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The biological study of the human brain is an interdisciplinary field which involves many levels of study, from the molecular level through the cellular level (individual neurons), the level of relatively small assemblies of neurons like cortical columns, that of larger subsystems like that which subserves visual perception, up to large systems like the cerebral cortex or the cerebellum, and at the highest level the nervous system as a whole.

At this highest level, neuroscientific approaches combine with cognitive science to create cognitive neuroscienceCognitive neuroscience is a branch of neuroscience involving the study of the neural mechanisms of cognition or put simply: "how the brain thinks". Cognitive neuroscience overlaps with cognitive psychology, but whereas psychologists seek to understand the, a discipline first populated mostly by cognitive psychologistsCognitive psychology is the psychological science which studies cognition, the mental processes that are hypothesised to underlie behaviour. This covers a broad range of research domains, examining questions about the workings of memory, attention, percep, currently becoming a dynamic specialty of its own. Some researchers believe that cognitive neuroscience provides a bottom-up approach to understanding the mindContrast with soul'. The mind is a subject about which very much theorizing, experimenting, and expostulating has occurred in philosophy (studied under the heading philosophy of mind), psychology, and religion (where, in theology, it is often considered a and consciousnessConsciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and one's environment. In common parlance, consciousness denotes bein that is complementary to, or may replace, the top-down approach of psychologyPsychology is the study of mind, thought, and behaviour. It is largely concerned with humans, although the behaviour and thought of animals is also studied; either as a subject in its own right (see animal cognition), or more controversially, as a way of.

The concern of neuroscience includes such diverse topics as

• the operation of neurotransmittersA neurotransmitter is a type of molecule that carries signals between neurons (nerve cells) at synapses in the nervous system. Neurotransmitters may be either excitatory ( EPSPs) or inhibitory ( IPSPs). That is, they may foster the initiation of a nerve i at the synapsenerve cells to communicate with one another through axons and dendrites, converting electrical signals into chemical ones. For the technology festival, see Synapse Festival. Synapses are specialized junctions through which cells of the nervous system sign;
• the biological mechanisms that underlie learning (both declarative learning and motor learningMotor learning is the process of improving the smoothness and accuracy of movements. It is obviously necessary for complicated movements such as playing the piano and climbing trees, but it is also important for calibrating simple movements like reflexes,);
• how genes contribute to neural development in the embryo and throughout life
• the operation of relatively simpler neural structures of other organisms like marine snails;
• and the structure and functioning of complex neural circuits in perceiving, remembering, and speaking.