Too often, overwhelmed by anatomical detail, students miss out on the functional beauty of the nervous system and its relevance to clinical practice.

    We are now beginning to learn that many forms of psychotherapy, developed in the absence of any scientific understanding of the brain, are supported by neuroscientific findings.Louis Cozolino's The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy illustrates in a clearly written and accessible way how the brain's architecture is related to the problems, passions, and aspirations of human beings. As Cozolino so eloquently argues, all forms of psychotherapy-from psychoanalysis to behavioral interventions-are successful to the extent to which they enhance change in relevant neural circuits.Beginning with an overview of the intersecting fields of neuroscience and psychotherapy, this book delves into the brain's inner workings, from basic neuronal building blocks to complex systems of memory, language, and the organization of experience. It continues by explaining the development and organization of the healthy brain and the unhealthy brain. Common problems such as anxiety, trauma, and codependency are discussed from a scientific and clinical perspective. Cozolino concludes by introducing the emerging paradigm of the psychotherapist-as-neuroscientist and presents some practical applications of neuroscience to psychotherapy. Throughout the book, the science behind the brain's workings is applied to day-to-day experience and clinical practice.Written for psychotherapists and others interested in the relationship between brain and behavior, this book encourages us to consider the brain when attempting to understand human development, mental illness, and psychological health.

    In the last 30 years, neuroscientists have made major headway in the understanding of the sources of anger, depression, and fear. Today, whole industries profit from this knowledge -- producing pills for every sort of pathological mood disturbance. But until recently, few neuroscientists focused on the subject of happiness. Now, in The Science of Happiness, leading German science journalist Stefan Klein ranges widely across the latest frontiers of neuroscience and neuropsychology to explain how happiness is fostered in our brains and what biological purpose it serves (and, importantly, how we can control our negative feelings and emotions). In addition, he explains the neurophysiology of our passions (the elementary rules of which are hardwired into our brains), the power of consciousness, and how we can use it. In a final section, Klein explores the conditions required to foster the "pursuit of happiness." A remarkable synthesis of a growing body of research that has not heretofore been brought together in one accessible book, The Science of Happiness will ultimately help each of us understand our own quest for happiness -- and our fostering of it, as well.

    Through 17 concise chapters, the pioneering work of Robert Tennyson Stevens masterfully leads us on a step-by-step journey in the new science of Conscious Languaging; the science of choosing the words that express our true intent, and knowing that our words are the quantum templates of health, abundance, peace and relationships!- Excerpt of foreword by Gregg Braden, New York Times best selling author of The Divine Matrix and The God Code

    He describes the brain in clear non-technical language and an engaging conversational tone, highlighting its functions and parts and how they interact, and always relating them to the real world of the classroom and his own evolution as a teacher. "The Art of Changing the Brain" is grounded in the practicalities and challenges of creating effective opportunities for deep and lasting learning, and of dealing with students as unique learners.

    The book takes the nonspecialist reader on a guided tour through the exciting new discoveries, pointing out along the way how old psychodynamic concepts are being forged into a new scientific framework for understanding subjective experience - in health and disease.

    Taking diversity of optical mechanisms as a framework, it also discusses aspects of structure and function of eyes, including visual ecology, design philosophy, properties of light critical to vision, factors in eye adaptation and capabilities of a wide variety of eye types.

    Teri James Bellis, one of the world's leading authorities on auditory processing disorder (APD), explains the nature of this devastating condition and provides insightful case studies that illustrate its effect on the lives of its sufferers.Millions of Americans struggle silently with APD. For many of them, holding a simple conversation can be next to impossible. As sound travels through an imperfect auditory pathway, words become jumbled, distorted, and unintelligible. As Dr. Bellis notes, the most profound impact of this highly specific impediment to auditory comprehension may be on the young. Facing a severely reduced ability to read, spell, comprehend, and communicate, children with APD are subject to anxiety, academic failure, and a damaged sense of self. Often, they are misdiagnosed. Discussing the latest and most promising clinical advances and treatment options, and providing a host of proven strategies for coping, Dr. Bellis takes much of the mystery out of APD. If you or anyone you know has difficulty comprehending spoken language, or if your child is struggling in school, this important book may have the answers you need.

    In this book Daniel Wegner offers a novel understanding of the issue. Like actions, he argues, the feeling of conscious will is created by the mind and brain. Yet if psychological and neural mechanisms are responsible for all human behavior, how could we have conscious will? The feeling of conscious will, Wegner shows, helps us to appreciate and remember our authorship of the things our minds and bodies do. Yes, we feel that we consciously will our actions, Wegner says, but at the same time, our actions happen to us. Although conscious will is an illusion, it serves as a guide to understanding ourselves and to developing a sense of responsibility and morality.Approaching conscious will as a topic of psychological study, Wegner examines the issue from a variety of angles. He looks at illusions of the will?-those cases where people feel that they are willing an act that they are not doing or, conversely, are not willing an act that they in fact are doing. He explores conscious will in hypnosis, Ouija board spelling, automatic writing, and facilitated communication, as well as in such phenomena as spirit possession, dissociative identity disorder, and trance channeling. The result is a book that sidesteps endless debates to focus, more fruitfully, on the impact on our lives of the illusion of conscious will.Selected as a Finalist in the category of Psychology/Mental Health in the 2002 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs) presented by Independent Publisher Magazine., Silver Award Winner for Philosophy in the 2002 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards. and Selected as an Outstanding Academic Book for 2002 by Choice Magazine

    In 1996 Joseph LeDoux's "The Emotional Brain" presented a revelatory examination of the biological bases of our emotions and memories. Now, the world-renowned expert on the brain has produced with a groundbreaking work that tells a more profound story: how the little spaces between the neurons-the brain's synapses--are the channels through which we think, act, imagine, feel, and remember. Synapses encode the essence of personality, enabling each of us to function as a distinctive, integrated individual from moment to moment. Exploring the functioning of memory, the synaptic basis of mental illness and drug addiction, and the mechanism of self-awareness, "Synaptic Self" is a provocative and mind-expanding work that is destined to become a classic.

    Georges Medical School"The most up-to-date and best presented clinical medicine text on the market. It contains succinct and clear explanations of the medical conditions any student is expected to know. A student favourite."--Medical Student, Nottingham University"I definitely recommend this book to all final year students...."--Final Year Student, GKT..".once you start using this book, you won't say goodbye to it..."--"Gube Magazine," Melbourne University Medical Students Association

    But women who suffer from it and those involved in their lives have already been all too familiar with it. Not simply PMS, PMDD causes more extreme symptoms and can be debilitating. To add to the difficulties, many women are still told that it's all in their heads. Even among professionals, debate continues about how to classify the problem. Just as consumer books did for Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia, this breakthrough book will help increase public awareness that the problem is real and that treatments do exist. Dr. Diana Dell, a well-respected researcher in women's health and past president of the American Medical Women's Association, presents the first book to explain PMDD and offer hope for overcoming it. As a board-certified practitioner in both Ob/Gyn and Psychiatry, she is uniquely qualified to help women cope with the physical and psychological aspects of the condition. The book provides case studies, helps the reader to evaluate whether she has the condition, and explains the spectrum of treatm

    Computational neuroscience is the theoretical study of the brain to uncover the principles and mechanisms that guide the development, organization, information processing, and mental functions of the nervous system.

    At the very core of our existence, the brain generates our thoughts and feelings, directs our voluntary interactions with the environment, and coordinates all of the vital functions within the body itself. This long-overdue new edition explains this oftentimes daunting intricacy and exquisite detail. The first half of the book discusses the basic parts and how they work, presenting an overview of the nervous system at both the microscopic and macroscopic levels. The approach follows three classic lines of thought that proceed from simple to complex: the history of neuroscience research, the evolution of the nervous system, and the embryological development of the vertebrate central and peripheral nervous systems. The second half of the book outlines the basic wiring diagram of the brain and nervous system-how the parts are interconnected and how they control behavior and the internal state of the body. This is done within the framework of a new four-system network model that greatly simplifies understanding the structure-function organization of the nervous system. Written in clear and sparkling prose, beautifully illustrated, and thoroughly updated, Brain Architecture, Second Edition is must-read for anyone interested in the science of how the brain works.

    The guiding principle to this synthesis is the tenet that the entirety of our knowledge is encoded by relations, and thus by connections, in neuronal networks of our cerebral cortex. Cognitive networks develop by experience on a base of widely dispersed modular cell assemblies representing elementary sensations and movements. As they develop cognitive networks organize themselves hierarchically by order of complexity or abstraction of their content. Because networks intersect profusely, sharing commong nodes, a neuronal assembly anywhere in the cortex can be part of many networks, and therefore many items of knowledge. All cognitive functions consist of neural transactions within and between cognitive networks. After reviewing the neurobiology and architecture of cortical networks (also named cognits), the author undertakes a systematic study of cortical dynamics in each of the major cognitive functions—perception, memory, attention, language, and intelligence. In this study, he makes use of a large body of evidence from a variety of methodologies, in the brain of the human as well as the nonhuman primate. The outcome of his interdisciplinary endeavor is the emergence of a structural and dynamic order in the cerebral cortex that, though still sketchy and fragmentary, mirrors with remarkable fidelity the order in the human mind.

    Two things are required: first, to replace the mind-as-container metaphor with one that envisions a mind capable of sustaining knowledgeable, intelligent behavior without actually containing stored beliefs; second, to recognize a fundamental difference between knowledge building and learning--both of which are essential parts of education for the knowledge age. Connectionism in cognitive science addresses the first need; certain developments in post-positivist epistemology address the second. The author explores both the theoretical bases and the practical educational implications of this radical change in viewpoint.The book draws on current new ways of thinking about knowledge and mind, including information processing, cognitive psychology, situated cognition, constructivism, social constructivism, and connectionism, but does not adhere strictly to any "camp." Above all, the author is concerned with developing a way of thinking about the mind that can usher education into the knowledge age. This book is intended as a starting point.

    Rather, what we see is based on the history of thespecies and the individual as a means of contending with the inherent uncertainty of light stimuli. It follows that visual perceptions are reflexive manifestations of past behavioral success rather than the result of a logical processing of present stimuli.These ideas were met with considerable skepticism. To quote from the preface of this new edition:Although the ideas and evidence about the genesis of what we see in the First Edition were appreciated in some quarters, the reception in others was distinctly cool. Given the opinion of some critics that the wholly empirical concept of vision we proposed was either unbelievable orincomprehensible, we felt duty bound to try again. Our objective was, and remains, to present a different and seemingly inevitable framework for understanding perception and its underlying neural mechanisms. We hope this new edition will encourage more readers to consider this concept of vision andits implications for interpreting, modeling, and ultimately understanding the structure and function of the human visual system.This refinement and expansion of the argument in the First Edition, supported with much new evidence gathered over the last seven years, has far-reaching consequences not only for understanding vision but brain function generally.The book is written in a way that is understandable by individuals with little or no background in neuroscience, with chapter introductions and summaries that make the overall argument easy to follow. The book includes over 400 bibliographic citations, a complete glossary, and a primer on theorganization of the visual system as an appendix.

    In Matter of Mind, one of the leading figures in behavioral and cognitive neurology uses patient vignettes and other examples from his rich professional life to show just how much knowledge about brain functions such as reading, writing, language, control of emotions, skilled movement, perception, attention, and motivation has been gained from the study of patients with diseases of or damage to the brain. No knowledge of neurology or neuroscience is required to understand the book, which is intended for neurological patients and their families. It will also be of interest to professionals who study the brain or treat patients with brain damage including neuropsychologists, neurologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, physiatrists, speech pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, and their students and trainees.

    Daniel Amen's breakthrough brain-healing program has helped hundreds of thousands to overcome depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and attention deficit disorder. The maverick author of "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life" and Healing ADD now presents his proven program for repairing and strengthening our relationships, child-rearing practices, work and study routines, and, ultimately, our soulful connections, in the deepest ways possible. Guided by this book, each of us can learn to balance and optimize the parts of the brain responsible for inner growth, intimacy, and spiritual health. Drawing upon his experience with over fourteen thousand brain-imaging studies of patients from all walks of life, Dr. Amen has developed an essential tool called the Amen Brain System Checklist, a 101-question self-test used to evaluate the five brain systems that are key to achieving and maintaining a healthy brain-soul connection. The questionnaire identifies the problem brain areas readers may need to work on, offers insight into the degree to which these imbalances affect their lives, and provides targeted strategies for each area of the brain involved with spiritual issues.These are just a few of the many "brain prescriptions" to be found in "Healing the Hardware of the Soul: "Develop focus and improve decision-making with the One-Page Miracle for the Soul Use prayer, meditation, and diaphragmatic breathing exercises for superior emotional and spiritual flexibilityHeal painful deep soul memories through thought and behavior exercisesLearn how forming strong, positive new bonds actually controls impulsive behavior and stabilizes mood swingsDr. Amen's recommendations include cutting-edge advice on diet, nutritional supplements, and the judicious use of medication when needed. He also explains which medications can unbalance the brain when used improperly. Dramatic before-and-after pictures of the brain demonstrate the medical effectiveness of these clinically based healing techniques.Whether we learn the self-help strategies of cognitive reprogramming, self-hypnosis, or nutraceutical therapy, seek out psychotherapy, or rely on prescription antidepressants and antianxiety medications, Dr. Amen's sage advice and comprehensive treatment programs give us all the tools we need to optimize our work, relationships, and spiritual connections to become the people we want to be.

    In this text, Chris Eliasmith and Charles Anderson provide a synthesis of the disparate approaches in computational neuroscience, incorporating ideas from neural coding, neural computation, physiology, communications theory, control theory, dynamics, and probability theory. This synthesis, they argue, enables novel theoretical and practical insights into the functioning of neural systems. Such insights are pertinent to experimental and computational neuroscientists and to engineers, physicists, and computer scientists interested in how their quantitative tools relate to the brain.

    With an excellent blend of clinical, experimental and theoretical coverage, it draws on the latest research findings from neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, neurochemistry, clinical neuropsychology and neuropsychology to provide students with new insights in this fast moving field.The book is organised around the main neuropsychological disorders in the areas of perception, executive dysfunction, attention, memory, cerebral asymmetry, language, emotion and consciousness. There is a clear emphasis on bridging the gap between theory and practice with links throughout to clinical issues of both assessment and rehabilitation to build a clear understanding of the application of the theoretical issues. The final section in each chapter illustrates the importance of a more systematic approach to intervention, which takes into account theoretical views of recovery from brain damage.New to this edition:A new chapter format that includes a "basic topic" section, which contains up-to-date essential knowledge of the topic and a "further topics" section for a more advanced treatment of the area.A new section on neuroscientific approaches to rehabilitation in each chapter to make links between scientific knowledge and clinical treatment.A brand new chapter on consciousnessA new full colour layout with increased pedagogical features, including key terms, section summaries, study questions and improved presentation of figures and brain diagramsA companion website including related weblinks, guidance on answering the study questions, and flashcards.This book will be invaluable for undergraduate students in Neuropsychology and students who wish to take the subject further to the various clinical fields."

    . . neurologist . . . covers many aspects of consciousness for general readers. His treatment of the disorders of knowledge is superb. If you were intrigued with The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, you’ll appreciate [the book’s] buildup to what Oliver Sacks described in that work. . . . Approachable and instructive.”—William H. Calvin, New York Times Book Review “A grand tour of the terrain of consciousness, as viewed from neuroscientific and philosophical perspectives.”—Colin Beer, Quarterly Review of Biology“[Zeman] is uniquely qualified to write this particular book, whose chief merit is that it provides a summary of the current state of play in neurobiology, psychology, and philosophy. . . . A very useful book.”—John R. Searle, Los Angeles Times Book Review

    It focuses on phenomenological approaches rather than detailed models in order to provide the reader with a conceptual framework. The authors formulate the theoretical concepts clearly without many mathematical details. While the book contains standard material for courses in computational neuroscience, neural modeling, or neural networks, it also provides an entry to current research. No prior knowledge beyond undergraduate mathematics is required.

    We are just beginning to learn how the brain, the body, and our genes interact in ordinary everyday life to create our lives. Here, acclaimed author and pioneer of new approaches to mindbody communication Ernest Rossi introduces the new science of psychosocial genomics and explores how it will profoundly change our understanding of the pathways of communication among mind, body, and spirit. Integrating modern molecular medicine with traditional holistic healing art and spiritual rites, Rossi documents dramatically new approaches to optimize creativity in psychotherapy and therapeutic hypnosis with both individuals and groups.Part I reviews significant leading-edge neuroscience research on the psychobiology of gene expression and neurogenesis that leads to a new vision of the role of consciousness and creativity in the humanities and the healing arts. Part II explores how to creatively facilitate the psychodynamics of gene expression, neurogenesis, and healing in therapeutic hypnosis, psychotherapy, and human relationships in general.The Psychobiology of Gene Expression illustrates, step-by-step, how to facilitate the natural four-stage creative process on all levels from mind to molecule in our daily work of building a better brain. The book demonstrates how we can use our consciousness and our perception of free will to co-create ourselves in cooperation with nature. Rossi proposes practical approaches to optimize the natural cycles of gene expression in normal consciousness, sleep, dreaming, meditation, and the arts of daily living that are experienced by everyone. A case study spanning two chapters, containing dialog and explanatory commentary, brings the author's work to life and gives readers a deeper appreciation of its clinical application. Rossi's lucid writing style and vivid illustrations inspire this text with a new vision of the creative arts, humanities, and culture in facilitating the optimal development of health, performance, and consciousness.

    This new book covers the many dimensions of psychosis, particularly as associated with schizophrenia, and examines the role of dopamine in psychosis along with the various theories about the causes, pathophysiology, and treatment of schizophrenia. New material includes discussion of a promising new agent, aripiprazole, the first in a new class of dopamine stabilizers; the use of anticonvulsant agents to treat manic psychosis as well as being used as adjuncts to more traditional antipsychotic treatments for psychosis and schizophrenia; and the newest atypical antipsychotic ziprasidone. CME self-assessment tests are included.

    Bridging the gap between the work of neurologists studying clinical disorders and neuroscientists studying the neural mechanisms underlying normal cognition, this book reviews classical neurobehavioral syndromes from both neurological and cognitive scientific perspectives.The contributors are all practicing neurologists who also conduct cognitive neuroscience research. Each chapter begins with a case study, describing the patient's symptoms and the cognitive processes involved. The clinical descriptions are followed by historical background on the neurobehavioral syndromes and discussion of the methods used to understand the underlying neural mechanisms. In their attempts to reconcile conflicting data derived from different methodologies, many of the authors shed new light on the cognitive mechanisms they discuss. The syndromes include neglect, Balint's syndrome, amnesia, semantic dementia, topographical disorientation, acquired dyslexia, acalculia, transcortical motor aphasia, Wernicke's aphasia, apraxia, and lateral prefrontal syndrome.

    Mary Clark takes the most recent data from a dozen or more fields, and works it together with clarifying anecdotes and thought-provoking images to challenge conventional Western beliefs with hopeful new insights. Balancing the theories of cutting-edge neuroscience with the insights of primitive mythologies, Mary Clark provides down-to-earth suggestions for peacefully resolving global problems. Human Nature builds up a coherent, and above all positive, picture of who we really are.

    Contrary to time-honored intuition, the mind turns out to be a complex of brain functions. And contrary to the wishful thinking of some philosophers, there is no stemming the revolutionary impact that brain research will have on our understanding of how the mind works.Brain-Wise is the sequel to Patricia Smith Churchland's Neurophilosophy, the book that launched a subfield. In a clear, conversational manner, this book examines old questions about the nature of the mind within the new framework of the brain sciences. What, it asks, is the neurobiological basis of consciousness, the self, and free choice? How does the brain learn about the external world and about its own introspective world? What can neurophilosophy tell us about the basis and significance of religious and moral experiences?Drawing on results from research at the neuronal, neurochemical, system, and whole-brain levels, the book gives an up-to-date perspective on the state of neurophilosophy--what we know, what we do not know, and where things may go from here.