The branch of neuroscience which focuses on the nervous systems various functions is called neurophysiology. There are a few tools which are fundamental to neurophysiological research, such as electrophysiological recordings. These include patch clamps, extracellular single-unit recording, and voltage clamps, as well as other scientific methods. Calcium imaging, ontogenetic, and molecular biology also play a big role into neurophysiology.

Neurophysiology's history goes back a far way, as early as 4,000 BCE. Back then, the science was focused on alcohol and poppy plants as natural sedatives. Edwin Smith's surgical papyrus was written in 1700 BC, and helped scientists understand how ancient Egyptians understood the nervous system.

Later, around 460 BCE, Hippocrates studied epilepsy, and would form the opinion that it started in the brain. Hippocrates would be one of the first people to theorize that intelligence stemmed from the brain, and not the heart as most people believed. He also believed that it was where the senses centered.

Leonardo da Vinci would also contribute to neurophysiology. His drawings and work in dissecting the human body as well as the brain helped pave the way for neurosciences in general. Nico Massas would describe the effects of diseases on the brain, such as syphilis. He would also find cerebrospinal fluid in ventricular cavities in the brain, which help with the nervous system functioning from the spinal cord.

There is a vast amount of information on the history of neurophysiology, and it stems back extremely far. There aren't as many new updates as we understand how everything is laid out now, we just need to understand things on a molecular level. This is where other neurosciences come into play, and physiology has successfully paved the way for further developments.

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