Describes the workings of the sense organs and explains how the brain and nerves receive and process their messages.

The rise of modern psychopharmacology following upon the discovery of efficient psychotherapeutic agents in the middle of the previous century has led to a paradigm shift in brain research, based upon the discovery that nerve cells communicate with each other via chemical messengers. Thanks to this discovery (which awarded the author Arvid Carlsson the Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology in 2000) new possibilities have opened up to disclose the mechanisms steering our thoughts and emotions and the disturbances underlying neuropsychiatric diseases. Substances influencing our mental life have been used during all times. the increased knowledge of the brain has given us drugs with a more specific action and milder side effects than before. Probably we will also have access to substances with entirely new fields of application, for instance drugs improving memory, learning and creativity. Maybe tomorrow human beings will have a whole arsenal of highly sophisticated substances that are individually tailored to improve their function and well-being. This sounds fantastic but could be a reality in the not too distant future. However, brain research will probably also lead to the evolution of novel non-pharmacological treatments. It will also spur scientists to revisit some of the oldest and most fundamental issues. for instance, where is the mind located? Is there a connection between creativity and madness? Perhaps the last question will be elucidated in light of recent developments in our understanding of the biological evolution. This is an introduction to modern neuroscience. in a comprehensible way the authors make the most recent scientific advances accessible to a broad circle of readers.

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

This book provides a scientific explanation of drug abuse and addiction for the general public. It clarifies the meaning of concepts such as intoxication, physical dependence, and addiction, and describes the changes in the brain that underlie these states. Indeed, this volume is unique because it presents a comprehensive picture of what actually happens to people and their brains when they chronically self-administer opiates, stimulants or alcohol. Complex mechanisms of drug action in the brain are made simple and comprehensible to the layman through use of informative analogies and salient graphics. Accounts of the effects of drug use and abuse on normal people create meaningful, easy-to-relate-to examples from everyday life.

When we witness a great actor, musician, or sportsperson performing, we share something of their experience. It become clear just how this sharing of experience is realised within the human brain. This text provides an accessible overview of mirror neurons, written by the man who first discovered them.

Brain Messengers and the Pituitary discusses the significant advances in neurotransmission and in understanding the physiology and pathophysiology of neuroendocrine control. This book is organized into seven chapters and begins with a discussion on the main biochemical and electrophysiological mechanisms underlying synaptic communication and the cotransmission and receptor plasticity. The following chapters describe the topographical localization and function of classical neurotransmitter and neuropeptide neurons. This book then presents the evidence on pituitary function control by the brain through specific hypophysiotropic regulatory hormones in relation to the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone and pro-opiomelanocortin-derived peptides, growth hormone, gonadotropins, prolactin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone. A chapter focuses on the neuroendocrine effects of an increasing number of neuropeptides. This text further deals with the role of pituitary gland as the target of central nervous system-derived and peripheral hormonal influences. The concluding chapters look into the experimental evidence linking brain neurotransmitters to the secretion of hypothalamic hormones and to anterior pituitary hormones or to neuroendocrine feedback regulation. These chapters also explore the evidence for neurotransmitter-neuropeptide dysfunction as an etiology for specific neuroendocrine disorders and the potential of the neuropharmacologic approach to the diagnosis and therapy. Clinical neuroendocrinologists and researchers and students in neuroendocrinology, neurobiology, neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, and psychiatry will find this book invaluable.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

The decade of the brain has brought us a few steps closer to some of the key questions in neuroscience. The complexity of memory is seen on the systems and cellular level, and different types of memory are implemented in several cellular changes that can interact, or work independently. From Messengers to Molecules: Memories are Made of These, follows the arguments from different research teams for their particular area of expertise. All chapters are written to stand-alone and provide an up-to-date introduction to the topic for both specialists and novices alike. As a result, a comprehensive compendium covering cellular mechanisms contributing to memory formation in an unusual breadth has emerged. This books will be of interest to researchers working on the pharmacology, physiology and genetics of memory formation, clinicians memory disorders, industry and students in advanced courses in Neuroscience or Pharmacology.

A new edition of the bestselling classic – published with a special introduction to mark its 10th anniversary This pioneering account sets out to understand the structure of the human brain – the place where mind meets matter. Until recently, the left hemisphere of our brain has been seen as the ‘rational’ side, the superior partner to the right. But is this distinction true? Drawing on a vast body of experimental research, Iain McGilchrist argues while our left brain makes for a wonderful servant, it is a very poor master. As he shows, it is the right side which is the more reliable and insightful. Without it, our world would be mechanistic – stripped of depth, colour and value.