Section 1: Key Foundations
1.1 From brain to behaviour: An introduction to psychobiology
1.2 Two halves, one brain: A quick introduction to the neuroanatomy of the nervous system
1.3 How the nervous system works: Signal generation and information transfer
Section 2: Key Theories
2.1. How the brain changes itself: Neural plasticity as a core principle in psychobiology
2.2. Connection is everything: Network theory and graph theory in psychobiology
Section 3: Key Methodologies
3.1 Learning from lesions: How studying the damaged brain can shed light on brain-behaviour associations
3.2 Electric brains: The electroencephalogram in psychobiological research
3.3 A colourful revolution: Neuroimaging and its relevance for psychobiology
3.4. What parents provide: Neurogenetics in psychobiology
3.5 From eye movements to sweaty hands: Psychobiological methods outside the brain
3.6 Stimulate my brain: Transcranial magnetic stimulation and other neuromodulation techniques
Section 4: Key Impacts on Research or Practice and Policy
4.1 Lost minds: Psychobiological research on memory in the time of ageing societies and Alzheimer's disease
4.2 I want to stop, but I cannot: the psychobiology of addiction in times of the opioid crisis (and social media)
4.3 Hug me until I stop crying: Psychobiological research on social and emotional processes
4.4 Not hungry, anymore: The psychobiology of hunger in the age of weight-loss pills
4.5 The self-conscious dolphin: What psychobiology can teach us about animal brains
4.6 The individual brain: Neurodiversity and the science of brain variability
4.7 I'm so stressed: Physical health, mental health, immune system, and the neurobiology of stress
Section 5: Key Emerging Areas
5.1 Climate psychobiology and the future of the planet
5.2 The psychobiology of intelligence and the age of artificial intelligence
Biography
Emma M. Karlsson is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Ghent University, where she studies the function and structure of the brain.
Sebastian Ocklenburg is Professor of Research Methods at MSH Medical School Hamburg, where he conducts research on several topics within psychobiology.
"An accessible, well-researched and captivating introduction to how biology informs human behaviour. Methodology is explained well, enabling students to understand a range of biological measures and, crucially, their significance. This thoughtful, focused and quirky approach, making clever use of diagrams and vivid examples, will help students navigate this vast area confidently and with understanding.”
Lynn Wright, C.Psychol, AFBPsS and Scott Hardie C.Psychol, AFBPsS, Faculty of Applied and Social Sciences, Abertay University
“In this book, Karlsson and Ocklenburg present a succinct yet incredibly broad and accessible guided tour of psychobiology. The slim volume covers historical people and perspectives that were key to establishing the field, through to modern societal factors impacting behavioural and brain function and methods for measurement. This book is an essential resource for all psychology students and an enticing read for anyone with a passing interest in psychobiology.”
Gillian S. Forrester, Professor of Comparative Cognition and Academic Lead for Public Engagement, University of Sussex, UK
“By distilling a wide-ranging literature into crisp explanations with clear, real-world relevance, this book makes a complex domain highly accessible. It is an indispensable guide to neurodiversity, stress biology, climate psychobiology, and intelligence – either biological and artificial – delivered with clarity and insight.”
Silvia Paracchini, PhD, FRSB, FRSE, Professor of Neurogenetics and Genomics, University of St Andrews and Professor of Neurodevelopment Genomics, University of Bonn
"This book offers an elegant and accessible roadmap to psychobiology, combining foundational neuroscience, core theories, and contemporary applications—such as climate psychobiology and artificial intelligence integration in psychobiology—in a way that is both rigorous and highly readable. It is ideally suited for undergraduate students looking for a first, inspiring encounter with the biological bases of behaviour.”
Marietta Papadatou-Pastou, DPhil, Associate Professor of Neuropsychology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
