Biopsychology research in China

Abstract

The early studies on biopsychology in China were classified under the name of physiological psychology and comparative psychology. In 1979 the Division of Physiological Psychology of the Chinese Psychological Society was founded. Fifteen years later, the Brain‐Behavior Research Center was founded at the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The objective of the Center was to establish a multidisciplinary scientific environment for conducting experimental research on the relationship between brain and behaviour as well as the interactions of the mind and body. A wide range of studies in biopsychology has been conducted in China. The most major research areas are: (1) Behavioural and physiological studies of stress: Research work includes the effect of early environment on stressful responses, interactions of behavioural and endocrine responses under stress, effects of emotional stress on immune function, stress and hypertension and the related role of interleukin‐1. (2) Conditioning and immunity: Studies focus on the effects of conditioning in the modulation of bidirectional immune function. Data from different experiments demonstrate that psychological processes are capable of influencing immune function. The neural substrates are also explored. (3) Memory and learning: Studies mostly concentrate on types of memory formation and training stimulus, effect of light exposure and corticosterone on learning and memory, and the role of the hippocampus in learning and memory. (4) Drug addiction: Work mainly focuses on long‐term aspects of addiction, including memory, novelty seeking, motivation‐related models, and the brain mechanisms underlying morphine psychological dependence.