Neurons, Hormones, and the Brain The brain is an essential part
of the nervous system, a complex, highly coordinated network of
tissues that communicate via electrochemical signals. We use our
brains in virtually everything we do, from keeping our heart
beating to deducing the existence of black holes. Within our
brains lie our deepest secrets, our earliest memories, our most
amazing capabilities, and the keys to the mystery of
consciousness itself. Hippocrates (460–377 b.c.), the most
famous physician of the ancient world, first theorized that our
thoughts, feelings, and ideas came from the brain, while others
at the time thought the heart and stomach were the seats of
emotion. Today, researchers are paying more attention to the
roles played by the brain and the hormones that affect it in
experiences such as mother-infant bonding, religious ecstasy and
prayer, extreme stress, and meditation. Researchers now realize
that though our minds and brains may not be exactly the same
thing, they are intimately connec