neurophysiology

The study of the functions of the nervous systems of animals. Neurophysiologists use a variety of methods to elucidate aspects of nervous function. Common techniques are ablation (the removal or destruction of nervous tissue); the electrical stimulation of, or recording from, single nerve cells (eg squid axons, retinal photoreceptors) and groups of nerve cells (eg the basal ganglia and motor cortex areas of mammalian brains), using electrodes; and techniques borrowed from other disciplines (eg computer-assisted tomography, histofluorescence techniques, autoradiography).

Neurophysiology is a part of physiology as a science, which is concerned with the study of low-level functioning of the nervous system. It is closely connected with neurobiology, psychology, neurology, clinical neurophysiology, electrophysiology, ethology, higher nervous activity, neuroanatomy, cognitive science and other brain sciences.

Surgical Neurophysiologists perform intraoperative neuromonitoring during surgeries in which there is a high risk of damage to the nervous system.

See also: neuroscience, brain, neural coding.