The brain and its diseases

The human brain is the most complex biological tool produced by evolution. It contains around 100,000 million neurones that are interconnected by means of electrical and chemical signals (neurotransmitters). Cerebral activity is organised in the form of neuronal circuits that are responsible for the brain’s many sensorial, motor, cognitive and emotional activities, and in which neuronal clusters from several different cerebrally areas participate. Just like any other complex tool, the brain deteriorates in different ways, giving rise to a whole range of neurological and psychiatric diseases, such as Parkinson’s, dementia and schizophrenia, to mention three of the better-known examples. Neurological diseases are caused by the death of neuronal clusters (neurodegenerative processes), while psychiatric illnesses are generally produced by functional alterations in the cerebral circuits and do not involve the death of neurones. Research in the field of neuroscience involves thousands of researchers from all over the world and is aimed at finding out more about the way the brain functions, and obtaining treatments for its ailments, many of which (and particularly the neurological ones) do not have suitable treatments at present.

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