Best of
Neuroscience

2001

The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force


Jeffrey M. Schwartz - 2001
    Now in paperback, Dr Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley's groundbreaking work, The Mind and the Brain, argues exactly the opposite: that the mind has a life of its own.Dr Schwartz, a leading researcher in brain dysfunctions, and Wall Street Journal science columnist Sharon Begley demonstrate that the human mind is an independent entity that can shape and control the functioning of the physical brain. Their work has its basis in our emerging understanding of adult neuroplasticity–the brain's ability to be rewired not just in childhood, but throughout life, a trait only recently established by neuroscientists.Through decades of work treating patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), Schwartz made an extraordinary finding: while following the therapy he developed, his patients were effecting significant and lasting changes in their own neural pathways. It was a scientific first: by actively focusing their attention away from negative behaviors and toward more positive ones, Schwartz's patients were using their minds to reshape their brains–and discovering a thrilling new dimension to the concept of neuroplasticity.The Mind and the Brain follows Schwartz as he investigates this newly discovered power, which he calls self–directed neuroplasticity or, more simply, mental force. It describes his work with noted physicist Henry Stapp and connects the concept of 'mental force' with the ancient practice of mindfulness in Buddhist tradition. And it points to potential new applications that could transform the treatment of almost every variety of neurological dysfunction, from dyslexia to stroke–and could lead to new strategies to help us harness our mental powers. Yet as wondrous as these implications are, perhaps even more important is the philosophical dimension of Schwartz's work. For the existence of mental force offers convincing scientific evidence of human free will, and thus of man's inherent capacity for moral choice.

Theoretical Neuroscience: Computational and Mathematical Modeling of Neural Systems


Peter Dayan - 2001
    This text introduces the basic mathematical and computational methods of theoretical neuroscience and presents applications in a variety of areas including vision, sensory-motor integration, development, learning, and memory.The book is divided into three parts. Part I discusses the relationship between sensory stimuli and neural responses, focusing on the representation of information by the spiking activity of neurons. Part II discusses the modeling of neurons and neural circuits on the basis of cellular and synaptic biophysics. Part III analyzes the role of plasticity in development and learning. An appendix covers the mathematical methods used, and exercises are available on the book's Web site.

I of the Vortex: From Neurons to Self


Rodolfo R. Llinás - 2001
    According to Llinas, the mindness state evolved to allow predictive interactions between mobile creatures and their environment. He illustrates the early evolution of mind through a primitive animal called the sea squirt. The mobile larval form has a brainlike ganglion that receives sensory information about the surrounding environment. As an adult, the sea squirt attaches itself to a stationary object then digests most of its own brain. This suggests that the nervous system evolved to allow active movement in animals. To move through the environment safely, a creature must anticipate the outcome of each movement on the basis of incoming sensory data. Thus the capacity to predict is most likely the ultimate brain function. One could even say that Self is the centralization of prediction.

The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind


Elkhonon Goldberg - 2001
    Crucial for all high-order functioning, it is only in humans that the frontal lobes are so highly developed. They hold the key to our judgment, our social and ethical behavior, our imagination, indeed, to our soul. The author shows how the frontal lobes enable us to engage in complex mental processes, how vulnerable they are to injury, and how devastating the effects of damage often are, leading to chaotic, disorganized, asocial, and even criminal behavior.Made up of fascinating case histories and anecdotes, Goldberg's book offers a panorama of state-of-the-art ideas and advances in cognitive neuroscience. It is also an intellectual memoir, filled with vignettes about the author's early training with the great Russian neuropsychologist A.R. Luria, Goldberg's escape from the Soviet Union, and his later interactions with patients and professionals around the world.

A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain


John J. Ratey - 2001
    Ratey provides insight into the basic structure and chemistry of the brain, and demonstrates how its systems shape our perceptions, emotions, and behavior. By giving us a greater understanding of how the brain responds to the guidance of its user, he provides us with knowledge that can enable us to improve our lives.In A User’s Guide to the Brain, Ratey clearly and succinctly surveys what scientists now know about the brain and how we use it. He looks at the brain as a malleable organ capable of improvement and change, like any muscle, and examines the way specific motor functions might be applied to overcome neural disorders ranging from everyday shyness to autism. Drawing on examples from his practice and from everyday life, Ratey illustrates that the most important lesson we can learn about our brains is how to use them to their maximum potential.

Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience


Eric J. Nestler - 2001
    Anyone who wants to keep abreast of this rapidly emerging science needs to learn the fundamentals which this book would help facilitate. I highly recommend it."--"Doody's Review Service""Molecular Neuropharmacology" offers a clear, thorough explanation of the molecular functioning of the nervous system in normal and disease states. More than three hundred concept-clarifying full-color illustrations along with didactic text boxes provide an in-depth understanding of nerve cell receptors, their effectors and second messenger targets, and the molecular genetics that are often impacted by these systems. You will also learn how malfunction of these molecular systems relates to human disease and the corresponding medical treatment."Molecular Neuropharmacology" is the most relevant, well-written resource available to help you make the connection between neuropharmacology and clinical neuroscience.Numerous figures and didactic boxes help you understand and remember complex subject matter for efficient, on-the-spot review. The book's all-inclusive, high-yield coverage includes: The fundamentals of neuropharmacology Neural substrates of drug action The neuropharmacology of specific functions and disorders--encompassing control of movement, mood and emotion, memory and dementia, and other vital areas NEW! A streamlined redesign that makes the book even more practical and accessible than ever NEW! More illustrations--all 300 now in full color!

Ion Channels of Excitable Membranes


Bertil Hille - 2001
    Like enzymes, they are diverse and ubiquitous macromolecular catalysts with high substrate specificity and subject to strong regulation. This fully revised andexpanded third edition of Ion Channels of Excitable Membranes describes the known channels and their physiological functions, then develops the conceptual background needed to understand their architecture and molecular mechanisms of operation. It includes new chapters on calcium signaling, structural biology, and molecular biology and genomics. Ion Channels of Excitable Membranes begins with the classical biophysical work of Hodgkin and Huxley, continues with the roles of channels in cellular signaling, then develops the physical and molecular principles needed for explainingpermeation, gating, pharmacological modification, and molecular diversity, and ends with a discussion of channel evolution. Ion Channels of Excitable Membranes is written to be accessible and interesting to life scientists and physical scientists of all kinds. It introduces all the concepts that agraduate student should be aware of but is also effective in advanced undergraduate courses. It has long been the recognized authoritative overview of this field used by all neuroscientists.

Clinical Neuroanatomy


Richard S. Snell - 2001
    Each chapter begins with clearly stated objectives, includes clinical cases, and ends with clinical notes, clinical problems, and review questions. More than 450 illustrations enhance the text.This edition's illustrations have been reworked for greater visual appeal and more diagnostic images have been added. Selected illustrations from Haines' Neuroanatomy: An Atlas of Structures, Sections, and Systems, Sixth Edition have been included. Coverage of neurophysiology has been expanded and updated.A bound-in CD-ROM contains 386 USMLE-style review questions with answers and explanations.

Strange Behavior: Tales of Evolutionary Neurology


Harold Klawans - 2001
    From the woman suffering from "painful foot and moving toe syndrome" to the Indiana farmer who contacted a variant of mad cow disease from his herds of livestock, Klawans deduced a great deal from his patients, not only about the immediate causes of their ailments, but about the evolutionary underpinnings of their behavior.

Music and Memory: An Introduction


Bob Snyder - 2001
    The book is divided into two parts. The first part presents basic ideas about memory and perception from cognitive psychology and, to some extent, cognitive linguistics. Topics include auditory processing, perception, and recognition. The second part describes in detail how the concepts from the first part are exemplified in music. The presentation is based on three levels of musical experience: event fusion (the formation of single musical events from acoustical vibrations in the air, on a time scale too small to exhibit rhythm), melody and rhythm, and form. The focus in the latter is on the psychological conditions necessary for making large-scale--that is, formal--boundaries clear in music rather than on traditional musical forms. The book also discusses the idea that much of the language used to describe musical structures and processes is metaphorical. It encourages readers to consider the possibility that the process of musical composition can be a metaphorical transformation of their own experience into sound.The book also touches on unresolved debates about psychological musical universals, information theory, and the operation of neurons. It requires no formal musical training and contains a glossary and an appendix of listening examples.

Cognitive Rehabilitation: An Integrative Neuropsychological Approach


McKay Moore Sohlberg - 2001
    Now, more than a decade later, the discipline has come of age. This new volume provides a comprehensive overview of this fast-evolving field. More than a revised edition, the text reflects the dramatic impact of recent advances in neuroscience and computer technology, coupled with changes in service delivery models. The authors describe a broad range of clinical interventions for assisting persons with acquired cognitive impairments--including deficits in attention, memory, executive functions, and communication--and for managing associated emotional and behavioral issues. For each approach, theoretical underpinnings are reviewed in depth and clinical protocols delineated. Difficult concepts are explained in a clear, straightforward fashion, with realistic case examples bringing the material to life. Also included are samples of relevant assessment instruments, rating scales, and patient handouts. Throughout, the new volume emphasizes the need to work from a community perspective, providing a framework for forming collaborative partnerships with families and caregivers. It is an essential resource for professionals across a wide variety of rehabilitation specialties, and will serve as a text in courses on rehabilitation methods and neurogenic disorders.

A Mind So Rare: The Evolution of Human Consciousness


Merlin Donald - 2001
    Donald makes "a persuasive case...for consciousness as the central player in the drama of mind" (Peter Dodwell), as he details the forces, both cultural and neuronal, that power our distinctively human modes of awareness. He proposes that the human mind is a hybrid product, interweaving a super-complex form of matter (the brain) with an invisible symbolic web (culture) to form a "distributed" cognitive network. This hybrid mind, he argues, is our main evolutionary advantage, for it allowed humanity as a species to break free of the limitations of the mammalian brain. "Donald transcends the simplistic claims of Evolutionary Psychology,...offering a true Darwinian perspective on the evolution of consciousness."—Philip Lieberman

Consciousness in Four Dimensions: Biological Relativity and the Origins of Thought


Richard M. Pico - 2001
    Pico unveils a revolutionary new approach to understanding consciousness that pinpoints its origins in the brain. Called "Biological Relativity, " the approach combines the laws of physics--especially Einstein's laws of relativity--to the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience, molecular biology, and computational theory to create a coherent four-dimensional model for explaining the origins of life and the emergence of complex biological systems--from the living cell to the thinking brain.In a fascinating, ambitious narrative that draws upon a lifetime of experimental and clinical work, Dr. Pico tells a riveting story that begins in the imponderably distant past, with the first proto-cell that endured long enough to become its own frame of reference--both structurally and temporally--and culminates with the most complex biological referent system known to science, the human brain. He then elaborates his groundbreaking theory through discussions of such things as the origins of language, music, and mathematics. He explains why he believes consciousness is uniquely human, and explores the causes and potential treatments for a variety of thought disorders.

Memory, Brain, and Belief


Daniel L. Schacter - 2001
    Yet until now no single book has focused on the complex interrelationships of memory and belief. This book brings together eminent scholars from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, literature, and medicine to discuss such provocative issues as "false memories," in which people can develop vivid recollections of events that never happened; retrospective biases, in which memories of past experiences are influenced by one's current beliefs; and implicit memory, or the way in which nonconscious influences of past experience shape current beliefs. Ranging from cognitive, neurological, and pathological perspectives on memory and belief, to relations between conscious and nonconscious mental processes, to memory and belief in autobiographical narratives, this book will be uniquely stimulating to scholars in several academic disciplines.

Molecular Basis of Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience


Eric J. Nestler - 2001
    Written by three eminent academicians and clinicians in the field of psychiatry, this text integrates molecular, cellular, and physiological concepts with pharmacology and explores t he relevance of this model to disease and therapeutics. Topics such a s basic principles of neuropharmacology, signal transduction pathways in the brain, neural substrates of drug action (catecholamines, seroto nin, histamine, and acetylcholine), and neuropharmacology of specific neural functions and their disorders are discussed.

The Cognitive Neuroscience of Consciousness


Stanislas DehaenePhilip M. Merikle - 2001
    The research questions reviewed include: Does perception occur without awareness? Can the neural bases of perceptual awareness be visualized with brain-imaging methods? What do unilateral neglect and extinction tell us about conscious and unconscious processing? What is the contribution of brainstem nuclei to conscious states? How can we identify mental processes uniquely associated with consciousness? An introductory chapter proposes a theoretical framework for building a cognitive neuroscience of consciousness, and two concluding chapters evaluate the progress made so far.

The Intact and Sliced Brain


Mircea Steriade - 2001
    Based on his lifetime of research on intact brains, Steriade emphasizes the need to understand isolated networks within the context of the whole mammalian brain and to understand the brain of a behaving animal in terms of its fully dissected circuits. As much as knowledge of brain anatomy and function has progressed, Steriade is highly skeptical about the quest to relate consciousness to specific neuronal types.The book's sections are Changing Concepts of Localization of Brain Function, Evolution of Methods in Brain Studies, Similar and Contrasting Results from Studies in the Intact and Sliced Brain, Building Blocks of Synaptic Networks Underlying Normal and Paroxysmal States, and Of Neurons and Consciousness.

Handbook of Cognitive Neuropsychology: What Deficits Reveal About the Human Mind


Brenda Rapp - 2001
    Chapters covered include language, memory, object recognition, action, attention, consciousness and temporal cognition.

Cranial Nerves in Health & Disease [With CDROM]


Linda Wilson-Pauwels - 2001
    New chapters and enhanced three-dimensional, color-coded illustrations show how the twelve major nerve systems connect the brain to the body systems in control.The revised edition includes a value-added CD-ROM containing the full the and illustrations plus a video of a neurologic examination of cranial nerves.

Biological Psychology: An Integrative Approach


Fred Toates - 2001
    It adopts a gentle hand-holding approach, explaining the fundamental importance of a knowledge of biology in order to grasp and understand behaviour. The level of presentation assumes no prior knowledge of biology. A wide range of topics are covered, including emotion, stress, consciousness, pain, feeding, drinking and sex. The author's approach carefully integrates related areas of study such as neural science and ethology as well as relevant areas within general psychology.Key Features? Packed with rich four-colour diagrams and illustrations? Assumes no prior knowledge of biology? Enhanced student-friendly pedagogy with numerous learning aids in every chapter to ensure comprehension? Includes coverage of American and European research? Companion Web Site contains multiple choice and revision questions, useful web links and 'signposts' to the latest research material With its accessible approach and comprehensive coverage, Biological Psychology will be essential, and enjoyable, reading for all students