Neuroscience of Maladaptation

As a species, we have been able to accomplish some truly mesmerizing things, from developing various communication methods, finding cures for deadly diseases, creating beautiful art and music, and sending individuals to the moon. Today, we continue making advancements in areas that previous generations thought were impossible. In particular, the field of neuroscience has seen major developments in recent years. We know more now about how our nervous system functions than any other period in history. Even then, we still have much to learn about how our brains work. Our brain is phenomenal, controlling everything else in our body and giving us the ability to perform complex behaviors like posting on social media, going to school, playing an instrument, and exploring our environment. That is not what this book is about. In Neuroscience of Maladaptation, readers will learn about the neuromechanisms that give rise to maladaptive behaviors, that is, actions that are counterproductive, even to the point that they can be detrimental to ourselves and/or to others. The first part of this book defines maladaptation and provides an overview of key neuroscience concepts. The second and the third parts detail maladaptive cognitive-affective and behavioral processes. Specifically, individuals will learn about perceptual disturbances, attentional deficits, memory impairments, maladaptive decision making, movement-related disorders, compulsive behavior, and disturbances related to biological functions (e.g., eating, sleep, and reproduction). Not to be overly pessimistic, the final chapter highlights how we have been able to use neuroscience techniques to treat conditions characterized by maladaptation.