Ma'anar ƙamus na "kimiyyar kwakwalwa" yana nufin nazarin kwakwalwa da tsarin juyayi, yawanci ya ƙunshi fannoni daban-daban kamar neuroscience, ilimin halin dan Adam, neurobiology, neurochemistry, da kuma fannoni masu dangantaka. Kimiyyar kwakwalwa ta damu da fahimtar tsari, aiki, da haɓakar kwakwalwa, da kuma hanyoyin da ke ba da damar hanyoyin tunani daban-daban kamar fahimta, hankali, ƙwaƙwalwar ajiya, harshe, motsin rai, da sani. Har ila yau, ya haɗa da bincike kan cututtukan jijiyoyin jiki da na tabin hankali da haɓaka hanyoyin jiyya don waɗannan yanayi.