Best of
Brain

2020

Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain


David Eagleman - 2020
    And there is no more accomplished and accessible guide than renowned neuroscientist David Eagleman to help us understand the nature and changing texture of that fabric. With his hallmark clarity and enthusiasm he reveals the myriad ways that the brain absorbs experience: developing, redeploying, organizing, and arranging the data it receives from the body's own absorption of external stimuli, which enables us to gain the skills, the facilities, and the practices that make us who we are. Eagleman covers decades of the most important research into the functioning of the brain and presents new discoveries from his own research as well: about the nature of synesthesia, about dreaming, and about wearable devices that are revolutionizing how we think about the five human senses. Finally, Livewired is as deeply informative as it is accessible and brilliantly engaging.

Being You: A New Science of Consciousness


Anil Seth - 2020
    Somehow, within each of our brains, billions of neurons work to create our conscious experience. How does this happen? Why do we experience life in the first person? After over twenty years researching the brain, world-renowned neuroscientist Anil Seth puts forward a radical new theory of consciousness and self. His unique theory of what it means to 'be you' challenges our understanding of perception and reality and it turns what you thought you knew about yourself on its head.'Awe-inspiring and humane.' NEW STATESMAN (Books of the Year)'Fascinating.' FINANCIAL TIMES (Books of the Year)'Profound.' GUARDIAN (Books of the Year)'Brilliant.' CLAIRE TOMALIN, NEW YORK TIMES'Outstanding.' PSYCHOLOGY TODAY 'Amazing . . . a brilliant read.'RUSSELL BRAND'Beautifully written, crystal clear, deeply insightful.'DAVID EAGLEMAN, Pulitzer Prize-nominated author of Livewired'Offers us new cause for astonishment and wonder.'ANNAKA HARRIS, author of Conscious'A fascinating book. A joy to read.'NIGEL WARBURTON'Truly compelling.'PROFESSOR KARL FRISTON, Universty College London'A wonderfully accessible and comprehensive account.'SEAN CARROLL, author of Something Deeply Hidden

The Idea of the Brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience


Matthew Cobb - 2020
    Yet, despite the astonishing discoveries of science, we still have only the vaguest idea of how the brain works. In The Idea of the Brain, scientist and historian Matthew Cobb traces how our conception of the brain has evolved over the centuries. Although it might seem to be a story of ever-increasing knowledge of biology, Cobb shows how our ideas about the brain have been shaped by each era's most significant technologies. Today we might think the brain is like a supercomputer. In the past, it has been compared to a telegraph, a telephone exchange, or some kind of hydraulic system. What will we think the brain is like tomorrow, when new technology arises? The result is an essential read for anyone interested in the complex processes that drive science and the forces that have shaped our marvelous brains.

The Case Against Masks: Ten Reasons Why Mask Use Should be Limited


Judy Mikovits - 2020
    Judy Mikovits and Kent Heckenlively, this book reviews the evidence for and against widespread public masking as provided by the Centers for Disease Control and the Mayo Clinic, as well as top scientific publications such as the New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet. This debate needs to take place without fear and paranoia. Important questions raised in this book are the affect of masks on oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, how SARS-CoV-2 spreads, the effectiveness of various types of masks, those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, and whether our children should go back to school in the fall, and if so, what measures they should take.The authors' previous book, PLAGUE OF CORRUPTION, was the runaway science bestseller of 2020, and the authors bring that same passion and attention to detail to the mask question. As politicians and bureaucrats of all stripes are weighing in on this question, with some placing their cities and states under mandatory masking provisions, we need to understand the science behind their decisions. Are such measures a reasonable response to current circumstances, or is it a dramatic overreach, which in many cases might make the situation even worse? America desperately needs this public conversation to take place with the best science we have available. As Americans have always done during difficult times, we must summon the courage to have these challenging conversations.

The End of Alzheimer's Program: The First Protocol to Enhance Cognition and Reverse Decline at Any Age


Dale E. Bredesen - 2020
    Now he lays out the detailed program he uses with his own patients. Accessible and detailed, it can be tailored to anyone's needs and will enhance cognitive ability at any age.What we call Alzheimer's disease is actually a protective response to a wide variety of insults to the brain: inflammation, insulin resistance, toxins, infections, and inadequate levels of nutrients, hormones, and growth factors. Bredesen starts by having us figure out which of these insults we need to address and continues by laying out a personalized lifestyle plan. Focusing on the Ketoflex 12/3 Diet, which triggers ketosis and lets the brain restore itself with a minimum 12-hour fast, Dr. Bredesen drills down on restorative sleep, targeted supplementation, exercise, and brain training. He also examines the tricky question of toxic exposure and provides workarounds for many difficult problems. The takeaway is that we do not need to do the program perfectly but will see tremendous results if we can do it well enough.With inspiring stories from patients who have reversed cognitive decline and are now thriving, this book shifts the treatment paradigm and offers a new and effective way to enhance cognition as well as unprecedented hope to sufferers of this now no longer deadly disease.

The End of Mental Illness: How Neuroscience Is Transforming Psychiatry and Helping Prevent or Reverse Mood and Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, Addictions, PTSD, Psychosis, Personality Disorders, and More


Daniel G. Amen - 2020
    Though incidence of these conditions is skyrocketing, for the past four decades standard treatment hasn't much changed, and success rates in treating them have barely improved, either. Meanwhile, the stigma of the "mental illness" label--damaging and devastating on its own--can often prevent sufferers from getting the help they need.Brain specialist and bestselling author Dr. Daniel Amen is on the forefront of a new movement within medicine and related disciplines that aims to change all that. In The End of Mental Illness, Dr. Amen draws on the latest findings of neuroscience to challenge an outdated psychiatric paradigm and help readers take control and improve the health of their own brain, minimizing or reversing conditions that may be preventing them from living a full and emotionally healthy life.The End of Mental Illness will help you discover:Why labeling someone as having a "mental illness" is not only inaccurate but harmful.Why standard treatment may not have helped you or a loved one--and why diagnosing and treating you based on your symptoms alone so often misses the true cause of those symptoms and results in poor outcomesAt least 100 simple things you can do yourself to heal your brain and prevent or reverse the problems that are making you feel sad, mad, or badHow to identify your "brain type" and what you can do to optimize your particular typeWhere to find the kind of health provider who understands and uses the new paradigm of brain health

The XX Brain


Lisa Mosconi - 2020
    Lisa Mosconi, director of the Women's Brain Initiative at Weill Cornell Medical College, provides women with the first plan to address the unique risks of the female brain.Until now, medical research has focused on "bikini medicine," assuming that women are essentially men with breasts and tubes. Yet women are far more likely than men to suffer from anxiety, depression, migraines, brain injuries, and strokes. They are also twice as likely to end their lives suffering from Alzheimer's disease, even when their longer lifespans are taken into account. But in the past, the female brain has received astonishingly little attention and was rarely studied by medical researchers-- resulting in a wealth of misinformation about women's health.The XX Brain confronts this crisis by revealing how the two powerful X chromosomes that distinguish women from men impact the brain first and foremost and by focusing on a key brain-protective hormone: estrogen.Taking on all aspects of women's health, including brain fog, memory lapses, depression, stress, insomnia, hormonal imbalances, and the increased risk of dementia, Dr. Mosconi introduces cutting-edge, evidence-based approaches to protecting the female brain, including a specific diet proven to work for women, strategies to reduce stress, and useful tips for restorative sleep. She also examines the controversy about soy and hormonal replacement therapy, takes on the perils of environmental toxins, and examines the role of our microbiome. Perhaps best of all, she makes clear that it is never too late to take care of yourself.The XX Brain is a rallying cry for women to have full access to information regarding what is going on in their brains and bodies as well as a roadmap for the path to optimal, lifelong brain health.

Anxious Man: Notes on a life lived nervously


Josh Roberts - 2020
    

The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person: A Workbook to Harness Your Strengths in Every Part of Life


Amanda Cassil - 2020
    Functioning in a world not made for your sensibilities can be overwhelming. The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person is a comprehensive workbook that contains the latest research on the HSP trait, as well as useful exercises that help the highly sensitive person reflect on the past, assess the present, and plan for the future.Harness your HSP characteristics in a way that’s empowering, particular to your specific needs, and aligned with your individual goals. It’s time to put your high sensitivity into perspective so you can truly get to know yourself and foster well-being in your life. Let’s get started!The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person includes: All aspects of life—Find exercises conveniently organized by life area (social, relationships, health, work, and more) so you can work through the book however you like. HSP traits—A condensed checklist of the four principles of the HSP trait helps you understand your individual characteristics. Quick reference—Find succinct summaries of each chapter so you can easily revisit their themes and be reminded of what you’ve learned. Blossom and thrive as a highly sensitive person—this book has all the tools you’ll need.

Create Your Own Calm: A Journal for Quieting Anxiety


Meera Lee Patel - 2020
    In this empowering new tool for self-care, popular artist and author Meera Lee Patel presents a fresh approach to feeling better. Designed to help us better understand ourselves and dial down the everyday worries getting in our way, these thoughtful and beautifully illustrated journal pages are a safe space for reflection, self-acceptance, and the freedom to move forward with more clarity and joy.Bringing together inspiring quotes from great thinkers and writers throughout history and engaging journal prompts and plenty of room to capture your thoughts, the book is a calming breath of fresh air and a quiet space to reflect and recharge in a hectic and uncertain world.

Biohack Your Brain: How to Boost Cognitive Health, Performance & Power


Kristen Willeumier - 2020
    

How My Brain Works: A Guide to Understanding It Better and Keeping It Healthy


Barbara Koltuska-Haskin - 2020
    Barbara Koltuska-Haskin has gained in her many years as a practicing neuropsychologist. In easy-to-understand language, she explains the countless ways the evaluation process she uses can help people in a wide variety of situations, and how the results can be used for maximum benefit.Plus, building on this information, Dr. Koltuska-Haskin offers a wealth of advice and tips on how to build and maintain optimum brain health. Reaching widely into the physical, psychological, nutritional, and spiritual worlds, she pulls together new research as well as age-old treasured learning to create an everyday guide to harnessing our most powerful mental tools in shaping the healthful and successful lives we all seek.

Anxiety: Overcome It and Live Without Fear


Sonali Gupta - 2020
    In Anxiety: Overcome It and Live without Fear, clinical psychologist Sonali Gupta delves into the condition, using case studies to identify how anxiety can be triggered at work, in relationships, and by social media. Gupta shares a unique glimpse into this mental health condition in India, especially among Gen Z and millennials. Recommending strategies and techniques for anxiety-prone readers, this book will help you confront your fears and take control of your life.

Inspired Wisdom Word Search: Yoga for the Brain


Cristina SmithBrittany Lee - 2020
    Insightful inspiring stories. Secret messages. Brain training fun. Positive affirmations to help make your life better. Chicken soup for your brain and soul, Inspired Wisdom Word Search invites you to play!                                Who would have thought that practicing mental yoga, turbocharging creativity, and empowering personal mastery could be so much fun? Featuring Inspired Wisdom messages from sixty extraordinary authors from ages sixteen to eighty, these sixty puzzles make every page both a challenge to be solved and a meditation for self-realization.                                                                                                                                                          It gets even better! Once all words are found, a hidden message is revealed—a powerful, wise quote to affirm each author’s story. Plus, find fascinating facts and enlightening insights inside, providing tasty food for thought.                                      This book can help you:  Stay sharp with a more flexible brain. Bring more peace and happiness into your life with inspiring, mindful messages. Reduce the risk of early onset dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Have fun with a purpose.   Both a profound philosophy and fun puzzle book, Inspired Wisdom Word Search is yoga for the brain that stretches your mind, nourishes your soul, and touches your heart. Complete the sixty puzzles inside. In the process, discover that you have also solved the most important puzzle of all…you!

Finding Flow: The Psychology Of Engagement With Everyday Life


Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - 2020
    

The End of Alzheimer's Programme: The Practical Plan to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline at Any Age


Dale E. Bredesen - 2020
    

Life Wisdom Word Search: Yoga for the Brain


Cristina Smith - 2020
    Insightful inspiring stories. Secret messages. Brain training fun. Positive affirmations to help make your life better. Chicken soup for your brain and heart, Life Wisdom Word Search invites you to play! Who would have thought that practicing mental yoga, turbocharging creativity, and empowering personal mastery could be so much fun? Featuring life wisdom messages from sixty extraordinary authors from ages seven to ninety-four, these sixty puzzles make every page both a challenge to be solved and a meditation for self-realization. It gets even better! Once all words are found, a hidden message is revealed—a powerful, wise quote to affirm each author’s story. Plus, find fascinating facts and enlightening insights inside, providing tasty food for thought. This book can help you: Stay sharp with a more flexible brain. Bring more peace and happiness into your life with inspiring, mindful messages. Reduce the risk of early onset dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Have fun with a purpose. Both a profound philosophy and fun puzzle book, Life Wisdom Word Search is yoga for the brain that stretches your mind, nourishes your soul, and touches your heart. Complete the sixty puzzles inside. In the process, discover that you have also solved the most important puzzle of all…you!

On Task: How Our Brain Gets Things Done


David Badre - 2020
    How do we do it? Or in other words, how do our brains get things done? In On Task, cognitive neuroscientist David Badre presents the first authoritative introduction to the neuroscience of cognitive control--the remarkable ways that our brains devise sophisticated actions to achieve our goals. We barely notice this routine part of our lives. Yet, cognitive control, also known as executive function, is an astonishing phenomenon that has a profound impact on our well-being.Drawing on cutting-edge research, vivid clinical case studies, and examples from daily life, Badre sheds light on the evolution and inner workings of cognitive control. He examines issues from multitasking and willpower to habitual errors and bad decision making, as well as what happens as our brains develop in childhood and change as we age--and what happens when cognitive control breaks down. Ultimately, Badre shows that cognitive control affects just about everything we do.A revelatory look at how billions of neurons collectively translate abstract ideas into concrete plans, On Task offers an eye-opening investigation into the brain's critical role in human behavior.

Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain, Enhanced Edition: Exploring the Brain, Enhanced Edition


Mark Bear - 2020
    The authors' passion for the dynamic field of neuroscience is evident on every page, engaging students and helping them master the material. In just a few years, the field of neuroscience has been transformed by exciting new technologies and an explosion of knowledge about the brain. The human genome has been sequenced, sophisticated new methods have been developed for genetic engineering, and new methods have been introduced to enable visualization and stimulation of specific types of nerve cells and connections in the brain. The new Fourth Edition has been fully updated to reflect these and other rapid advances in the field, while honoring its commitment to be student-friendly with striking new illustrations, additional animations, and an unparalleled array of online resources.

Brain-Based Learning: Teaching the Way Students Really Learn


Eric P Jensen - 2020
    Based on empirical brain research from the disciplines of neuroscience, biology, and psychology, Jensen provide clear explanations how the relationship between learning and the brain impact emotions, patterns, meaningfulness, environments, body rhythms, attitudes, stress, trauma, assessment, music, movement, gender and enrichment. This information suggests ways that schools can be transformed into complete learning organizations by providing students with a learning environment that is optimal for learning"--

The Brain Boost Blueprint: How To Optimize Your Brain for Peak Mental Performance, Neurogrowth, and Cognitive Fitness (Think Smarter, Not Harder Book 6)


Peter Hollins - 2020
    But it is also a flesh and blood machine that can wear down, grow tired, and malfunction. Learn how to prevent this and be your best. Become quicker, sharper, smarter, more observant. The Brain Boost Blueprint is a guide to how to revitalize, polish, and fix-up your brain. The truth is, you’re probably underperforming mentally. It’s not personal, it’s just how you’re wired. This book provides a series of steps and plans for you to get on track to your best thinking days. Drawing from the most recent, up-to-date research on brain health. Peter Hollins has studied psychology and peak human performance for over a dozen years and is a bestselling author. He has worked with a multitude of individuals to unlock their potential and path towards success. His writing draws on his academic, coaching, and research experience. Understand the everyday forces that fundamentally change your brain. • The deep connection (and surprising) between the body and the mind. • Everyday actions and habits to increase focus, discipline, and critical thinking. • The emotional power of social bonds and ties, and how they empower us. • Why we need breaks, and what we should actually do for a mental rest. • Neuroplasticity - the real brain training - and how to do it daily. • The vagus nerve and how it makes or breaks your sense of calm. Fine-tune your thinking. Be your brain’s mechanic. Boost your brain and boost your life’s potential -- scroll up the CLICK THE BUY NOW BUTTON at the top right of the screen. This is the sixth book in the “Think Smarter, Not Harder” series as listed below: 1.Build a Better Brain: Using Everyday Neuroscience to Train Your Brain for Motivation, Discipline, Courage, and Mental Sharpness 2.Endless Energy: A Blueprint for Productivity, Focus, and Self-Discipline - for the Perpetually Tired and Lazy 3.Think Like Sherlock: Creatively Solve Problems, Think with Clarity, Make Insightful Observations & Deductions, and Develop Quick & Accurate Instincts 4.The Science of Intelligent Decision Making: An Actionable Guide to Clearer Thinking, Destroying Indecision, Improving Insight, & Making Complex Decisions with Speed and Confidence 5.Think Like da Vinci: Practical Everyday Creativity for Idea Generation, New Perspectives, and Innovative Thinking 6. The Brain Boost Blueprint: How To Optimize Your Brain for Peak Mental Performance, Neurogrowth, and Cognitive Fitness

The Pain Management Workbook: Powerful CBT and Mindfulness Skills to Take Control of Pain and Reclaim Your Life


Rachel Zoffness - 2020
    If you’re struggling with chronic pain, you’re not alone: more than one hundred million Americans currently live with chronic pain. Yet, despite its prevalence, chronic pain is not well understood. Fortunately, research has emerged showing the effectiveness of a treatment model for pain management grounded in biology, psychology, and social functioning. In this groundbreaking workbook, you’ll find a comprehensive outline of this effective biopsychosocial approach, as well as scientifically supported interventions rooted in cognitive- behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and neuroscience to help you take control of your pain—and your life! You’ll learn strategies for creating a pain plan for home and work, reducing reliance on medications, and breaking the pain cycle. Also included are tips for improving sleep, nutrition for pain, methods for resuming valued activities, and more. If you’re ready to take your life back from pain, this workbook has everything you need to get started.

The Client-Centered Law Firm: How to Succeed in an Experience-Driven World


Jack Newton - 2020
    

Care of the Whole Self: Yoga-Inspired Practices for Befriending the Self


Maryam Ovissi - 2020
    

The Adaptation Advantage: Let Go, Learn Fast, and Thrive in the Future of Work


Heather McGowan - 2020
    Heather McGowan and Chris Shipley have dedicated the last 5 years to understanding how technical, business, and cultural shifts have brought us to this place in order to construct this comprehensive and approachable guide to the future of work.Blending insights from interviews with hundreds of executives with insights on professional and cultural identity, The Adaptation Advantage explains the profound changes the world of work has undergone and posits the solution: create new systems that detach identity from work and connect it to purpose. This purpose, the authors suggest, will motivate learning, engagement, empowerment, and lead to new forms of identity throughout the workforce. Only then can we embrace a new approach to work that places learning and adaptability at its center.Designed to be a comprehensive, yet quick, read with 75 graphic illustrations that translate complex information into actionable steps, The Adaptation Advantage will help leaders at all levels and across industry recognize that:The Future of Work for both individuals and organizations is steeped in rapid learning, unlearning, and adaptation. To successfully learn and adapt, we have to be willing to let go of both "the way we have always done it" and "who we think we are" Leaders must become comfortable with vulnerability and ambiguity to become champions of human potential With an insightful foreword by New York Times columnist and best-selling author Thomas L. Friedman, The Adaptation Advantage: Let Go, Learn Fast, and Thrive in the Future of Work is an important resource for all leaders looking to help people develop the resilient, adaptive identities necessary to flourish in the rapidly changing workplace.

Concussion: Traumatic Brain Injury from Head to Tail


Kester J. Nedd D.O. - 2020
    The world has recently awakened to the reality of this condition and the significant disruption that it causes in our society.Clinicians and patients can no longer wait for answers to fundamental questions regarding how to properly evaluate and treat concussions and traumatic brain injuries.In Concussion, distinguished neurologist Dr. Kester Nedd, introduces the Brain Hierarchical Evaluation and Treatment (BHET) method, a new way of diagnosing and treating individuals. The BHET method highlights how order in the brain is impacted by injury and how the brain reacts during the recovery process.Through real patient stories, Dr. Nedd illustrates the life changing effects this condition has on our well-being and our ability to function in everyday life, while also offering solutions to the many questions that remain unresolved. This transformative work demonstrates how the brain as a highly organized structure is the most important processor in the universe, one that defines who we are and what others perceive us to be. Yet, as highly organized as it is, the human brain can be damaged or destroyed by external forces in an instant.Learn how Dr. Nedd uses the BHET method to evaluate and treat patients by redefining the nature of concussion and TBI.

Painted Pomegranates and Needlepoint Rabbis: How Jews Craft Resilience and Create Community


Jodi Eichler-Levine - 2020
    As she traveled across the country to homes, craft conventions, synagogue knitting circles, and craftivist actions, she joined in the making, asked questions, and contemplated her own family stories. Jewish Americans, many of them women, are creating ritual challah covers and prayer shawls, ink, clay, or wood pieces, and other articles for family, friends, or Jewish charities. But they are doing much more: armed with perhaps only a needle and thread, they are reckoning with Jewish identity in a fragile and dangerous world.The work of these crafters embodies a vital Judaism that may lie outside traditional notions of Jewishness, but, Eichler-Levine argues, these crafters are as much engaged as any Jews in honoring and nurturing the fortitude, memory, and community of the Jewish people. Craftmaking is nothing less than an act of generative resilience that fosters survival. Whether taking place in such groups as the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework or the Jewish Hearts for Pittsburgh, or in a home studio, these everyday acts of creativity--yielding a needlepoint rabbi, say, or a handkerchief embroidered with the Hebrew words tikkun olam--are a crucial part what makes a religious life.

A Modern Tragedy


Maximilian Theodore - 2020
     But she’s determined to vlog her way through the chaos: the freak thunderstorms, the ghost sightings, the usurpation of the drama club presidency, the theater director who might be a faerie queen, all of the mental breakdowns, and, of course, the girl Rahma might be in hopeless, star-crossed,  all-consuming love with.

The Conspiracy Theory Handbook


Stephan Lewandowsky - 2020
    While conspiracy theories are not typically supported by evidence, this doesn’t stop them from blossoming. Conspiracy theories damage society in a number of ways. To help minimise these harmful effects, The Conspiracy Theory Handbook, by Stephan Lewandowsky and John Cook, explains why conspiracy theories are so popular, how to identify the traits of conspiratorial thinking, and what are effective response strategies.Also a German/Deutsch version at the website