Psychobiology: characteristics and branches

Psychobiology is a branch of psychology and, therefore, its main objective is the study of behavior. His approach has a special characteristic that gives away his name, biology. For this reason, since its beginnings in the 19th century it has been differentiated by the study of mental processes through the different elements and organic levels.

Several keys to human nature remain protected by a darkness that psychology tries to illuminate. On the other hand, a good part of the strength that psychobiology has today emanates from having defended a method that today we consider scientific; something that, on the other hand, other currents or perspectives did not do.

The beginnings of psychobiology

Psychobiology came to stay at the end of the 19th century. In his maturity, various ideas appeared and matured. An example of how gradual the process is is that it was not until 1859 that Charles Darwin published his book The origin of specieswhere he described, among other things, how the link with the environment produced changes on other planes.

scientific psychology

Technological advances allowed Santiago Ramón y Cajal to publish the neural theory in 1988. At the same time, William James explained the principles of psychology, where he explained the adaptive function of behavior with a clear nervous basis. Finally, scientists such as Pavlov, Thorndike and Watson established experimental methods to study the behavior of organisms beyond mere observation or use of logic.

The publication of The organization of behavior Donald Hebb’s also played a key role in the emergence of psychobiology. In his book, Hebb developed the first comprehensive theory of how some complex psychological phenomena They can be produced by brain activity, such as emotions or decision making.

How do we explain behavior?

Behavior has an undeniable biological conditioning. Our way of proceeding and thinking, therefore, is also a product of evolution, and depending on the species or group of individuals, we can see significant differences. These differences are marked by various factors:

Phylogenetic. Are the characteristic features of a species. Those evolutionary milestones, such as the acquisition of a bipedal posture in humans. These genetic achievements are what make it possible for an organism to be stimulated by the environment.Ontogenetic. They refer to individual characteristics, developed thanks to a genetic potential. In this factor, the ability to develop a morphological or behavioral characteristic through interaction with the environment comes into play.Epigenetics. Are the Environmental effects that modulate gene expression. For example, overeating can activate genes that promote obesity. This correlation is not so linear, food, lifestyle or exposure to stress can activate or turn off the expression of inherited genes.

It is important to clarify that the relationship between organism, stimulus and response, which determines behavior, would be impossible without neuronal plasticity. This characteristic is based on the ability of the nervous system to experience physiological changes according to its interaction with the environment.

The disciplines of psychobiology

From psychobiology, behavior is considered as a set of visible manifestations regulated by the nervous system.. These manifestations allow the organism to actively relate to the environment, determining its phylogenetic and ontogenetic future.

Thus, human behavior is sensitive to changes in variables of very different conditions. Psychobiology has made an effort to integrate other disciplines outside of psychology to understand these conditions, thus creating various branches.

Branches in charge of phylogenetic factors

These disciplines study the most distant causes of behavior. Psychobiology is not limited to the study of human behavior, but also that of other species, since we were molded under similar “rules.” The branches in charge of studying the evolutionary milestones that mark behavior are:

evolutionary psychology. To understand human behavior, it is necessary to study the evolutionary process that has brought us to the place we are today.Ethology. This discipline is based on the study of behavior in natural conditions, attempting to establish correlations between biological factors and behavioral traits.Behavioral ecology. It studies behavioral strategies that emerged from ecological and evolutionary implications.Sociobiology. Discipline that studies the biological bases of the social behavior of living beings.Psychobiology of consciousness: The functional organization of the brain, as well as perceptual processing, are the two main pillars of study of this branch.Memory psychology: study of the different models of human memory, as well as its neurological correlate and its evolution.

Ontogenetic branches of psychobiology

The causality of behavior according to factors closer in time would be an attribute of behavioral genetics. This branch specializes in studying the influence of genes.

First of all, It encompasses the genetic impact on the development of physiological organs that function as intermediaries. And finally, study the direct impact that these expressions have on behavior.

Epigenetic factors and developmental psychobiology

Developmental psychobiology focuses on the study of the immediate interactions of the environment on behavior.. For example, this branch would be in charge of studying nervous deficiencies, a product of poor nutrition in the first years of life. This interaction is marked by immediate behavioral conditions. Thus, there are also various branches that are responsible for its study:

physiological psychology. Physiological changes while a behavior develops, caused by an intervention in the nervous system.Psychopharmacology. Study through stimulation with drugs.Psychophysiology. It studies the physiological variants of the nervous system, without performing manipulation or artificial stimulation.Psychoneuroendocrinology. Studies the mechanisms through which hormones intervene in the nervous system.Neuropsychology. Discipline that is responsible for determining, within the clinical context, which nervous structures participate in different mental processes.

Contributions of psychobiology

Psychobiology, like the rest of the sciences, is intertwined with the study of other disciplines. Thus, finding answers to his own questions, he has provided valuable data for the following examples:

Functioning and development of degenerative diseasessuch as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.Studies on depression and anxiety: The neurological correlate of depression has been the subject of study in medicine and psychobiology for years, as has that of anxiety. This advance is clearly useful in trying to alleviate the epidemic caused by these disorders.Neurodivergences: In the new paradigm of mental health, where some disorders are no longer considered as such (as is the case of the autism spectrum), their study is taking new directions thanks to psychobiology.

History advances and theoretical and experimental paradigms evolve. Psychobiology is the example of a discipline that has been able to integrate knowledge from so many others. Currently, there are many theories linked to epigenetics, which confirms that many aspects of behavior remain an enigma.