for anxiety disorders.

151. How sleep affects how well kids do in school.

Understanding the importance of neuroscience and picking the right topic for your research paper is crucial in the field of Neuroscience Research Topics. Neuroscience is all about studying the brain and nerves, which helps us learn about brain-related issues and how people think and behave. 

In addition, choosing a good topic is the first step, and we provide you 150+ interesting ones for students in 2023. Whether you’re curious about how the brain changes, addiction, or ways to look at the brain, there are many topics to explore. So, get started on your neuroscience research journey and uncover the secrets of the human mind!

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December 16, 2022

This Year’s Most Thought-Provoking Brain Discoveries

Neural circuits that label experiences as “good” or “bad” and the emotional meaninglessness of facial expressions are some standouts among 2022’s mind and brain breakthroughs

By Gary Stix

Jonathan Kitchen/Getty Images

Can the human brain ever really understand itself? The problem of gaining a deep knowledge of the subjective depths of the conscious mind is such a hard problem that it has in fact been named the hard problem.

The human brain is impressively powerful . Its 100 billion neurons are connected by 100 trillion wirelike fibers, all squeezed into three pounds of squishy flesh lodged below a helmet of skull. Yet we still don’t know whether this organ will ever be able to muster the requisite smarts to hack the physical processes that underlie the ineffable “quality of deep blue” or “the sensation of middle C,” as philosopher David Chalmers put it when giving examples of the “hard problem” of consciousness, a term he invented, in a 1995 paper.

This past year did not uncover a solution to the hard problem, and one may not be forthcoming for decades, if ever. But 2022 did witness plenty of surprises and solutions to understanding the brain that do not require a complete explanation of consciousness. Such incrementalism could be seen in mid-November, when a crowd of more than 24,000 attendees of the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting gathered in San Diego, Calif. The event was a tribute of sorts to reductionism—the breaking down of hard problems into simpler knowable entities. At the event, there were reports of an animal study of a brain circuit that encodes social trauma and a brain-computer interface that lets a severely paralyzed person mentally spell out letters to form words.

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Brain discoveries abounded in 2022—and will certainly continue in 2023. Here’s a look at a few prime pickings from what we published at Scientific American this year.

Your Brain Has a Thumbs-Up–Thumbs-Down Switch

When neuroscientist Kay Tye was pursuing her Ph.D., she was told a chapter on emotion was inappropriate for her thesis. Emotion just wasn’t accepted as an integral, intrinsic part of behavioral neuroscience, her field of study. That didn’t make any sense to Tye. She decided to go her own way to become a leading researcher on feelings. This year Tye co-authored a Nature paper that reported on a kind of molecular switch in rodents that flags an experience as either good or bad. If human brains operate the same way as the brains of the mice in her lab, a malfunctioning thumbs-up–thumbs-down switch might explain some cases of depression, anxiety and addiction.

Facial Expressions Do Not Convey What You’ve Been Taught about Someone’s Emotional Demeanor

Charles Darwin proposed that facial expressions are universal: a smile conveys happiness; a frown indicates sadness. He was wrong, suggests research published in recent years. Investigators found that innate expressions grounded in biology do not exist—and instead are highly variable. Neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett warned in an essay that a recognition of Darwin’s fallacy has implications for AI facial recognition systems intended to detect emotions.

Your Kid May Be a Dandelion and an Orchid—And even a Tulip

Pigeonholing a child as either sensitive or resilient is probably a mistake. That child is not necessarily just an “orchid”—overly sensitive to adverse experiences—or a “dandelion”—relatively immune to such events. Newly arrived in the mix are “tulips,” children who experience modest effects from what’s happening around them. But even this floral triad might not suffice. Many kids are psychological mixes, mosaics, studies showed this past year . They display sensitivity to some but not all influences around them, depending on a particular situation.

If You See Something, It May Help You to Say Something

In a marriage of neuroscience and pedagogy, researchers tried to assess what a curriculum that emphasized the learning of spatial skills would do for kids. One example: an assignment that involved creating a map to track bears in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Kids at five Virginia high schools took courses, and their performance was matched against another group that received lessons without the spatial-learning component. The results of the research , published in August, showed that students in the spatial learning group improved not only spatial skills but also verbal abilities—figuring out a problem using words.

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Vol. 53 No. 1 Print version: page 62

• Cognition and the Brain
• Neuropsychology

Understanding human behavior is the crux of psychologists’ work and neuroscience is part of that understanding. To better grasp the mental processes that undergird thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, psychologists have long worked together with the neuroscientists who study the structure and processes of the brain and nervous system. Psychology and neuroscience overlap now more than ever as technology advances, which means psychologists have more opportunities to improve people’s lives by understanding how nervous system activity drives complex thoughts and behaviors linked to mental health treatment and prevention. Neuroscientists, too, can learn more about their field through the work of psychologists.

“The brain creates the mind, so understanding how this happens shines new light on our psychological theories and interventions,” said Kristen A. Lindquist , PhD, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. “In turn, understanding psychological theory and measurement of behavior means we can understand the functional meaning of firing neurons and blood flow to brain regions.”

While psychologists’ understanding of the biological processes involved in behavior has been evolving for years, a few neuroscience-related trends stood out in 2021.

Brain connectivity

Neuroimaging has long helped researchers understand the brain regions associated with specific traits or behaviors. More recently, psychologists have begun to study the connectivity between various regions. Rather than simply identifying increased blood flow in one area, psychologists are using advanced technology to study the correlation between blood flow changes in more than one brain region. While typical brain imaging suggests the magnitude of change, connectivity highlights possible dynamics at play in more complex behaviors.

A simple example: If you see a piece of chocolate, your prefrontal cortex may light up along with your pleasure center, suggesting you’re trying to resist the thing you crave. Studying this type of connectivity helps psychologists understand the processes behind certain behaviors and psychological disorders and create better treatments, says Lindquist.

For instance, a psychologist studying self-regulation already knows which area of the brain is active during moments of stress. Understanding how the prefrontal cortex and amygdala engage, and in what direction, could help psychologists diagnose and more effectively treat a patient who struggles to self-regulate.

A meta-analysis published by Lindquist and colleagues in 2020 examined brain connectivity patterns in younger and older adults ( Affective Science , Vol. 1, 2020). They found younger adults have more connectivity in the subcortical regions of the brain that impact reactivity, while those ages 65 to 80 have greater connectivity in the prefrontal cortex, with less neural activity between the prefrontal cortex and other regions—suggesting that young adults may be more responsive to emotional stimuli, while older individuals tend to be less sensitive to these stimuli (and, in general, more content).

While this analysis suggests important ways emotional responses to external stimuli can change across the life span—and that older adults tend to have better emotional experiences than younger ones—it also identifies an important baseline that could help psychologists understand and identify aging-related brain disorders such as geriatric depression and dementia.

“Connectivity research is setting the stage for understanding how brain connectivity is different in people who exhibit typical versus atypical behaviors, which can both help psychologists treat these affective outcomes and help caregivers and family members understand what’s happening in their loved ones,” Lindquist said.

Lindquist is also studying the neural networks at play during episodes of anxiety, and she has found evidence that different connectivity patterns can produce the same experiences of anxiety.

In other words, people can have the same output but different neural pathways to produce it. Jessica Cohen, PhD, director of the Cohen Lab and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at UNC Chapel Hill, and fellow researchers have made significant inroads to measuring these pathways by comparing resting brain activity in people who perform differently on various cognitive tasks. They found that resting patterns of brain connectivity change much more than previously understood, and in ways that are related to subsequent task performance ( Network Neuroscience , Vol. 5, No. 1, 2021).

As scientists continue to study how brain connectivity relates to active cognition and behavior, “these findings offer the possibility that neural networks are more flexible and encode more detailed information in those who perform better,” said Derek J. Snyder, PhD, APA’s senior director for science strategic partnerships. “Overall, studies like these offer new insights on individual differences in brain plasticity across networks that process information and shape complex behaviors linked to well-being,” he said.

Brains converging

Understanding the human mind also requires understanding the social environment—what happens in the brain when we interact with other people. Using brain-imaging studies of pairs in social interactions, psychologists are now able to understand how social dynamics affect cognition, according to Thalia Wheatley , PhD, a professor of human relations at Dartmouth College.

“We’re constantly influencing and adapting to others, relying on one another to help us think,” said Wheatley. “We’ve been so focused as psychologists on mapping out the single brain, and now we’re beginning to understand what happens in the brain when two minds are dynamically engaged.”

A growing body of research has provided a foundation for newer, more complex research about the effects of social interaction on cognition. Uri Hasson , PhD, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Princeton University, has studied how two brains temporarily converge during communication.

For example, in one 2017 study, Hasson and his colleagues suggested different interpretations of a short story to two groups of participants and used neuroimaging to understand how each interpretation affected their brain activity as they listened to the story. Listeners’ brain activity aligned depending on the context they received before the story, suggesting that information from news sources can shape people’s beliefs and essentially result in groupthink ( Psychological Science , Vol. 28, No. 3, 2017). “If one line is enough to make you similar to other people, imagine how what you are listening to all day does,” Hasson said.

What’s important, Wheatley says, isn’t just that taking in the same information can result in similar brain activity. Science also suggests people are naturally drawn to those who think like them. In one study, Wheatley and colleagues found that friends shared similar brain activity ( Nature Communications , Vol. 9, No. 332, 2018). “The further out you go in a person’s social network, the more dissimilar people’s minds are,” she said.

Wheatley says future work could help psychologists understand not only the importance of conversation between peers, but how couples or parents and children interact. In a 2020 study , Hasson, Wheatley, and colleagues showed participants ambiguous video clips and then had them interpret what they saw in groups. After a period of discussion, the researchers scanned the group and found group members’ brain waves were more synchronized, suggesting conversation can help align people’s brains.

While understanding when synchrony happens is an important piece of the puzzle, Wheatley says, research should also investigate other dynamics such as when people may want to diverge in their thought patterns, breaking synchrony to facilitate independent thought. This understanding not only will help researchers understand cognition but also could help clinicians in practice. “When we understand more about the hidden dynamics of conversation, there will be natural implications for talk therapy,” she said.

Using polygenic risk scores

Thanks to recent advancements in the field of genetics, psychologists are seizing on new opportunities to study the specific genes associated with susceptibility for certain behaviors and, more important, how to use this knowledge to help people.

Even 20 years ago, psychologists referred to a now outdated form of genetic paneling called candidate-gene paneling, which identified individual genes that could predict people’s behaviors. “We thought then, by focusing on just one specific gene rather than a constellation of genes, that if you show expression on a particular candidate gene related to serotonin, you’re more likely to get depressed,” said Daniel S. Shaw , PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.

A more comprehensive approach to research known as genome-wide association studies uses algorithms to study the entire genome and identify genes that could contribute to specific behaviors using a scoring model called polygenic scoring, which means psychologists have more basis for understanding risk factors that contribute to hereditary behavioral patterns.

Jinni Su , PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Arizona State University, says psychologists have been combining their knowledge about the impact of environment on behavior with these polygenic risk scores to help people develop better coping mechanisms.

“The idea that both genes and the environment contribute to complex psychosocial outcomes is not new,” Su said. “Polygenic scoring is a new method that can help psychologists characterize people’s genetic predispositions toward certain behaviors and help us address questions about environmental factors that could exacerbate or lessen that genetic risk.”

For example, Shaw and his colleagues conducted a randomized controlled study to understand how an 8-session, family-based intervention for children ages 2–10 (called the Family Check-Up) might help those with genetic risk factors for aggressive behavior. While untreated children with high genetic susceptibility showed the highest levels of aggressive and oppositional conduct during childhood and adolescence, those receiving the Family Check-Up showed much lower levels. These results suggest that children who are genetically sensitive to adverse environmental influences may benefit the most from early interventions ( Development and Psychopathology , Vol. 31, No. 5, 2019).

Su’s work focuses on genetic and environmental influences on alcohol use disorder, which usually occurs in the teen or adult years. Her studies that show how a genetic predisposition toward alcohol abuse manifests in youth enable families to recognize the signs and respond with evidence-based interventions that can prevent progression of the disorder.

Su found in a study published in 2021 that people with a genetic propensity for alcohol use disorder are more likely to have sensation-seeking personality traits, and that social support can prevent those traits from developing into problem drinking ( Journal of Abnormal Psychology , Vol. 130, No. 5, 2021). This is consistent with earlier research that found that individuals who have a higher polygenic risk score for alcohol dependence are less likely to abuse alcohol if they are in a Family Check-Up intervention group (Kuo, S. I., et al., Prevention Science , Vol. 20, No. 7, 2019).

“Knowing how the genetic risk for alcohol manifests can help us work with sensation seekers and help them find healthy ways to channel their predisposition,” said Su.

In the future, Shaw hopes to see more diverse genetic risk scores—currently, psychologists rely on scoring developed using data from primarily White participants—and further studies that measure genetic susceptibility for other attributes and behaviors. He also hopes geneticists and neuroscientists can work together to more accurately link specific genetic profiles to individual differences in activation or volume in specific areas of the brain. “For example, polygenetic risk scores capturing impulsivity could be linked with the frontal limbic system, so it makes sense a person would be impulsive,” he said.

2022 trends report

• This article is part of our 14 emerging trends special report. Explore our full coverage on how the pandemic era is changing attitudes toward science and mental health .

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Our brain supports a large number of different functions. For example, we are able to perceive the world around us, we can remember past events, we can control movements of our body, we can decide what actions to take, etc. A comprehensive understanding of each of these functions ranges from what computations the brain has to perform to achieve these functions and how they are implemented in the biological hardware down to what contributions are made by individual cells and how a function is impacted when a particular component of the system fails, which allows targeted treatment of disorders. Researchers at the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience study a variety of different functions that are supported by the nervous system, typically spanning different levels of analysis (see Research Levels ) to obtain a comprehensive understanding of how a particular function is provided.

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150 Best Neuroscience Research Topics and Ideas for Students

Table of Contents

Are you looking for the best neuroscience research topics for your academic work? If yes, then this blog post is for you. Here, we have suggested 150 informative neuroscience research paper topics and ideas. In addition to that, we have also explained how to choose a good research topic and draft a brilliant neuroscience thesis. Continue reading to know more about neuroscience and also get innovative ideas for neuroscience research paper writing.

What is Neuroscience?

Neuroscience is a discipline of science that focuses on the study of the structure and functions of the nervous system. On a high level, the subject deals with various behavioral, computational, cellular, evolutionary, functional, molecular, and medical aspects of the nervous system.

In general, neuroscience is a complex subject that works closely with other disciplines such as computer science, chemistry, engineering, linguistics, mathematics, psychology, philosophy, and medicine. So, when you are asked to write a neuroscience research paper, you must have vast subject knowledge of your research topic and should possess the necessary writing skills to persuade your readers with your academic paper. More than that, in order to write an outstanding research paper, you must have a good research topic.

As neuroscience is a wide subject, you will have plenty of research topics to choose from. But the real challenge lies in identifying a unique topic out of all neuroscience research topics.

How to Select a Good Neuroscience Research Topic

Identifying a perfect research topic is the first step in the research paper writing process. Naturally, it is tough to pick one unique topic among a wide range of topics. So, to make your research topic selection process easier, here we have shared a few tips that you should keep in mind while selecting a topic for your neuroscience research paper.

For generating neuroscience research topic ideas, you can check the internet or refer to articles, journals, research papers, books, and other credible academic sources. Also, you can come up with your own unique idea on any neuroscience research topic. While searching for the research topic ideas, you can use any source that you are comfortable with. But before finalizing your topic, make sure to check whether or not your selected topic satisfies the below-mentioned tips.

• The topic should be interesting for you.
• It should be informative for your readers.
• The topic selected should provide a good scope to conduct research.
• It should have many relevant references and evidence to support your points or argument.
• Never choose a broad research topic. The topic should be narrow to complete the research writing within the deadline.

Finally, also confirm whether or not your selected research topic will meet the academic paper writing guidelines shared by the instructor. If the topic you have selected matches the topic selection tips mentioned above, then you can proceed with writing your neuroscience research paper on that topic.

How to Write an Impressive Neuroscience Research Paper

Identifying a research topic is the primary step in writing a research paper. Once you have finalized a neuroscience research topic, then you can begin writing your neuroscience research paper by following these steps.

• Brainstorm your topic and gather important points and ideas for discussion.
• Perform deep research on the topic by exploring trustworthy academic resources.
• After conducting research, identify and draft a thesis statement or hypotheses relevant to your research topic.
• Sketch a clear and concise research paper outline by taking hints of the main points of discussion and their supporting examples or pieces of evidence.
• With the help of the outline, draft a well-structured neuroscience research paper as per the standard research paper format that includes components such as an introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Do complete revisions of the first draft and make edits and corrections to come up with a flawless, high-quality research paper.

Remember, if you write a top-notch research paper, then your chance of getting an A+ grade will increase. So, when crafting a research paper, do thorough research and write it persuasively by following the neuroscience research paper writing tips suggested above.

List of the Best Neuroscience Research Topics

As said earlier, neuroscience is a complex and broad subject that includes various branches such as cognitive neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience, neurophysiology, developmental neuroscience, etc. For writing a brilliant neuroscience research paper, you can choose a topic from any branch of neuroscience.

Generally, it takes more time to search and find a research paper topic. So, to help you save time, here we have sorted and listed some interesting neuroscience research paper topics.

Explore the list and pick a unique Neuroscience topic that is appealing to you.

Simple Neuroscience Research Topics

• What is a degenerative brain disorder?
• The role of dopamine in the brain
• Our self-wiring brain.
• The role of sleep in the brain
• Discuss the functional organization of memory
• Discuss ways to eliminate learned fears
• The behavior of Alzheimer’s patients.
• Psychological problems with high IQ people
• Neurological problems caused by gut bacteria
• What triggers ADHD?
• Influence of Dopamine on Heavy Amounts of Marijuana
• What impact do dietary supplements have on aging? Do they reverse damage or do they have a placebo effect?
• When physical trauma occurs, how does the brain realign itself to heal the body?

Read more: Best Medical Research Topics To Analyze and Write About

Interesting Neuroscience Research Paper Topics

• How does emotion affect the way people process things like music and art in the mind?
• What role does the development of internal modes play in motor skill learning in young people?
• What is the link between traumatic head injuries that are known to cause damage to internal organs?
• What are the effects that negatively affect patients that are in treatment for depression?
• What causes addiction?
• How does neurodevelopment in early childhood relate to the presence of autism in young people?
• What impact do dietary supplements have on aging?
• The role of hormones in the nervous system
• The effects of Parkinson’s on the brain
• Neuroplasticity in teaching
• How have the concepts of neuroscience changed the views of teachers relating to pedagogy and students?
• Discuss the stages of brain development from birth to age 3
• What are the most effective strategies to treat severe depression in young adults?
• Discuss the link between the brain and gut bacteria
• The role played by the brain in autistic spectrum disorders
• Discuss the latest development in brain surgery
• Describe some of the innovative medications to treat brain and neurological disorders
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Definition, causes, symptoms, and effects
• Importance of Pierre Paul Broca’s work
• New Biomarker Test Can Detect Alzheimer’s Neurodegeneration in Blood: Explain

Captivating Neuroscience Research Ideas

• The study of neuropsychology
• Define sensory neuroscience
• Anxiety caused by gut bacteria
• How does breathing affect our memories?
• Main causes of schizophrenia
• The seat of human consciousness
• The science of smell
• The effect of sugar on our brain.
• Emotions and their effect on the human mind
• How does the brain perceive other people?
• Discuss the degenerative brain disorder including its causes and impact on the brain.
• How does music in the brain impact mental and intellectual activity?

Behavioral Neuroscience Research Topics

• How are the levels of dopamine in our bodies affected by alcohol and marijuana use?
• The Role of the Synthetic Ligand Injection
• What mental risks do young adults face when they participate in sports with a high level of head contact?
• Stimulating the brain with transcranial magnetic stimulation
• Design a behavioral neuroscience study.
• Enhancing the brain through electrical stimulation
• Research QTL mapping processes
• Discuss optogenetic excitation
• Exercises that help with decision making
• Brain-imaging technologies
• Enhancing the Brain through Electrical Stimulation
• Discuss Optogenetic Excitation
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Cognitive Neuroscience Research Topics

• What are the negative cognitive effects associated with wearing a hearing aid over a long period of time?
• Describe how LSD affects language in short-term users versus long-term users.
• How is chronic pain affected by targeting treatment to specific nerve centers in the brain?
• What are the negative effects on human memory due to people’s reliance on internet searches?
• In what ways are levels of stress affected by the way memories are formed in stressful situations?
• What happens when you hallucinate?
• Explain the simple algorithms in brain function that enable intelligence in humans.
• Research implicit memory
• Explain the connection between postpartum depression and brain chemistry in first-time mothers.
• What are the connections between head injuries and physical injuries in professional athletes?
• Effects of opioids on the brain
• Analyze the prefrontal cortex
• Sign language from a neural point of view
• Neural networks and neurons
• Can we erase bad memories?
• Subcortical neurotransmitter systems of arousal.
• Role of the cerebellum in language computations.

Outstanding Neuroscience Research Ideas

• How do our brains process and discriminate types of speech in order to recognize family members?
• In what ways does the brain process concepts such as the passing of time?
• What effects does brain damage have on human organs and intestines?
• What are the most important strength cutoff measurements for people that have suffered injuries to the spinal cord?
• How do people who suffer from depression cope with physical ailments linked to this mental disease?
• What are the risks involved with electrical implants for patients that suffer from paralysis?
• Why are some people geniuses?
• Nerve stimulation is known to help restore consciousness in people in comas. How is this relationship explained?
• Discuss Fragile X syndrome
• Explain the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries.

Latest Neuroscience Research Topics

• The link between clean air and amygdala health
• Discovering a new type of brain cell
• The damage caused by drug addiction on the brain
• Does aging really cause memory loss?
• What makes a person insane?
• What causes Chronic Fatigue syndrome ?
• What are the advances that have been made regarding the most effective treatments to treat emotional pain?
• What is cognitive offloading?
• Latest breakthroughs in neuroscience
• The basic human personality types
• The effects of cannabis on the brain
• Discuss auditory perceptual learning
• Compare three neurotransmitter abnormalities
• Are emotions a biological thing?
• Virtual reality games and their effects on memory
• Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
• Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience

Innovative Neuroscience Topics for Research

• Discuss the neuropsychology of language
• How does the axon handle the action potential?
• Dealing with developmental disorders
• Research the path neural signals take in specific situations
• How effective are supplements for brain health?
• Analyze the timing and source of brain activity.
• The neuroscience behind motherhood.
• The effects of loneliness on the brain
• Learning capabilities of single cells
• The power of stem cells
• 3D Brain Function Mapping

Read more topic: Interesting Science Research Paper Topics To Deal With

Impressive Neuroscience Research Paper Topics

• How does eating fish affect brain development in fetuses?
• Is caffeine addiction counter-productive when it comes to workplace productivity?
• How does lucid dreaming help people quit unhealthy habits like smoking and overeating?
• What impact does gut bacteria in the human body have on emotional health?
• Can religious beliefs affect the parts of the brain that produce melatonin as a result of drug or medicinal use?
• The causes of COVID-19 seizures
• How does the hippocampus area of the brain impact imagination and future thinking?
• In what ways does the treatment of the left or right hemispheres of the brain help decrease the symptoms that are caused by schizophrenia?
• In what ways do emotions affect the way humans interact with connections on social media sites?
• Explain how an atheist might view the concepts and theories behind neurobiology.

Trending Neuroscience Research Topics

• Effect of Sugar on the Brain
• Discuss the pharmacotherapy of depression by searching for the new mechanisms and drug interactions disclosed in clinical research
• Describe Brain-Inspired Computing (from Neuroscience to neuromorphic electronics for new forms of Artificial Intelligence)
• Analysis of the  influence of the phase and/or power of ongoing brain activity on excitability and responsiveness to neurostimulation in human and animal models
• Describe the computational models and simulations to improve the mechanistic understanding of neurostimulation techniques
• Analyze the influence of fluctuations within the peripheral and central nervous system on the effect of neurostimulation
• Explore the closed-loop neuromodulation approaches in the alteration of cognitive processes
• Why is a subset of AD patients vulnerable to cerebral hemorrhage when other drugs, such as tPA, are combined with an anti-amyloid-β approach (Lecanemab)?
• Describe the current therapeutic approaches mitigating symptoms of AD without the risk of developing an adverse effect such as brain hemorrhage
• Is there should be a drug-specific different response if co-administered with the second drug, given monoclonal antibodies such as lecanemab, aducanubam, and/or donanemab are available, at least, in part?
• Describe the current status of monoclonal antibodies such as lecanemab, aducanubam, and/or donanemab, if co-used with another drug (s) (e.g., tPA)

Read here: Biology Research Topics for Academic Writing

Excellent Neuroscience Research Paper Topics

• Write about autism and its underlying causes.
• Explain the Impact of social media on memory and cognition.
• Discuss the cognitive neurology of creativity and vision.
• Examine the influence of bad memories on the human brain.
• Hypnotic suggestions and cognitive neuroscience.
• Discuss the motor bases of Misophonia.
• Write about the Neurobiology of stress and anxiety.
• Discuss the Heightened risk of neuropsychiatric symptoms
• Write about the digital expansion of the human brain.
• Discuss the clinical approach and treatment of movement disorder.

All the topics recommended in this blog will help you write a high-quality neuroscience research paper deserving of high scores. You can also do mild modifications to the above topics and use them for writing a unique academic assignment.

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103 Neuroscience Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best neuroscience topic ideas & essay examples, 🥇 most interesting neuroscience topics to write about, ✅ good research topics about neuroscience, ❓ neuroscience research questions.

• Neuroscience of Decision-Making The mentioned problem is the subject of the TED talk The Neuroscience of Decision-Making by Kimberly Papillon. In the case of people with a bias toward racial belonging, these parts are activated in different ways […]
• Neuroscience of Real-Life Stressors Generally, the module article is enjoyable because it uncovers what I find enjoyable about the process, content, and outcomes of stress.
• Cognitive Neuroscience: Methods and Studies In conclusion, it is vital to highlight the essential role of cognitive neuroscience methods and discoveries in changing the understanding of human brain function.
• Neuroscience on Mental Health Issues Over the years, a significant source of concerns regarding neurogenesis touches on scientists’ inability to quantify the number of neurons generated by the adult’s brain in a day. However, investigations on neurogenesis in the hippocampus […]
• Relation Between Neuroscience and Ethics The practice of Neurophysiology is a subsection of neuroscience that involves the study of body nerves, spinal cord, and brain diseases such as tumors, which are the initial sources of brain cancer.
• Neuroscience: Heritability of Autistic Traits It never demonstrates the magnitude to which genes are passed on from a parent to a child; instead, it illustrates the reason for differences between people. Therefore, identical twins are more likely to experience autism […]
• Neuroscience: Clinical Laboratory Science From the experiment on the rats, it seemed that the new neurons could be produced in a cognitive challenge, then fade away.
• Neuroscience: Schizophrenia and Neurotransmitters From the definition of neurotransmitters, it is clear that schizophrenia is caused by the irregular functioning of neurotransmitters. Physical abnormalities in the brain have been suspected to be causes of schizophrenia.
• Neuroscience and Criminal Justice The viewpoint of several neuroscientists is that expressive biology of behavior will be accessible in the future and is probably to integrate both neuroscientific and genetic understanding.
• Strategic Planning: Southern NeuroScience Center The planning team also prioritized the objectives of the institution. The team also identified the right individuals to execute the plan.
• Neuroscience: Trauma and Cerebrovascular It discusses the effects of these two to the cognitive abilities of the patient, and how the patient operates in the social, emotional and physical capacity, after suffering such misfortune.
• Reward in Neuroscience The most important center of the reward system is the mesolimbocortical dopamine system. The mesolimbic system projects from dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens.
• Electroencephalography in Behavioral Neuroscience The test is carried out with the attachment of special sensors on the head and connected to a computer. Moreover, the experiments were carried out in cycles and results obtained were compared and mean recorded.
• Social Psychology and Social Neuroscience Connection In their approach, the two have acknowledged the partaking of the characteristic differences “in cardiac sympathetic reactivity to peoples’ susceptibility to illness”, noting the crucial function of experience to interpersonal life, as part of the […]
• Neuroscience Role in Enhancing Mathematics Learning The right side of the brain controls the left part of the body while the left part of the brain controls the right part of the body.
• Evolution and the Cognitive Neuroscience of Awareness and Consciousness To better understand this neurological task there is a need to focus on the connection between brain and awareness. Further, it is reasonable to connect the relationship between awareness and memory with the concept of […]
• Neuroscience. Huntington’s Disease Epidemiology George Sumner Huntington was the first person to give a clear, concise, and accessible report on what was to become the standard description of the disease, and therefore the disease is named after him.
• Neuroscience for Kids Website Review In the proposed approach, the teacher plays the role of a moderator, which encourages the students to solve realistic problems, discover various principles, and construct their knowledge.
• Neuroscience Psychology of Goals & Behavior Change Fifth, the author focuses on motivation and describes it as the desired intensity to attain a certain outcome. The will is also based on a person’s identity and self, which are manifested in his or […]
• Differential Diagnoses in Nephrology and Neurology Impaired urination with frequent urges during movement, interruption of the urine stream or acute retention of the outflow, urinary incontinence due to a stone stuck in the narrow neck of the bladder.
• Cognitive Neuroscience: Unlearning Something Learnt According to Brown and White, in order to understand the ability of one to unlearn what has been learned, it is important to first understand the learning process as explained in Cognitive paradigms.
• “Neuroscience of Cognitive Development” Review by Muller The second section of the article talks about the role of cognitive processes in the development of the child. From the article, it is true that human beings suffer from a number of disorders, including […]
• Social Cognitive Neuroscience in Corporate HRM It is expected that the application of SCN will be compatible with the leadership strategies that are aimed at enhancing employees’ motivation and leading to a steep rise in the levels of corporate loyalty.
• Brain and Speech Production in Neuroscience The current literature review is dedicated to the mechanisms for speech production and their implications in the field of neuroscience. The authors note that the speech sound map performs three crucial functions: promoting the discrete […]
• Neuroscience and Cognitive Approaches in Therapy Great tempos lead to an increase in the level of stress which, in turn, leads to the appearance of a great number of problems connected with the mental health of a person.
• Learning Methods Based on Neuroscience Being that both processes are affected by the changes in the environment and conditions of learning, teachers are informed of the need to create a conducive learning atmosphere to ensure high student learning and cognitive […]
• Neuroscience and Child Development – Psychology In this regard, the adoption of neuroscience findings in the development of new childhood theories and policies could lead to enhanced interventions for improved life outcomes.
• Exercise’s Role on Health – Neurology In this regard, it is important to note that, the body has three main sets of neurons, namely: the sensory, interneuron, and motor neurons.
• Consciousness-Cognitive Science vs. Neuroscience Damasio argues that neuroscience is a mother of consciousness and uses an example of neurologists and how they limit themselves to the basic definition of consciousness as a matter between the start and the end […]
• Cultural Differences in the Self: From Philosophy to Psychology to Neuroscience According to their hypothesis, the basic difference between the Western and the Chinese understanding and perception of self is that the latter consider self in the context of society, while the Western philosophers believe that […]
• How Educational Neuroscience Supports Classroom Differentiation The student tends to concentrate on the tragic events as opposed to the contents of a lesson. The importance of understanding differentiation is that the teacher is in a position to relate negative emotions to […]
• Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience There is an eminent application of scientific metaphors in describing the functioning of the human brain. There are outstanding metaphors and analogies, which are being used to explain the functioning of the human brain.
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• Cognitive Neuroscience Influence on Teaching Reading at the Elementary Grade Level
• Are Temporal Concepts Embodied? A Challenge for Cognitive Neuroscience
• Arkheia: Data Management and Communication for Open Computational Neuroscience
• Alternative Views in Neuroscience Research on Response Inhibition and Inhibitory Control
• The Relationships Between Behavior Analysis and Behavioral Neuroscience
• How Computational Neuroscience Helps to Understand the Mechanisms of Mental Disorders
• Leveraging Open Source Software to Optimise Model Parameters in Neuroscience
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• Classical Statistics and Statistical Learning in Imaging Neuroscience
• The Link Between Closed-Loop Neuroscience and Non-invasive Brain Stimulation
• Cognitive Neuroscience and Causal Inference: Implications for Psychiatry
• The Link Between Cognitive Psychology, Neuroscience, and Social Change
• The Embodied Brain: Towards a Radical Embodied Cognitive Neuroscience
• Computer-Aided Experiment Planning Toward Causal Discovery in Neuroscience
• Constructing Memory, Imagination, and Empathy: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective
• Consumer Neuroscience and Neuromarketing: What New on Marketing Research
• Criminal Responsibility and Neuroscience: No Revolution Yet
• Communication Challenges Between Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence
• Cultural Attachment: From Behavior to Computational Neuroscience
• The Relationship Between Culture, Neuroscience, and Law
• Training in Neuroscience Decreases but Does Not Eliminate Beliefs in Neuromyths
• Reproducibility and Rigour in Computational Neuroscience
• The Cognitive Neuroscience of Visual Working Memory
• What Can Neuroscience Learn From Contemplative Practices?
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• Issues in the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience of Social Inequality
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100 neuroscience topics for you to use.

If you are reading this, it means you need the best neuroscience topics you could possibly find. After all, the outcome of your research paper depends greatly on the topic you choose.

The more interesting the topic, the better the grade. In addition, we can assure you that your professor will most likely award you some bonus points if you manage to find unique, interesting neuroscience topics. Remember that you should do your best to choose neuroscience research topics that none of your classmates have thought about. This is why our list of ideas is your absolute best option.

Getting the Best Neuroscience Topics

Writing the best neuroscience research papers has never been easier. You should just visit this blog post whenever you need a good topic. Our experienced academic writers are updating the list of ideas periodically to help as many students as possible. There is a very high chance to find some unique topics here with every visit. And remember, all these topics are provided for free. Use them as they are or reword them as you see fit. If you study neuroscience, we are your best option for interesting topics.

Easy Topics in Neuroscience

We will start our list with some easy topics that you can write about without spending too much time on your paper. Check out these easy topics in neuroscience:

• What is behavioral neuroscience?
• Define sensory neuroscience
• What triggers ADHD?
• The study of neuropsychology
• Cognitive neuroscience
• Neurological problems caused by gut bacteria
• Discuss cellular neuroscience

Interesting Neuroscience Topics

If you are looking for some of the most interesting neuroscience topics, you will be thrilled to learn that we have plenty of them right here:

• Link between clean air and amygdala health
• Psychological problems with high IQ people
• Anxiety caused by gut bacteria
• Main causes of schizophrenia
• Alzheimer’s patients’ behavior
• The seat of human consciousness
• How breathing affects our memories

Neuroscience Topics for Research Paper

Writing a research paper doesn’t have to be too difficult. It’s all about the topic. To help you out, our ENL writers have put together a list of excellent neuroscience topics for research paper:

• Research learning and memory
• How does the brain perceive other people?
• Sugar’s effect on our brain
• Neurons can appear even in adulthood
• Discovering a new type of brain cell
• Emotions and their effect on the human mind

Behavioral Neuroscience Topics

Are you interested in researching the subject of behavioral neuroscience? It’s a great idea and it works great in 2023. Here are some interesting behavioral neuroscience topics:

• Enhancing the brain through electrical stimulation
• Discuss optogenetic excitation
• The role of the Synthetic Ligand Injection
• Stimulating the brain with transcranial magnetic stimulation
• Research QTL mapping processes
• Discuss gene engineering

Neuroscience Paper Topics for College Students

Of course, we have more than enough topics for college. Take a look at our neuroscience paper topics for college students and pick the one you like:

• Neuroscience and development
• The role of hormones for the nervous system
• The science of smell
• What causes addiction?
• Neuroplasticity in teaching
• The effects of Parkinson’s on the brain

Hot Topics in Neuroscience

Do you want to write about the latest, hottest topics in neuroscience? If so, you should definitely pick one of these hot topics in neuroscience:

• Why are some people geniuses?
• The damage caused by drug addiction on the brain
• What makes a person insane?
• Managing the effects of Alzheimer
• Discuss the Fragile X syndrome
• Does aging really cause memory loss?

Cool Neuroscience Topics

When you need some cool neuroscience topics, you should visit our blog. We are adding new topics on a weekly basis, so you will surely be able to find some excellent ideas:

• Depression is much more than a mental issue
• A virus may cause Alzheimer’s
• What causes the Chronic Fatigue syndrome?
• The effects of cannabis on the brain
• What is cognitive offloading?
• The basic human personality types

Controversial Topics in Neuroscience

Why wouldn’t you write about controversial topics? In fact, we will help you out. Take a look at these controversial topics in neuroscience and choose the one you like the most:

• Electro stimulation of the brain
• The effects of head impacts in football
• The benefits of marijuana for the brain
• Fish oil for baby brain development
• Curing degenerative diseases: possible?
• Supplements for brain health

Cognitive Neuroscience Topics

We have more than enough cognitive neuroscience topics for you to choose from, so why don’t you pick one right now? They’re all free to use.

• What happens when you hallucinate?
• Effects of opioids on the brain
• Research autism
• Can we erase bad memories?
• LSD’s effect on language
• Cognitive disorders explained

Difficult Topics for Neuroscience Papers

Do you want to test your limits? Or perhaps you want to impress your professor. You could simply pick one of these difficult topics for neuroscience papers and start writing:

• Compare three neurotransmitter abnormalities
• How does the axon handle the action potential?
• Research the path neural signals take in specific situations
• Are emotions a biological thing?
• Dealing with development disorders
• Discuss the neuropsychology of language

Behavioral Neuroscience Research Topics

Behavioral neuroscience is a very interesting thing to research and write about. Check out these behavioral neuroscience research topics:

• Design a behavioral neuroscience study
• Most important behavioral neuroscience studies in 2023
• The importance of REM sleep
• Brain-imaging technologies
• How does behavior affect the nervous system?
• Exercises that help decision making

Cognitive Neuroscience Research Topics

We have a lot of cognitive neuroscience research topics that you can choose from. Give it a try:

• Sign language from a neural point of view
• Research implicit memory
• Language and the cerebellum
• Working memory: humans vs. chimps
• Analyze the prefrontal cortex
• Neural networks and neurons

Interesting Topics in Neuroscience for High School

Of course, we also have easier topics for high school students. These are the most interesting topics in neuroscience for high school:

• The role of sleep for our brain
• What is a degenerative brain disorder?
• Our self-wiring brain
• Are brain implants coming in 2023?
• Discuss the functional organization of memory
• Discuss ways to eliminate learned fears
• The role of dopamine in the brain

Current Topics in Neuroscience

If you want to write about the latest developments in neuroscience, you should definitely pick one of these current topics in neuroscience:

• Curing Alzheimer’s disease
• Best Parkinson’s remedies in 2023
• How effective are supplements for brain health?
• Discuss auditory perceptual learning
• Analyse the timing and source of brain activity
• Loneliness effects on the brain

Best Neuroscience Research Ideas

Below, you will find a list of what we consider to be the absolute best neuroscience research ideas. Pick one now:

• Internet searches and the human memory
• Marijuana use and brain damage
• Electrical implants and associated risks
• An emotional study of the human brain
• Research the causes of depression
• How do humans recognize family members?

The Study of Neuroscience in 2023

Would you like to discuss the field of neuroscience in 2023? We have plenty of topics that should thrill your professor:

• Current topics in neuroscience
• Latest breakthroughs in neuroscience
• Learning capabilities of single cells
• The power of stem cells
• Motherhood: the neuroscience behind it
• The causes of COVID-19 seizures
• Virtual reality games and their effects on memory

Do You Need Some Help?

In case you need even more neuroscience topics, our seasoned academic writers are at your disposal. We will create a brand new, 100% original list of topics just for you in no time. In addition, we can help you with writing the paper. Why waste your time struggling with that difficult essay when our writers can get it done for you in mere hours? Rest assured that you will get a top grade on your paper because all our writers and PhD experts with extensive academic writing experience. Let’s get in touch!

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202 neuroscience topics to write about in depth.

August 25, 2021

Neuroscience as a medical discipline deals with the study of the human nervous system and how it impacts the general cognitive function, productivity, and behavior of the human brain. What neuroscience pays close attention to is how the various parts of the nervous system function and the various activities that go on within the brain with the reactions that are easily developed when something goes wrong within this part of the human body.

Neuroscience is another discipline of learning that requires the carrying out of extensive research in such a way that it allows for new learning, realizations and that will aid knowledge in the neuro field. There are so many aspects that could be touched across while writing a research paper on neuroscience. As a field of study, neuroscience on its own is covered with interesting neuroscience topics. Some of the topics in neuroscience look into behavioral neuroscience topics, neuroscience research paper topics, and some other cool neuroscience topics that will be subsequently highlighted.

Neuroscience Topics for Research Paper

As a student who is preparing to undertake your research paper writing in the neuro field, it’s important to note that there are myriads of topics that could serve as good research topics within this field. All that is required is that you have a basic understanding of the particular topic or area you end up specializing in as it will enable you to turn out a well-researched and properly done paper. Some of the topics to look into are.

• A case study of the developmental stage of Alzheimer’s in the brain
• Is Alzheimer’s hereditary? A case study of hereditary diseases
• The distinction between ADHD and Dyslexia and how individual patients react to them
• Understanding how the brain assimilates and records sound waves
• The neurological effect of excessive brain stress
• Health causes of brain tumor
• The importance of mindfulness and how it enhances the brain function
• How the brain enables the enhancement of language skills
• Study of the root causes of Alzheimer’s
• Effective ways to manage Alzheimer’s at an early stage
• Understanding the relationship between the brain and stress
• The role of the gene in influencing the growth of Alzheimer’s in one
• A case study of some of the mental abilities that open up while aging
• A study of how sounds and words are received in the brain
• Does Alzheimer’s disease start at a young age?
• The health challenges that often result in wrongly done brain surgery
• The importance of Head CT before brain surgery
• The role Head CT places in the medical field
• The importance of artificial intelligence in brain surgery
• The importance of healthy eating to the brain
• Impulsivity: understanding how it is formulated in the brain
• Amnesia and how memory loss operates
• A look into some of the medical ways to manage Amnesia
• How memory can be reintroduced to an Amnesiac patient
• Understanding emotions, attention, and memory and how they’re formulated by the brain
• A case study of the structural differences in the brain
• The root causes of Dementia in people

Interesting Topics in Neuroscience

For most students, the challenge usually lies in how to formulate an interesting neuroscience topic that not only will enable them to score better points in their grade but will be interesting enough to keep a reader engaged with the paper. But, finding these topics or knowing how to formulate them is an essential aspect of preparing a research paper. Here, is a compilation of some of the interesting topics in the field of neuroscience.

• Brainstorming and its health benefits to the human brain
• Understanding the role of the brain and its reception to emotions
• A case study of how different music tones are received in the brain
• A look into how PTSD is developed in the human brain
• The role of chronic fatigue and how it impacts the human brain
• Ways the brain struggles during traumatic experiences
• Does music affect the intellectual capacity of a student?
• A study of the brain capacity to function between children and teenagers
• The various causes of head injury and how they develop in the brain
• What is nerve stimulation and how is its function in the brain carried out?
• What are the root cause of autism in young children and ways they can be handled
• The importance of memory exercise for patients with a minor head injury
• Some medically advised ways to handle head injuries
• The difference and similarities of brain disorder and brain damage
• The causes of bipolar in adults
• Some of the ways through which Bipolar can be managed
• A distinction and similarities between Bipolar I and Bipolar II
• Mental health: ways to manage mental health better for sound brain function
• How the brain processes hurt
• How the human brain processes the reception of cool images
• The importance of scenic views towards enhancing the brain
• The medical reason behind the implantation of electricals into the human brain
• A study of other body parts injuries that could affect the brain
• A look into how depression is formed in the brain
• The distinction between autism and dyslexia

Behavioral Neuroscience Research Topics

Behavioral neuroscience deals primarily with the study of how biology impacts the psychological reactions in the human brain. In many cases, it is either referred to also as biopsychology or biological psychology, or psychobiology. It focuses on the study of human traits and how they manifest in human behavioral patterns. There are so many topics that fall within this category of neuroscience. Some of the topics are.

• A study of how Schizophrenia is developed in the human brain
• A study of how the human brain constructs the mind
• The benefits of brain rehabilitation programs
• The experiences of children with autism and how behavior impacts their health
• The role of the brain in the Motivation to eat
• How stress reduces the brain’s ability to function
• How stress can hamper sexual motivation in women
• A case study of some of the brain reactions that encourage social behaviors
• Dopamine and the role it plays within the human brain
• The importance of audiovisual to the brain
• The different roles audio and visual qualities play in enhancing the brain
• The emotional study of the human brain
• How does the brain process type of speech
• How the brain processes the ability to recognize a person
• Behavioral patterns that could reduce the risk of depression
• A study of how drug abuse can affect the smooth functioning of dopamine
• A look into how to better manage activities that require the head contact
• Ways to promote good brain functioning while engaging in activities
• Mental health challenges and ways to manage them
• The behavioral pattern of people living with ADHD
• Understanding the relationship between ADHD patients and their behaviors
• Ways behavior influences ADHD
• How much Dyslexia is impacted by behavior?
• Best ways to manage Dyslexic patients
• Effective ways to promote good mental health in adults and children

Neuroscience Research Paper Topics

There are still so many topics that could be formulated from neuroscience. As a field that deals primarily with psychology and the brain, it, therefore, means that so many aspects of it can be looked into while carrying out research writing. If you are studying neuroscience and in need of topics to support your research, below are some other neuroscience research paper topics to look into while preparing your research writing.

• How to point out the developmental stage of Alzheimer’s in old people
• Stages of Schizophrenia in people
• What are some of the medical and behavioral causes of schizophrenia
• A study on how Alzheimer’s patients behave
• How to identify High IQ in people
• A study of some of the prevalent psychological challenges faced by people with high IQ
• How worrying affects the function of the brain
• Gut bacteria and neurological problems
• Understanding learning and memory
• What is neuroplasticity?
• Does Parkinson’s have any effect on the brain?
• Addiction and how it affects the brain?
• Medical treatments for managing brain disorder
• A study of medical treatments for ADHD
• The correlation between aging and memory loss
• Is depression a mental issue or brain issue?
• Is Alzheimer’s hereditary or is it caused by a virus?
• Symptoms of the developmental stage of chronic fatigue
• Is Cannabis damaging to the brain?
• A study of Cognitive offloading in the brain
• A study of the developmental stage of autism
• How to manage autistic patients
• The importance of hibernation to the brain
• The difference between hibernation and hallucination
• Impact of brain disorder on language

Cognitive Neuroscience Research Topics

Cognitive neuroscience is a branch of neuroscience that studies the various biological processes that inform brain cognition and reception. If you are preparing to write your academic essay in this subfield of neuroscience, the first thing to always note is the topic you’ll be working with. Here are some cognitive neuroscience topics.

• How the human brain is wired
• How speech is formed in children
• What are the ways through which excessive internet consumption affects the human brain function
• The link between internet abuse and brain loss
• A study of chronic pain and how it affects the brain
• Does the abuse of drugs affect the brain?
• The use of marijuana by teenagers and its brain effects
• The effect of addiction on the brain
• Understanding how the human brain internalizes emotions
• Does hallucination cause any brain deficit?
• A study of cognitive disorder in adults
• Does cognitive disorder occur in young people?
• Effects of opium on the brain
• Understanding autism spectrum disorder in children
• How to identify autism in children at an early stage
• Medical procedures for managing autism at an early stage
• Social limitation of autistic children
• Why do People with ADHD have trouble paying attention
• Impulsivity as a major challenge for ADHD patients
• Effects of the medication in treating ADHD
• The treatment plan for ADHD
• ADHD and how it affects cognitive behavior in adults
• A study of ADHD as a cognitive disorder
• Autism is a cognitive disorder in children
• How Autistic and Dyslexic students manage learning disabilities

Controversial Topics in Neuroscience

Every aspect of the neuroscience field can be considered controversial due to the very sensitive issues that relate to the programming and functioning of the human psychology and brain that it deals predominantly on. In case you are preparing your research paper on neuroscience and would prefer to look into some of the controversial areas in the field, here is a list of some of them.

• How deep learning affects the brain
• A study of how too much straining of the brain causes mental disorder
• Lack of exercise as the root cause of Dementia
• Hereditary brain disorders
• How to care for hereditary neural issues
• How poor nutrition exacerbates the brain
• Causes of cognitive decline in adults
• How visually impaired people perceive physical items
• How sufficient sleep impacts the brain
• Root causes of depression in people and how it affects the brain
• What are neurogenerative diseases
• How can neurogenerative diseases be handled
• Ways to regulate the growth of Alzheimer’s
• Clinical trials for the cure of Alzheimer’s disease
• The role of CT scans and MRI machines in treating brain injuries
• Medically advised ways to outgrow ADHD
• How to boost the brain through regular brain exercise
• A study of the benefits of consistent study
• Can Alzheimer’s be treated with other drugs?
• Sleep deprivation and its effect on the brain
• Effects of isolation on the human brain
• How information is processed in the brain
• Down Syndrome and how it affects cognitive reception
• Dysfunctional psychological issues due to cerebral palsy
• A study of the impacts of antidepressant

Social Neuroscience Topics

Social neuroscience as a branch of neuroscience has some resemblance to behavioral neuroscience. The distinction is that social neuroscience deals primarily with how the brain performs social processes. In this area of the study, so many parts can be touched across because it involves a wide range of topics that can be examined within this field. Social neuroscience deals with social interactions, and every other form of social activities and behavior that impacts the brain. Here are some of the topics to look into when writing your research on social neuroscience.

• Narcissism as a flawed personality trait
• How the nervous system reacts to hormonal imbalance
• How does chronic fatigue affect the ability to socialize
• How do emotions affect our attitude to things?
• How well can visually impaired people learn to drive?
• Challenges of physically impaired people in performing activities
• How does the brain react due to physical trauma?
• Psychological trauma effects in victims?
• How does the brain process music?
• How can stress levels cause memory loss?
• How does the brain process conversations?
• What are the ways PTSD affects an individual
• The effects of trauma on accident victims
• How to handle trauma at an early stage
• Medically trusted treatment plans for PTSD
• The distinction between PTSD and depression
• How to identify depression in young adults
• Challenges in the brain when the dopamine isn’t functional
• How the brain realigns after trauma
• Where does the brain store memories?
• Can the brain store memories for a long period?
• Effective ways of treating temporary memory loss
• Effective care package for patients living with temporary memory loss
• How medication can damage aspects of the brain
• Some of the brain rehabilitation process
• A study of permanent, temporary memory and their causes.

Hot Topics in Neuroscience

While some topics are considered controversial, there are other topics still within this particular discipline that are considered hot topics because of the level of engagements they continue to bring. Some of the topics that fall well within this category include.

• Do professional athletes suffer brain injuries?
• The treatment plan for professional athletes with brain injuries
• What are the best treatment plans for Schizophrenia
• How the left hemisphere of the brain functions
• Can schizophrenia occur in children?
• What are the sufficient treatment plans for PTSD
• Psychological trauma and how to handle them in children
• Ways to prevent depression in young children
• A study of the developmental stage of brain
• How does the brain articulate speech?
• How the brain programs knowledge for visually impaired people
• The risks of developing severe brain injury
• A study of postpartum depression in nursing mothers
• The medical effects that could arise from antidepressants
• Drug abuse and the lack of self-control
• A study of healthy eating habits that promotes the brain
• A study of unhealthy foods that affects the brain
• The impact of loss on the human psyche
• Language formation process in adults
• The challenges adults face while learning new languages
• The importance of language learning in childhood
• How the brain processes and receives different types of speech
• Important ways on how to care for the brain
• The brain is the most important aspect in the human body.

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Collection  04 March 2020

Top 100 in Neuroscience

This collection highlights our most downloaded* neuroscience papers published in 2019. Featuring authors from around the world, these papers feature valuable research from an international community.

* Data obtained from SN Insights which is based on Digital Science’s Dimensions.

Towards reconstructing intelligible speech from the human auditory cortex

• Hassan Akbari
• Bahar Khalighinejad
• Nima Mesgarani

Television viewing and cognitive decline in older age: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

• Daisy Fancourt
• Andrew Steptoe

Real life Experience of Medical Cannabis Treatment in Autism: Analysis of Safety and Efficacy

• Lihi Bar-Lev Schleider
• Raphael Mechoulam
• Victor Novack

BrainNet: A Multi-Person Brain-to-Brain Interface for Direct Collaboration Between Brains

• Linxing Jiang
• Andrea Stocco
• Rajesh P. N. Rao

Characterization and prediction of acute and sustained response to psychedelic psilocybin in a mindfulness group retreat

• Lukasz Smigielski
• Michael Kometer
• Franz X. Vollenweider

Decoding the contents and strength of imagery before volitional engagement

• Roger Koenig-Robert
• Joel Pearson

Neural correlates of the DMT experience assessed with multivariate EEG

• Christopher Timmermann
• Leor Roseman
• Robin L. Carhart-Harris

Biosynthesis and Extracellular Concentrations of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in Mammalian Brain

• Jon G. Dean
• Tiecheng Liu
• Jimo Borjigin

An experimental study of a virtual reality counselling paradigm using embodied self-dialogue

• Solène Neyret
• Guillem Feixas

Human Mind Control of Rat Cyborg’s Continuous Locomotion with Wireless Brain-to-Brain Interface

• Shaomin Zhang

Non-invasive, Brain-controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation for Locomotion Rehabilitation in Individuals with Paraplegia

• Aurelie Selfslagh
• Solaiman Shokur
• Miguel A. L. Nicolelis

The complexity of understanding others as the evolutionary origin of empathy and emotional contagion

• Fabrizio Mafessoni
• Michael Lachmann

A model-guided dissociation between subcortical and cortical contributions to word recognition

• Mario Braun
• Martin Kronbichler
• Arthur M. Jacobs

White matter microstructure mediates the association between physical fitness and cognition in healthy, young adults

• Stella Martin
• Jonathan Repple

Pulsed Near Infrared Transcranial and Intranasal Photobiomodulation Significantly Modulates Neural Oscillations: a pilot exploratory study

• Reza Zomorrodi
• Genane Loheswaran

Behavior of mice aboard the International Space Station

• April E. Ronca
• Eric L. Moyer
• Ruth K. Globus

Inflammation Predicts Decision-Making Characterized by Impulsivity, Present Focus, and an Inability to Delay Gratification

• Jeffrey Gassen
• Marjorie L. Prokosch
• Sarah E. Hill

Oral selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors activate vagus nerve dependent gut-brain signalling

• Karen-Anne McVey Neufeld
• John Bienenstock
• Paul Forsythe

Maternal and early postnatal immune activation produce sex-specific effects on autism-like behaviors and neuroimmune function in mice

• William A. Carlezon Jr
• Kwang-Soo Kim

Novel findings from 2,838 Adult Brains on Sex Differences in Gray Matter Brain Volume

• Martin Lotze
• Martin Domin
• Nicola Neumann

Dietary emulsifiers consumption alters anxiety-like and social-related behaviors in mice in a sex-dependent manner

• Mary K. Holder
• Nicole V. Peters
• Geert J. de Vries

Predicting Alzheimer’s disease progression using multi-modal deep learning approach

• Kwangsik Nho
• for Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

The Bivalent Rewarding and Aversive properties of Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol are Mediated Through Dissociable Opioid Receptor Substrates and Neuronal Modulation Mechanisms in Distinct Striatal Sub-Regions

• Christopher Norris
• Hanna J. Szkudlarek
• Steven R. Laviolette

Neuroinflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide causes cognitive impairment in mice

Sucrose intake lowers μ-opioid and dopamine D2/3 receptor availability in porcine brain

• Michael Winterdahl
• Anne M. Landau

Alpha-synuclein is a DNA binding protein that modulates DNA repair with implications for Lewy body disorders

• Allison J. Schaser
• Valerie R. Osterberg
• Vivek K. Unni

Life without a brain: Neuroradiological and behavioral evidence of neuroplasticity necessary to sustain brain function in the face of severe hydrocephalus

• C. F. Ferris
• P. Kulkarni

Principled BCI Decoder Design and Parameter Selection Using a Feedback Control Model

• Francis R. Willett
• Daniel R. Young
• A. Bolu Ajiboye

Misophonia is associated with altered brain activity in the auditory cortex and salience network

• Arjan Schröder
• Guido van Wingen
• Damiaan Denys

Awakening effects of blue-enriched morning light exposure on university students’ physiological and subjective responses

• Kyungah Choi
• Cheong Shin
• Hyeon-Jeong Suk

Cannabinoids Exacerbate Alcohol Teratogenesis by a CB1-Hedgehog Interaction

• Eric W. Fish
• Laura B. Murdaugh
• Scott E. Parnell

Learning Unicycling Evokes Manifold Changes in Gray and White Matter Networks Related to Motor and Cognitive Functions

• Bernhard Weber
• Karl Koschutnig
• Andreas Fink

Music synchronizes brainwaves across listeners with strong effects of repetition, familiarity and training

• Jens Madsen
• Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis
• Lucas C. Parra

The Amazon rain forest plant Uncaria tomentosa (cat’s claw) and its specific proanthocyanidin constituents are potent inhibitors and reducers of both brain plaques and tangles

• Alan D. Snow
• Gerardo M. Castillo
• Lesley Larsen

Amido-bridged nucleic acid (AmNA)-modified antisense oligonucleotides targeting α-synuclein as a novel therapy for Parkinson’s disease

• Takuya Uehara
• Chi-Jing Choong
• Hideki Mochizuki

The Impact of Shift Work on Sleep, Alertness and Performance in Healthcare Workers

• Saranea Ganesan
• Michelle Magee
• Tracey L. Sletten

Modernization of Golgi staining techniques for high-resolution, 3-dimensional imaging of individual neurons

• Katlijn Vints
• Dorien Vandael
• Natalia V. Gounko

A blood-based signature of cerebrospinal fluid A β 1–42 status

• Benjamin Goudey
• Bowen J. Fung
• Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Remyelination promoting therapies in multiple sclerosis animal models: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Carlijn R. Hooijmans
• Martin Hlavica
• Benjamin V. Ineichen

Brain activity sustaining the modulation of pain by empathetic comments

• I. Faillenot

Growth Hormone Improves Nerve Regeneration, Muscle Re-innervation, and Functional Outcomes After Chronic Denervation Injury

• Joseph Lopez
• Gerald Brandacher

Long-term exercise training improves memory in middle-aged men and modulates peripheral levels of BDNF and Cathepsin B

• Adrián De la Rosa
• Elisabeth Solana
• Mari Carmen Gomez-Cabrera

Respiratory influence on cerebrospinal fluid flow – a computational study based on long-term intracranial pressure measurements

• Vegard Vinje
• Geir Ringstad
• Kent-Andre Mardal

The neurophysiological correlates of religious chanting

• Junling Gao
• Hang Kin Leung
• Hin Hung Sik

Apparent Effects of Opioid Use on Neural Responses to Reward in Chronic Pain

• Katherine T. Martucci
• Kelly H. MacNiven
• Sean C. Mackey

The effects of chiropractic spinal manipulation on central processing of tonic pain - a pilot study using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA)

• Muhammad Samran Navid
• Heidi Haavik

Potentially repurposable drugs for schizophrenia identified from its interactome

• Kalyani B. Karunakaran
• Srilakshmi Chaparala
• Madhavi K. Ganapathiraju

Spiking Neural Network Modelling Approach Reveals How Mindfulness Training Rewires the Brain

• Zohreh Doborjeh
• Maryam Doborjeh
• Alex Sumich

Machine learning accurately classifies age of toddlers based on eye tracking

• Kirsten A. Dalrymple
• Jed T. Elison

Topography and behavioral relevance of the global signal in the human brain

• Taylor Bolt
• Lucina Q. Uddin

Sleep deprivation and its effects on communication during individual and collaborative tasks

• Benjamin C. Holding
• Tina Sundelin
• John Axelsson

DeNeRD: high-throughput detection of neurons for brain-wide analysis with deep learning

• Asfandyar Sheikh
• Theofanis Karayannis

Prenatal Allergen Exposure Perturbs Sexual Differentiation and Programs Lifelong Changes in Adult Social and Sexual Behavior

• Kathryn M. Lenz
• Lindsay A. Pickett
• Margaret M. McCarthy

Rapid Brain Responses to Familiar vs. Unfamiliar Music – an EEG and Pupillometry study

• Robert Jagiello
• Ulrich Pomper
• Maria Chait

A novel kit for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease using a fluorescent nanoparticle imaging

• Jun Sung Park
• Sang Tae Kim
• Myeong Ok Kim

A quantitative analysis of the contribution of melanopsin to brightness perception

• Masahiko Yamakawa
• Sei-ichi Tsujimura
• Katsunori Okajima

Synapse loss and progress of Alzheimer’s disease -A network model

Integrated Cognitive Assessment: Speed and Accuracy of Visual Processing as a Reliable Proxy to Cognitive Performance

• Seyed-Mahdi Khaligh-Razavi
• Sina Habibi
• Chris Kalafatis

Rosmarinic acid suppresses Alzheimer’s disease development by reducing amyloid β aggregation by increasing monoamine secretion

• Tomoki Hase
• Syun Shishido
• Shoko Kobayashi

Orangutans show active voicing through a membranophone

• Adriano R. Lameira
• Robert W. Shumaker

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic actions of clozapine-N-oxide, clozapine, and compound 21 in DREADD-based chemogenetics in mice

• Martin Jendryka
• Monika Palchaudhuri
• Anton Pekcec

Novel Method for Rapid Assessment of Cognitive Impairment Using High-Performance Eye-Tracking Technology

• Akane Oyama
• Shuko Takeda
• Ryuichi Morishita

pyPhotometry: Open source Python based hardware and software for fiber photometry data acquisition

• Thomas Akam
• Mark E. Walton

Characterisation of nonlinear receptive fields of visual neurons by convolutional neural network

• Jumpei Ukita
• Takashi Yoshida
• Kenichi Ohki

Craniobot: A computer numerical controlled robot for cranial microsurgeries

• Leila Ghanbari
• Mathew L. Rynes
• Suhasa B. Kodandaramaiah

Early postnatal development of pyramidal neurons across layers of the mouse medial prefrontal cortex

• Eline van Hugte
• Rhiannon M. Meredith

Skeletal descriptions of shape provide unique perceptual information for object recognition

• Vladislav Ayzenberg
• Stella F. Lourenco

Sensory sensitivity as a link between concussive traumatic brain injury and PTSD

• Ann N. Hoffman
• Michael S. Fanselow

Imaging local brain activity of multiple freely moving mice sharing the same environment

• Shigenori Inagaki
• Masakazu Agetsuma
• Takeharu Nagai

Lower Attentional Skills predict increased exploratory foraging patterns

• Charlotte Van den Driessche
• Françoise Chevrier
• Jérôme Sackur

Genetic analyses of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease using next generation sequencing

• Vo Van Giau
• Eva Bagyinszky
• Sang Yun Kim

Effects of Relaxing Music on Healthy Sleep

• Maren Jasmin Cordi
• Sandra Ackermann
• Björn Rasch

Alterations in Brain Structure and Amplitude of Low-frequency after 8 weeks of Mindfulness Meditation Training in Meditation-Naïve Subjects

• Chuan-Chih Yang
• Alfonso Barrós-Loscertales
• Martin Walter

Gamma tACS over the temporal lobe increases the occurrence of Eureka! moments

• Emiliano Santarnecchi
• Giulia Sprugnoli
• Simone Rossi

Optimized CRISPR/Cas9-mediated in vivo genome engineering applicable to monitoring dynamics of endogenous proteins in the mouse neural tissues

• Takahiko Matsuda
• Izumi Oinuma

SOD1-positive aggregate accumulation in the CNS predicts slower disease progression and increased longevity in a mutant SOD1 mouse model of ALS

• James P. Phelan
• Fernando G. Vieira

Multi-step planning of eye movements in visual search

• David Hoppe
• Constantin A. Rothkopf

To jump or not to jump - The Bereitschaftspotential required to jump into 192-meter abyss

• L. G. Cohen
• S. R. Soekadar

Data-Driven Subtyping of Parkinson’s Disease Using Longitudinal Clinical Records: A Cohort Study

• Jingyuan Chou

Memantine prodrug as a new agent for Alzheimer’s Disease

• Simona Sestito
• Simona Daniele
• Simona Rapposelli

Ultrasonication-based rapid amplification of α-synuclein aggregates in cerebrospinal fluid

• Keita Kakuda
• Kensuke Ikenaka

The ketogenic diet in children 3 years of age or younger: a 10-year single-center experience

• Alexandra Shaw
• Douglas R. Nordli Jr.

Stratification of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients: a crowdsourcing approach

• Robert Kueffner
• Gustavo Stolovitzky

Human herpesvirus infections and dementia or mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Charlotte Warren-Gash
• Harriet J. Forbes
• Liam Smeeth

Neurocognitive Signatures of Naturalistic Reading of Scientific Texts: A Fixation-Related fMRI Study

• Chun-Ting Hsu
• Roy Clariana

Testing a Cognitive Control Model of Human Intelligence

• Alfredo Spagna

Single-Cell Quantification of mRNA Expression in The Human Brain

• Sarah Jolly
• Verena Lang
• Ernest Palomer

Fourth finger dependence of high-functioning autism spectrum disorder in multi-digit force coordination

• Shunta Togo
• Takashi Itahashi
• Hiroshi Imamizu

Bidirectional, Daily Temporal Associations between Sleep and Physical Activity in Adolescents

• Lindsay Master
• Russell T. Nye
• Orfeu M. Buxton

Early alterations in a mouse model of Rett syndrome: the GABA developmental shift is abolished at birth

• N. Lozovaya

Astrocytic endfeet re-cover blood vessels after removal by laser ablation

• Hideaki Kubotera
• Hiroko Ikeshima-Kataoka
• Takafumi Inoue

A Spiking Neural Network Model of Depth from Defocus for Event-based Neuromorphic Vision

• Germain Haessig
• Xavier Berthelon
• Ryad Benosman

Clinical and laboratory features of anti-MAG neuropathy without monoclonal gammopathy

• Elba Pascual-Goñi
• Lorena Martín-Aguilar
• Luis Querol

A distinctive DNA methylation pattern in insufficient sleep

• Alexandra Lahtinen
• Sampsa Puttonen
• Tiina Paunio

Resting-state prefrontal EEG biomarkers in correlation with MMSE scores in elderly individuals

• Jungmi Choi
• Jaeuk U. Kim

Engineering a 3D functional human peripheral nerve in vitro using the Nerve-on-a-Chip platform

• Anup D. Sharma
• Laurie McCoy
• Michael J. Moore

Molecular layer interneurons shape the spike activity of cerebellar Purkinje cells

• Amanda M. Brown
• Marife Arancillo
• Roy V. Sillitoe

Attempted Arm and Hand Movements can be Decoded from Low-Frequency EEG from Persons with Spinal Cord Injury

• Patrick Ofner
• Andreas Schwarz
• Gernot R. Müller-Putz

Voluntary upregulation of heart rate variability through biofeedback is improved by mental contemplative training

• Boris Bornemann
• Peter Kovacs
• Tania Singer

Co-stimulation with IL-1β and TNF-α induces an inflammatory reactive astrocyte phenotype with neurosupportive characteristics in a human pluripotent stem cell model system

• Tanja Hyvärinen
• Sanna Hagman
• Susanna Narkilahti

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Neuroscience: Unlocking the Brain’s Secrets

Drugs and therapies could bring about longer lives, better mental health, and freedom from addiction.

Neuroscience: Unlocking The Brain’s Secrets

This excerpt from the Stanford Emerging Technology Review (SETR) focuses on neuroscience, one of ten key technologies studied in this new educational initiative. SETR, a project of the Hoover Institution and the Stanford School of Engineering, harnesses the expertise of Stanford University’s leading science and engineering faculty to create an easy-to-use reference tool for policy makers. Download the full report  here  and subscribe  here  for news and updates.

The brain is perhaps the least understood and yet most important organ in the human body. Neuroscience is the study of the brain and its nervous system —their structure, function, healthy and diseased states, and life cycle from embryonic development to degeneration in later years.

Neuroscience covers a wide range of subfields: the nervous system’s bodily structure (neuroanatomy), chemicals that modulate the nervous system (neurochemistry), nervous system functions (neurophysiology), the role of the nervous system in actions (behavioral neuroscience), and the role of the nervous system in thoughts (cognitive neuroscience). Many practical applications could spring from neuroscience research, including the development of treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders such as epilepsy, learning disabilities, cerebral palsy, and anxiety.

The market for products based on neuroscience is growing—already $32 billion in 2021, it is forecast to grow nearly 4 percent annually this decade to $41 billion, driven by increasing cases of neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, which surge with age.

Popular interest in neuroscience vastly exceeds the current scientific understanding of the brain. This gives rise to overhyped claims among the public that revolutionary advances are just around the corner. At the same time, advances in computing have led to progress in several areas, including understanding and treating addiction, treating neurodegenerative diseases, and designing brain-machine interfaces . 

Neurodegeneration

Neurodegeneration is a major challenge as people live longer. In the United States alone, the annual cost of Alzheimer’s treatment is projected to explode from $305 billion today to $1 trillion by 2050. While just 5 percent of people sixty-five to seventy-four have Alzheimer’s disease, this rises to 33 percent of those older than eighty-five. The percentage of adults with Parkinson’s disease demonstrates a similar rising frequency with age. As modern medicine and society enable longer lifespans, the human body and brain remain maladapted to maintaining nervous system function for decades past childbearing age.

Effective treatments for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s are still far from sufficient, despite decades of research. Alzheimer’s disease occurs when two different types of proteins in the brain fold improperly, which eventually leads to neuron death. Only in the past few years have drugs aimed at clearing one of these proteins been approved by the FDA, albeit with limited though real therapeutic benefit and significant side effects.

While current treatments for Alzheimer’s disease are less effective than would be desired, there is reason for guarded optimism in the coming years. Gene-therapy approaches targeting other proteins associated with Alzheimer’s have entered clinical trials. Powerful diagnostic tools such as tau and amyloid PET scans, identification of biomarkers, and identification of genetic risk factors allow for increasing early detection and diagnosis, which might make it easier to fight the disease. Advances in personalized medicine also leave researchers and clinicians hopeful.

Another form of neurodegeneration results from traumatic brain injury (TBI), which can manifest itself in a range of complex symptoms and pathologies. Traumatic impact to brain systems can affect cognitive and behavioral functions in ways that lead to long-term and severe psychiatric conditions requiring specialized care. TBI offers insights into other neuropsychiatric disorders and can pave the way for innovative concepts in neurodegenerative disease.

The science of addiction

Researchers also are working to understand the neural basis of addiction and of chronic pain while working with psychiatrists and policy makers to address the opioid epidemic. The economic costs of the opioid epidemic are difficult to calculate, but estimates range from $100 billion to $1 trillion a year when the loss of lifetime earnings of overdose victims is included. The number of opioid deaths in the United States has risen sharply over the past ten to fifteen years, from 21,000 in 2010 to 80,000 in 2021, which places opioid overdose among the ten leading causes of death in the United States, comparable to diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

Economic, societal, and political factors all play a role in the epidemic. Neuroscience has a potentially important role to play as well. For example, a non-addictive painkiller drug as effective as current-generation opioids would be transformative, although skeptics note that relief from pain itself is pleasurable and thus may be behaviorally addictive as well. Heroin and OxyContin themselves were famously initially marketed as non-addictive alternatives to the painkillers of the day. 

Though safer or less addictive painkillers would help reduce the burden of the opioid epidemic, there are other approaches relevant to neuroscience, such as reducing the need for opioids or aiding in recovery from addiction. Consider the problem of relapse in tackling addiction: in a finding particularly relevant for opioid use, scientists have learned that the brain mechanisms leading to an initial opioid addiction differ significantly from those that trigger a relapse.

Neuroscientists also may be able to assist in the social aspects of recovery from opioid addiction. Opioid receptors are found in many areas of the brain and affect diverse functions, including neural circuits related to the desire for social interaction. When an individual goes into opioid withdrawal, these areas of the brain are affected—and the individual often develops an aversion to social interactions. Such an aversion is a significant challenge to recovery because social interactions are often key to helping an individual cope with the vulnerabilities associated with recovery. Essentially, their brains miscalculate the rewarding value of human connection, undermining their recovery process.

Stanford neuroscientists have recently identified a neurological pathway that is responsible for the onset of this social aversion. If this study conducted in mice generalizes to humans, it may be possible to develop drugs that inhibit social aversion during withdrawal and thereby help patients seek help or companionship from friends, families, recovery programs and doctors.

Finally, it is widely recognized that chronic pain is a driver of opioid misuse. Chronic pain is a widespread condition —an estimated 20 percent of adults in the United States experience chronic pain and some 7 percent have intense chronic pain that has a substantial impact on daily life. But what if it were possible to block the induction of chronic pain entirely? Soldiers with severe injuries, including compound fractures and open wounds, don’t always report immediate pain, a fact that suggests pain isn’t governed just by ascending signals—from the injury site to the brain—but also that the central nervous system can exert influence. That is, our brain can control whether we sense pain, a phenomenon known as descending pain control .

Scientific and technical hurdles

Applications of neuroscience have two main parts: a scientific component that focuses on identifying relevant brain circuits and understanding how they function and compute, and a technical engineering component that focuses on how to safely stimulate the relevant brain circuits to create the desired responses.

Much about the brain’s anatomy, physiology, and chemistry is still not well understood, and addressing the theoretical issues in neuroscience is almost exclusively the purview of academia over industry. Certainly, there are research programs in industry that solve basic biological questions in neuroscience, but these are necessarily and economically tied to solving problems with a profit motive—usually the development of new drugs.

Once the basic science has been developed and a research area approaches an economically viable application, helping to smooth the friction of moving a project from academia to industry is crucial to overcoming roadblocks in development. Incubators and accelerators can help transition the findings of basic research to application by aiding in high-throughput screening—the use of automated equipment to rapidly test samples—and prototyping. With viable prototypes, new companies can be created, or licenses granted to existing companies to produce a final product. Such activities are critical in facilitating the integration of well-understood scientific theory, technical engineering, and final application.

Windows on the mind

Demand for neuroscience advances and applications—including understanding brain circuitry, developing new drugs, treating diseases and disorders, and creating brain-machine interfaces—is expected to continue growing considerably in the coming years.

Science fiction and fantastical headlines fuel beliefs that mind-reading technology, brains controlled by computers, and other dystopias are imminent. In reality, comprehending the brain’s staggering complexity remains in its early stages. Most advances involve incremental progress at expanding our theoretical foundations rather than revolutionary leaps to futuristic applications. This vast gap between public expectations and scientific reality creates an environment ripe for exploitation. Impatience for solutions to pressing medical problems like dementia and mental illness, for instance, leaves many open to dubious proclamations or pseudoscience.

In the end, useful products emerge from neuroscience only after scientific issues have been resolved and engineering challenges have been met. The primary capital in neuroscience is human expertise, and future success continues to depend on the United States being the best place for international scientists to train, conduct research, and use their own expertise to train the next generation.

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