The integration of psychology and neuroscience aims to uncover the neural mechanisms underlying psychological processes through multidisciplinary approaches, advancing precision diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. Photo: TUCHONG

The integration of psychology and neuroscience has become a major scientific trend, aimed at uncovering the neural mechanisms that underlie psychological processes through multidisciplinary approaches and advancing precision diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. From a psychological perspective, this article outlines psychology’s roles in its engagement with neuroscience, the challenges that arise in this interdisciplinary work, and the ways psychology can help address these challenges.

Key roles of psychology

In the interdisciplinary dialogue between psychology and neuroscience, psychology contributes in several essential ways.

First, psychology emphasizes theoretical construction and empirical validation. It offers theoretical models of core mental processes—such as memory, attention, decision-making, and emotion regulation—that guide hypothesis-driven experimental design in neuroscience. Developmental psychology maps age-related trajectories of cognitive and emotional capacities, helping neuroscientists identify sensitive developmental periods for key brain regions. Psychology also promotes interdisciplinary theoretical integration and has given rise to new research fields. Computational psychiatry, for example, combines Bayesian decision-making theory and reinforcement learning with dynamic neural computation models to explain cognitive biases in mental disorders, while social neuroscience draws on psychological theories of social cognition to examine how systems such as the mirror neuron system and default mode network support social interaction.

Second, psychology advances innovative research methods that transiate complex psychological phenomena into measurable scientific questions. Behavioral paradigms and standardized tasks—such as the Stroop task for cognitive control or fear conditioning for anxiety—allow neuroscientists to precisely link specific mental processes to patterns of brain activation. Increasing use of virtual reality provides more ecologically valid simulations, enabling studies of naturalistic psychological responses, such as neural synchrony in individuals with social anxiety navigating virtual crowds. Psychology also develops the diagnostic and assessment tools that support neuroscience research, such as DSM-5 criteria and the Beck Depression Inventory, while experience-sampling methods capture dynamic psychological states beyond the laboratory.

Third, psychology strengthens clinical translation and intervention by illuminating behavioral and cognitive mechanisms that guide practical applications. Research into psychotherapeutic mechanisms, for instance, shows how enhanced prefrontal inhibition of heightened amygdala activity helps explain the anxiety-reducing effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Evidence of neuroplastic change following psychological interventions—such as increased gray matter density in the anterior insula after mindfulness training—further demonstrates how mental training reshapes neural systems. Psychology also contributes to multimodal treatment strategies, such as applying transcranial magnetic stimulation to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex immediately before cognitive-behavioral therapy to reinforce cognitive restructuring.

Fourth, psychology is crucial for interpreting the behavioral significance of neural data. It decodes patterns of neural activity into psychological meaning—for example, ties between default mode network connectivity and tendencies toward self-reflection. Behavioral experiments help verify the functional importance of neural markers, such as the association between dopamine release in the dorsal striatum and subjective motivation. Psychology also models individual differences using theories from personality psychology to explain heterogeneity in gene-brain-behavior associations. Developmental psychology, working with neuroscience, has established longitudinal models connecting early psychological trauma to later dysfunction in limbic circuits. Multimodal approaches—combining behavioral genetics, computational modeling, neuroimaging, and genomic analysis—has shed light on the neural and genetic bases of social norm adaptation and their associations with mental health outcomes, offering key evidence for understanding mind-brain-gene interactions.

Fifth, psychology contributes a unique ethical and socio-cultural perspective. It emphasizes the subjective and experiential dimensions of ethical evaluation, assessing how neural interventions influence identity and autonomy—dimensions often missing in neuroethics. Psychology also investigates long-term risks of neuroenhancement techniques on mental well-being, such as potential declines in intrinsic motivation or increased anxiety. Moreover, psychology integrates sociocultural variables, examining neural differences from the perspective of cultural psychology. It also explores how environmental factors such as social support or discrimination affect neuroendocrine pathways through psychological stress.

Focus areas in current research

Current interactions between psychology and neuroscience concentrate on several major areas of research. One important area is decoding the neural underpinnings of psychological processes, including amygdala–prefrontal interactions in anxiety, dopaminergic pathways in reward processing, frontoparietal contributions to working memory, and default mode network functions in self-referential thought.

Another major focus is the exploration of the biological bases of mental disorders. This includes moving beyond traditional diagnostic categories to identify transdiagnostic neural circuits—like dysregulation in the salience network—and searching for biomarkers of disorders such as depression and anxiety. Researchers are also turning to epigenetic approaches to understand how early-life trauma influences adult stress responses through mechanisms such as DNA methylation.

A third prominent direction concerns the development of synergistic intervention strategies, including the combined use of neuromodulation techniques and psychological therapies in the treatment of obsessive–compulsive disorder, pairing pharmacotherapy with neural and behavioral interventions, and studying how psychedelics may alleviate treatment-resistant depression by enhancing neural plasticity.

Challenges in interdisciplinary collaboration

Despite promising prospects, interdisciplinary collaboration between psychology and neuroscience also faces significant challenges.

The two fields differ fundamentally in their focus. Psychology centers on subjective experience and observable behavior, whereas neuroscience focuses on molecular mechanisms and neural circuits. This creates differences in theoretical assumptions, terminology, and experimental paradigms.

Methodological and technological limitations further complicate integration, since widely used research tools offer mismatched temporal and spatial resolution. Functional MRI, for example, can capture fine-grained spatial patterns but lacks temporal precision, whereas EEG offers excellent temporal resolution at the cost of spatial accuracy. Integrating multimodal data therefore requires sophisticated computational methods, and it remains difficult to map complete causal pathways linking gene expression, synaptic plasticity, network-level dynamics, and observable behavior.

Clinical translation introduces additional obstacles. Patients with the same diagnosis frequently show heterogeneous neural phenotypes that hinder standardized treatment, and candidate biomarkers often suffer from low specificity or limited temporal stability. These scientific challenges are accompanied by ethical concerns, social expectations, and the practical complexities of coordinating interdisciplinary teams.

Addressing challenges through systemic integration

At their core, these challenges stem from the inherent complexity of mind-brain interactions, which span molecules, cells, circuits, behavior, and social contexts. Overcoming them calls for moving beyond “simple aggregation” toward a genuinely systemic, cross-disciplinary approach.

Developing shared theoretical frameworks and multiscale models is a crucial step. Emerging paradigms—such as computational cognitive neuroscience, computational psychiatry, and social neuroscience—seek to bridge models of psychological processes and computational process of neurodynamics. Establishing biologically operational definitions of psychological constructs is also becoming increasingly important.

Technological innovation and methodological standardization represent another essential pathway. Researchers are developing hybrid tools capable of capturing neural activity and behavior simultaneously across scales, as well as cross-disciplinary data sharing standards that can jointly store neuroimaging data and psychological measures. Integrating invasive techniques, such as intracranial EEG, with non-invasive approaches, such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy, is helping to close gaps between levels of analysis.

Precision medicine is advancing rapidly in this field. New biomarker research—ranging from microRNAs in peripheral blood exosomes to resting-state brain network features—supports earlier and more refined diagnoses of mental disorders. Personalized interventions are emerging as well, including the use of connectome-based modeling to predict optimal TMS targets for depression, and genetic testing to guide individualized pharmacotherapy.

Innovative intervention strategies are also expanding. Closed-loop neuromodulation systems now use real-time EEG feedback to adjust theta oscillations associated with anxiety, creating adaptive treatment protocols. Digital therapeutics, such as VR-based exposure combined with real-time neural monitoring, are being explored for post-traumatic stress disorder. Meanwhile, research on the microbiome-brain-behavior axis is opening new possibilities, such as examining whether gut microbiota transplantation can improve social functioning in autism.

Finally, ethical and social governance frameworks are becoming indispensable. Inclusive oversight mechanisms—such as neurotechnology ethics committees involving psychologists, philosophers, and public representatives—are needed to balance innovation with risk. Stronger legal protections for brain-data privacy are essential for defining ownership and boundaries of use. Ethical guidelines for brain-computer interfaces, including clear informed-consent standards, are required to prevent misuse. Broader policy support will help integrate brain-health screening into public-health systems and reduce stigma surrounding mental illness.

Taken together, collaboration between psychology and neuroscience has evolved from early-stage technical complementarity to a deeper phase of theoretical convergence. Future progress will depend on breaking down disciplinary boundaries, aligning scientific advances with clinical demands and ethical considerations, and ultimately making the leap from “describing phenomena” to “delivering precision interventions.” This transformation requires both scientific innovation and coordinated societal engagement to tackle the complex challenges of mental and brain health.

Within this interdisciplinary evolution, psychology plays three essential roles: turning psychological phenomena into biologically measurable constructs; linking neural mechanisms to behavioral functions; and guiding research findings toward clinical and societal application. Owing to its theoretical and methodological strengths, psychology will remain indispensable in emerging fields such as personalized medicine, AI ethics, and global brain-health governance.

Fu Xiaolan is a chair professor from the School of Psychology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. This article has been edited and excerpted from the Bulletin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Issue 6, 2025.