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The Tell-tale Brain
Drawing on strange and thought-provoking case studies, an eminent neurologist offers unprecedented insight into the evolution of the uniquely human brain.V. S. Ramachandran is at the forefront of his field-so much so that Richard Dawkins dubbed him the "Marco Polo of neuroscience." Now, in a major new work, Ramachandran sets his sights on the mystery of human uniqueness. Taking us to the frontiers of neurology, he reveals what baffling and extreme case studies can teach us about normal brain function and how it evolved. Synesthesia becomes a window into the brain mechanisms that make some of us more creative than others. And autism—for which Ramachandran opens a new direction for treatment—gives us a glimpse of the aspect of being human that we understand least: self-awareness. Ramachandran tackles the most exciting and controversial topics in neurology with a storyteller's eye for compelling case studies and a researcher's flair for new approaches to age-old questions. Tracing the strange links between neurology and behavior, this book unveils a wealth of clues into the deepest mysteries of the human brain. 15 black-and-white illustrations -
The Brain That Changes Itself
在线阅读本书 An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. In this revolutionary look at the brain, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., provides an introduction to both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives theyve transformed. From stroke patients learning to speak again to the remarkable case of a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, The Brain That Changes Itself will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential. -
Cognitive Neuroscience
Taking a highly interdisciplinary approach, the authors balance cognitive theory, with neuroscientific and neuropsychological evidence to reveal what we currently know about how the human mind works and to encourage students to think like cognitive neuroscientists. The text has been reorganized to move more seamlessly from micro to macro level topics, and its underlying pedagogy strengthened in order to make it an even more effective teaching tool. Maintaining its commitment to highlight the most cutting-edge trends in the field, the third edition includes the first ever standalone chapter of its kind on social neuroscience. -
Proust Was a Neuroscientist
Amazon.com Review Amazon Significant Seven, December 2007: Proust may have been more neurasthenic than neuroscientist, but Jonah Lehrer argues in Proust Was a Neuroscientist that he (and many of his fellow artists) made discoveries about the brain that it took science decades to catch up with (in Proust's case, that memory is a process, not a repository). Lehrer weaves back and forth between art and science in eight graceful portraits of artists (mostly writers, along with a chef, a painter, and a composer) who understood, better at times than atomizing scientists, that truth can begin with "what reality feels like." Sometimes it's the art that's most evocative in his tales, sometimes the science: Lehrer writes about them with equal ease and clarity, and with a youthful confidence that art and science, long divided, may yet be reconciled. --Tom Nissley --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Publishers Weekly With impressively clear prose, Lehrer explores the oft-overlooked places in literary history where novelists, poets and the occasional cookbook writer predicted scientific breakthroughs with their artistic insights. The 25-year-old Columbia graduate draws from his diverse background in lab work, science writing and fine cuisine to explain how Cézanne anticipated breakthroughs in the understanding of human sight, how Walt Whitman intuited the biological basis of thoughts and, in the title essay, how Proust penetrated the mysteries of memory by immersing himself in childhood recollections. Lehrer's writing peaks in the essay about Auguste Escoffier, the chef who essentially invented modern French cooking. The author's obvious zeal for the subject of food preparation leads him into enjoyable discussions of the creation of MSG and the decidedly unappetizing history of 18th- and 19th-century culinary arts. Occasionally, the science prose risks becoming exceedingly dry (as in the enthusiastic section detailing the work of Lehrer's former employer, neuroscientist Kausik Si), but the hard science is usually tempered by Lehrer's deft way with anecdote and example. Most importantly, this collection comes close to exemplifying Lehrer's stated goal of creating a unified third culture in which science and literature can co-exist as peaceful, complementary equals. 21 b&w illus. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. -
神经科学
本书是国际流行的神经科学本科教材,美国的布朗大学、明尼苏达大学等著名高校以此为教材。该书体系新颖,全书只分四大部分,但包括了神经科学的方方面面, 这样的安排有助于学生抓住神经科学的精髓。全书附有3类专栏:“发现之路”(pathofdiscovery)邀请一些在神经科学研究领域做出重大发现的科学家介绍其发现的科研历程,有助于培养学生的科学理想和献身科学的精神;“趣味话题”(ofspecialinterest)深入介绍一些知识,有助于培养学生的科学兴趣;“脑的食粮”(brainfood)介绍一些与神经科学研究有关的实验方法和手段,让学生了解先进的神经科学研究方法,建立动手意识。作者MarkF.Bear是美国BrownUniversity神经科学教授。本书内容的第一篇为神经生物学基础,包括神经科学导论,神经元和神经胶质细胞,静息态的神经元膜,动作电位,突触传递,神经递质系统,神经系统的基本结构;第二篇为感觉和运动系统,包括化学感官,眼,中枢视觉系统,听觉和前庭系统,躯体感觉系统,运动的脊髓控制,运动的脑控制;第三篇为大脑和行为,包括脑和行为的化学调控,动机,性与脑,情绪的脑机制,脑的节律,语言和注意,精神疾病;第四篇为脑的变化,包括大脑连接,记忆系统,学习和记忆的分子机制。书后附有词汇、参考读物和索引。 -
认知神经科学
欢迎翻开第三版!每当像认知神经科学这样的新领域出现时,人们对它的前途并不总是信心满满,甚至怀疑它会不会昙花一现。对新领域的新鲜热情就像看着一只第一次站立起来的小鹿一样,她能行吗?这崭新的生命能否发育长大?这新的生命中能放射出真正的意义吗?10年后的今天,认知神经科学已经空前繁荣。我们可以从诸多方面体察这种进步:领先的大学已经着手实施创新举措,旨在发展专门的认知神经科学研究方向,以便为研究者提供这一领域研究所需的工具和跨学科研究的机会;新杂志每年都在创办,以适应认?神经科学新分支中文献数量的指数型增长;由于与会者人数激增,认知神经科学学会的年会年年爆满:从第一次会议时的400人陡增至2008年第十五次会议时的1800多人。