Your school probably has science classes like biology and
chemistry and maybe even ecology, but does it offer a class
specifically on neuroscience? Neuroscience is a branch of
biology that focuses on the body’s nervous system—which includes
the spinal cord, nerves, neurons (nerve cells) and, of course,
the all-important brain. Work in the neuroscience field is
varied and exciting. Neuroscientists might study how messages
travel from one area of the brain to the other, or they might
focus on how the brain is involved in behavior and decision-
making. Still others might work to find causes of and cures for
diseases and medical problems like stroke, Parkinson’s disease,
depression, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and addiction.
At NIDA, research focuses heavily on neuroscience, considering
that drug addiction is a brain disease. Without neuroscientists
and the research they do, we would be unaware of some pretty
important things—like how the brain isn’t fully developed until
a person is well into their 20s an