Figure 1.

The big picture of how the neurobiology of behavior is relevant for animal welfare. All animals share general mechanisms of afference, processing and efference. The nervous system receives inputs from internal or external stimuli. Inputs are processed in various subcortical neurobiological systems to generate innate physiological and emotional responses that result in overt behavioral patterns. It can also be integrated into neurocircuits that employ learning to compare information stored in the form of memories to facilitate the expression of behavioral patterns. GPe: globus pallidus externus; GPi: globus pallidus internus; SN: sustantia nigra.