In order to make muscles grow, one must eat right, exercise and force the muscles to do new things; the same is true of one's brain-which is just one of the things to learn from this short but informative audiobook from one of the world's leading experts on how the brain works. Works of this sort usually aren't well suited to audio, and this one is no exception. Unless listeners are studiously taking notes while listening, they will need to find a hard copy when the time comes to apply Amen's advice. However, Amen's friendly and warm narration relates the precepts of his brain-boosting program in a way that makes them easy to understand and absorb. The audiobook becomes repetitive when Amen tries to reinforce certain points, but this production is otherwise enjoyable and will leave listeners eager to implement some of the strategies outlined. Amen is a renowned keynote speaker and frequently appears on TV, so there's no surprise that his engaging and exuberant style makes this a fascinating exploration of how the brain works. -- Publisher's Weekly

During the past decade, we have witnessed explosive growth in the neurosciences: structural and functional brain imaging, electrophysiology and electrodiagnosis, cell and molecular biology, genetics, and neuropsychopharmacology�to name just a few. First published 15 years ago as the only multiauthored, comprehensive textbook in the field, the fourth edition of this tremendously successful volume expands its focus on the neurosciences to encompass the great strides we've made. To convey this intensified focus, the editors have added "...and Clinical Neurosciences" to the title, with new and expanded chapters that cover topics such as the epidemiology and genetics of neuropsychiatric disorders, the neuropsychiatric aspects of delirium, the growth in clinical knowledge and clinical relevance of drug-induced delirium and encephalopathies other than delirium, and educational and certification issues in neuropsychiatry (including the requisite knowledge base and educational experience defined by the American Neuropsychiatric Association). In compiling this informative and enjoyable compendium, the editors have crafted each chapter as a complete stand-alone entity, necessitating some intentional overlap among chapters within its six broad sections on basic principles, assessment, symptomatologies, disorders, treatments, and special topics. With a remarkable 85 contributors�all recognized experts�this comprehensive text is clinically relevant and eminently practical for medical students and residents, psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists and neuropsychologists, and a broad range of professionals who work in many different clinical settings (e.g., the general hospital setting, physical medicine/rehabilitation hospitals, psychiatric institutes, community mental health centers, alcohol and chemical dependency programs, and outpatient services and doctors' offices).

In the decade since the first edition of The Neurobiology of Autism was published, research has revealed valuable new information about the nature and origins of autism, including genetics and abnormalities in such neurotransmitters as acetylcholine and serotonin. For this long-anticipated new edition, neurologists Margaret L. Bauman and Thomas L. Kemper bring together leading researchers and clinicians to present the most current scientific knowledge and theories about autism. The contributors cover genetics, imaging studies, physiology, neuroanatomy and neurochemistry, immunology, brain function, the epidemiology of the disease, and related disorders. Thoroughly updated, The Neurobiology of Autism remains the best single-volume work on the wide array of research being conducted into the causes, characteristics, and treatment of autism.

Neuroscience for the Study of Communicative Disorders, Third Edition remains an ideal resource that teaches neuroscience fundamentals without encyclopedic details of anatomy and physiology. This text takes a step-by-step, simplified approach, and contains relevant information in its application of neuroscience for students and practitioners in speech-language pathology and audiology--making it the perfect text! Completely updated throughout, the Third Edition reflects the most recent findings and clinical applications. The neuroimaging section now includes the latest techniques in magnetic resonance-based diagnostic imaging. In addition, there are significant updates to the discussions of cellular biology, neuroembryology, and consciousness. Moreover, the author has introduced new features to help students easily grasp key concepts and apply them in practice. For example, structures and neuronal pathways are now illustrated using multiple figures with different orientations to assist students in understanding and visualizing structure and function.

This book draws together contributions from some of the leading investigators in the field of autism to consider specific problem areas in current research. Each contributor brings expertise from a different field, providing a balanced view of the whole spectrum of study of this disorder.

How does the brain construct a "self," the essence of who we are as individuals? And how does the self respond to the deconstruction of its brain? A neuropsychologist with twenty-five years' experience and a runner-up for the prestigious Wellcome Trust Science Prize, Paul Broks writes with a doctor's precision and clarity in a series of narratives about the fascinating world of the neurologically impaired, delving not only into the inner lives of his patients but into a deeper understanding of how we define who we are. In "The Sea and the Almond," a young woman who suffers from daily grand-mal seizures agrees to a radical surgery that involves removal of the amygdala (from the Greek for almond) and part of the hippocampus (seahorse), which is responsible for memory and all conscious recall. "I Think Therefore I Am Dead" is a meditation on human consciousness and an intimate case study chronicling Broks's efforts in working with a patient suffering from a debilitating illness that has no diagnosis or cure. Broks intersperses his accounts of these rare conditions with illuminating studies of what neuroscience can and cannot teach us about the mechanisms that allow us to define ourselves as individuals.

This volume discusses the research findings from studies of autism and Williams and Turner syndromes. Using neurobiological and behavioural techniques, these studies can provide insights into the localization of cognitive function and the developmental course of atypical cognitive profiles.

This ground-breaking new book and the exhibition it accompanies trace the history of a revolutionary idea: that fine art should attain the abstract purity of music. Over the past one hundred years some of the most adventurous modern and contemporary artists have explored unorthodox means to invent a kinetic, non-representational art modeled upon pure instrumental music. Music has inspired some of the most progressive art of our time�from the abstract painting of Wassily Kandinsky and Frantisek Kupka to the mid-century experimental films of Oskar Fischinger and Harry Smith to contemporary installations by Jennifer Steinkamp and Jim Hodges. While early abstract paintings tended to approach music metonymically, the color organs, films, light shows, and installations from the mid-twentieth century to the present day engage a range of perceptual faculties simultaneously to create a plethora of sensations in the viewer. The most complete examination of this phenomenon to date, Visual Music features ninety major works of art plus related documentation, focusing on abstract and mixed-media art and the connections to musical forms as varied as classical, jazz, and electronic. The book includes three scholarly essays, each discussing a distinct art historical period in depth, and an additional essay by Olivia Mattis that approaches the subject from a musicologist's perspective, as well as a chronology, artist biographies, and a selected bibliography.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is now a standard tool for mapping activation patterns in the human brain. In this book, Richard Buxton, a leading authority on fMRI, provides an invaluable introduction to how fMRI works, from basic principles and underlying physics and physiology, to newer techniques such as arterial spin labeling and diffusion tensor imaging. The book also discusses how fMRI relates to other imaging techniques (such as Positron Emission Tomography, or PET) and offers a guide to the statistical analysis of fMRI data.

With its strong theoretical focus, this book serves as an essential resource on the functional neuroimaging of cognitive processes and on the latest discoveries obtained through positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques. It is organized into three sections. The first covers the history and methods of PET and fMRI, as well as cognitive networks, showing how the brain regions involved in the different cognitive processes interact. The second part, the book's core, covers PET and fMRI findings in specific domains: attention, visual recognition, language, semantic memory, episodic memory, and working memory. The third part covers the effects of aging on brain activity during cognitive performance and also examines research with neuropsychologically impaired patients.

A full understanding of the biology and behavior of humans cannot be complete without the collective contributions of the social sciences, cognitive sciences, and neurosciences. This book collects eighty-two of the foundational articles in the emerging discipline of social neuroscience. The book addresses five main areas of research: multilevel integrative analyses of social behavior, using the tools of neuroscience, cognitive science, and social science to examine specific cases of social interaction; the relationships between social cognition and the brain, using noninvasive brain imaging to document brain function in various social situations; rudimentary biological mechanisms for motivation, emotion, and attitudes, and the shaping of these mechanisms by social factors; the biology of social relationships and interpersonal processes; and social influences on biology and health.

Brings to gether pediatrics, pediatric neurology, and child and adolescent psychiatry to review the neurobiology of major psychiatric illness and brain dis orders in relation to the developing nervous system. For students and clinicians.

Despite dramatic advances in our understanding of the brain and brain disorders, we still have much uncharted territory to explore in neuropsychiatry and behavioral neurology, two rapidly growing disciplines devoted to understanding the behavioral consequences of brain dysfunction and using this information to improve patient care. The second edition of this popular pocket guide is updated throughout, featuring new medications and new diagnostic procedures and criteria. Like the first edition, it presents brief synopses of the major neuropsychiatric and neurobehavioral syndromes, discusses their clinical assessment, and provides guidelines for management, plus a glossary, index, and bibliographies that refer to more extensive reading. The authors summarize diagnostic and treatment information in easy-to-read tables, including clinical features, underlying pathophysiology, and treatment options for the major neuropsychiatric disorders. They cover everything from assessment (e.g., testing, brain imaging) and relevant neurophysiology and neuropsychiatry symptoms and syndromes (e.g., frontal lobe, aphasia and related syndromes) to individual diseases (e.g., right-brain disorders, memory disorders, epilepsy/limbic system disorders, dementia and delirium, movement disorders, stroke and brain tumors, white matter diseases and inborn errors of metabolism, and head injury) and the latest treatments (e.g., neuropsychopharmacology, electroconvulsive therapy, vagus nerve stimulation, and neurosurgical procedures). An immediately useful clinical companion for psychiatrists and geriatric psychiatrists, neurologists, and neuropsychologists both within the U.S. and abroad, this volume is also exceptionally practical for students and residents because of its broad scope and easily accessible information.

In 1980, Richard Cytowic was having dinner at a friend's house, when his host exclaimed, "Oh, dear, there aren't enough points on the chicken." With that casual comment began Cytowic's journey into the condition known as synesthesia. The ten people in one million who are synesthetes are born into a world where one sensation (such as sound) conjures up one or more others (such as taste or color). Although scientists have known about synesthesia for two hundred years, until now the condition has remained a mystery. Extensive experiments with more than forty synesthetes led Richard Cytowic to an explanation of synesthesia--and to a new conception of the organization of the mind, one that emphasized the primacy of emotion over reason. Because there were not enough points on chicken served at a dinner almost two decades ago, Cytowic came to explore a deeper reality that he believes exists in all individuals, but usually below the surface of awareness. In this medical detective adventure, he reveals the brain to be an active explorer, not just a passive receiver, and offers a new view of what it means to be human--a view that turns upside down conventional ideas about reason, emotion, and who we are.

For decades, scientists who heard about synesthesia hearing colors, tasting words, seeing colored pain just shrugged their shoulders or rolled their eyes. Now, as irrefutable evidence mounts that some healthy brains really do this, we are forced to ask how this squares with some cherished conceptions of neuroscience. These include binding, modularity, functionalism, blindsight, and consciousness. The good news is that when old theoretical structures fall, new light may flood in. Far from a mere curiosity, synesthesia illuminates a wide swath of mental life. In this classic text, Richard Cytowic quickly disposes of earlier criticisms that the phenomenon cannot be "real," demonstrating that it is indeed brain-based. Following a historical introduction, he lays out the phenomenology of synesthesia in detail and gives criteria for clinical diagnosis and an objective "test of genuineness." He reviews theories and experimental procedures to localize the plausible level of the neuraxis at which synesthesia operates. In a discussion of brain development and neural plasticity, he addresses the possible ubiquity of neonatal synesthesia, the construction of metaphor, and whether everyone is unconsciously synesthetic. In the closing chapters, Cytowic considers synesthetes' personalities, the apparent frequency of the trait among artists, and the subjective and illusory nature of what we take to be objective reality, particularly in the visual realm. The second edition has been extensively revised, reflecting the recent flood of interest in synesthesia and new knowledge of human brain function and development. More than two-thirds of the material is new.

Following several years of work with autistic children, Dr. Delacato developed convincing evidence that autism is a neurological malfunction rather than a psychological one - that one or more of the five channels into the brain (seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and feeling) have short-circuited.' His theory of remediation is based on pinpointing the sense channel(s) that are flooding the system, then treating the cause.

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 they've 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.

The leading clinical reference on behavioral neurology! This state-of-the-art second edition reflects groundbreaking coverage of both clinical and theoretical aspects of brain-behavior studies. Features five new chapters in such rapidly expanding areas as cerebral plasticity, functional brain imaging, alterations in states of consciousness, and genetics of neural development.

Each edition of this classic reference has proved to be a benchmark in the developing field of cognitive neuroscience. The third edition of The Cognitive Neurosciences continues to chart new directions in the study of the biologic underpinnings of complex cognition -- the relationship between the structural and physiological mechanisms of the nervous system and the psychological reality of the mind. Every chapter is new and each section has new participants. Features of the third edition include research that maps biological changes directly to cognitive changes; a new and integrated view of sensory systems and perceptual processes; the presentation of new developments in plasticity; recent research on the cognitive neuroscience of false memory, which reveals the constructive nature of memory retrieval; and new topics in the neuroscientific study of emotion, including the "social brain." The new final section, "Perspectives and New Directions," discusses a wide variety of topics that point toward the future of this vibrant and exciting field.

Synaesthesia is a condition in which a stimulus in one sensory modality automatically triggers a perceptual experience in another. For example, on hearing a sound, the person immediately sees a color. How does this happen? Is it a real phenomenon? Why do some people develop this condition and not others? And might synaesthesia unlock important clues about the organization of the normal brain? This volume brings together what is known about this fascinating neurological condition. The above questions, and new issues arising from the recent wave of cognitive neuroscientific research into synaesthesia, are debated in a series of chapters by leading authorities in the field. The book will be of great interest to researchers and students in the cognitive neurosciences, and is intended to spark further investigation into this relatively neglected, extraordinary phenomenon.

Clinical Neuropsychology comprehensively reviews the major neurobehavioral disorders associated with brain dysfunction. Since the third edition appeared in 1993 there have been many advances in the understanding and treatment of neurobehavioral disorders. This edition, like prior editions, describes the classical signs and symptoms associated with the major behavioral disorders such as aphasia, agraphia, alexia, amnesia, apraxia, neglect, executive disorders and dementia. It also discusses advances in assessing, diagnosing and treating these disorders and it addresses the brain mechanisms underlying these deficits. A multi-authored text has the advantage of having authorities write about the disorders in which they have expertise. The fourth edition adds new authors and five entirely new chapters on phonologic aspects of language disorders, syntactic aspects of language disorders, lexical-semantic aspects of language disorders, anosognosia, hallucinations and related conditions. This is the most comprehensive edition of this text to date. It will be of value to clinicians, investigators, and students from a variety of disciplines, including neurology, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, and speech pathology.

The Atlas of Functional Neuroanatomy guides the student and practitioner in visualizing and understanding the many parts of the central nervous system (CNS)-the key to knowing where diseases occur. The illustrations include photographs and drawings (some color-enhanced) which have been selectively labeled; each is accompanied by text which explains the structures named and appropriate clinically-relevant comments.The Atlas presents an overview of the nervous system, followed by the sensory and motor systems as they traverse the CNS. These features prepare students to work through the localization process. The atlas also offers a detailed look at the microanatomy, particularly of the brainstem. Radiographic images are also included, along with illustrations of the blood supply of the brain. The final section features a unique set of illustrations, and these serve as the foundation for an integrated view of the structure and function of the limbic system. The accompanying CD-ROM contains all the illustrations from the print version, with the advantage of 3-D visualization and full color. Most noteworthy are the pathways of the spinal cord and brainstem, and the detailed illustrations of the microanatomy of the brainstem, along with color sections of the human brainstem. All of this enables students to approach the diseases of the nervous system with a strong anatomical background.

This textbook provides a true introduction to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which has become the dominant research technique in cognitive neuroscience. Although there is extraordinary interest in fMRI among researchers, instructors, and students alike, its instruction has faced a set of challenges. Existing texts are targeted toward practicing scientists in the field, and assume a level of expertise not possessed by most students. Furthermore, most students do not have access to fMRI equipment and data, so they have no opportunity to gain hands-on experience. This textbook overcomes these limitations by presenting a comprehensive overview of all aspects of fMRI, designed with undergraduate students, graduate students, and beginning researchers in mind. The book progresses through 15 chapters. It begins with an introduction to fMRI and its history, principles, and technical requirements. The following several chapters cover the physics of fMRI, with careful attention devoted toward relating abstract concepts to research applications. Subsequent chapters cover the basic biological properties of the fMRI signal, including its spatial and temporal properties and its variability. Systematic discussions of research design and experimental analysis are included, and will be of particular interest to the many students with graduate or medical school aspirations. The book ends with discussions of future directions for fMRI, not only in terms of advances in understanding the brain and methodological improvements, but also in the integration of fMRI with other research techniques. Included with every copy of the book is a comprehensive CD-ROM containing study questions for each chapter of the book, suggested lab exercises, fMRI data sets including both functional and anatomical data, a tools section, and compete glossary. The authors' goal was to create a book that is sufficiently scientifically rigorous for researchers in the field, but also accessible enough to be easily read and understood by beginning students. All chapters are copiously illustrated, with key terms described in a marginal glossary, and have annotated lists of references. The book can be used as the primary text for classes in fMRI, or as a secondary text for cognitive neuroscience, research methods, or other courses.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI), the scanning technique which allows the mapping of active processes within the brain. There are six sections to the book with chapters from an expert international team. Part I provides a broad overview of the field and sets the context. Part II describes the physiological and physical background to fMRI, including coverage of the hardware required and pulse sequence selection. Practical issues involving experimental design of the paradigms, psycho-physical stimulus delivery and subject response are covered in Part III, followed by a comprehensive treatment of data analysis in Part IV. Part V deals with practical applications of the technique in the field of neuroscience and in clinical practice. The final section describes how fMRI can be integrated with other neuro-electromagnetic functional maopping techniques. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: An Introduction to Methods is written to be accessible to a wide-ranging audience of research scientists interested in studying how the normal brain works, and clinicians interested in monitoring disease states and processes.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of vision problems in children with developmental disabilities such as AD/HD, autism spectrum disorders, and specific learning disabilities. Written in a very accessible style, it is appropriate for parents and professionals alike and offers non-technical explanations of how vision difficulties are screened for and advice on where to seek appropriate professional care. Lisa Kurtz outlines a range of activities for strengthening children's functional vision and perceptual skills using simple, homemade materials that are readily available in the home or classroom. This is an excellent practical companion for parents of children with visual perception problems and the professionals who work with them.

Now with more than double the number of references than the previous edition, this landmark volume has been updated to address current assessment techniques and procedures.

Russian psychologist A. R. Luria presents a compelling portrait of a man's heroic struggle to regain his mental faculties. A soldier named Zasetsky, wounded in the head at the battle of Smolensk in 1943, suddenly found himself in a frightening world: he could recall his childhood but not his recent past; half his field of vision had been destroyed; he had great difficulty speaking, reading, and writing. Woven throughout his first-person account are interpolations by Luria himself, which serve as excellent brief introductions to the topic of brain structure and function.

The Mind of a Mnemonist is a rare phenomenon - a scientific study that transcends its data and, in the manner of the best fictional literature, fashions a portrait of an unforgettable human being.

A classic; essential reading for neuropsychologists and neuroscientists.

This thoroughly revised new edition of a classic book provides a clinically inspired but scientifically guided approach to the biological foundations of human mental function in health and disease. It includes authoritative coverage of all the major areas related to behavioral neurology, neuropsychology, and neuropsychiatry. Each chapter, written by a world-renowned expert in the relevant area, provides an introductory background as well as an up-to-date review of the most recent developments. Clinical relevance is emphasized but is placed in the context of cognitive neuroscience, basic neuroscience, and functional imaging. Major cognitive domains such as frontal lobe function, attention and neglect, memory, language, prosody, complex visual processing, and object identification are reviewed in detail. A comprehensive chapter on behavioral neuroanatomy provides a background for brain-behavior interactions in the cerebral cortex, limbic system, basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebullum. Chapters on the temperolimbic epilepsy, major psychiatric syndromes, and dementia provide in-depth analyses of these neurobehavioral entrities and their neurological coordinates. Changes for this second edition include the reflection throughout the book of the new and flourishing alliance of behavioral neurology, neuropsychology, and neuropsychiatry with cognitive neuroscience;major revision of all chapters; new authorship of those on language and memory; and the inclusion of entirely new chapters on psychiatric syndromes and dementias. Both as a textbook and a reference work, the second edition of Principles of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology represents an invaluable resource for behavioral neurologists, neuropsychologists, neuropsychiatrists, cognitive and basic neuroscientists, geriatricians, physiatrists, and their students and trainees.

Discusses the psychiatric and behavioral consequences of neurological condition affecting the brain. Full-color format and abundant, high-quality illustrations and includes such topics as principles of neuropsychiatric assessment, neuropsychiatric disorders, delirium and dementia, and more. For residents and physicians.

Integrating basic and clinical neuroscience perspectives, this work presents a comprehensive examination of current autism research. It discusses epidemiology, genetics, and clinical neuroscience and neural systems, stimulating new directions for research and new drug development. An underlying theme focuses on the potential for future genomic research. The text also explores social, economic, and advocacy issues.

In the decade since Jim Robbins's A Symphony in the Brain was first published, the control of our bodies, brains, and minds has taken remarkable leaps. From neurofeedback with functional magnetic resonance imaging equipment, to the use of radio waves, to biofeedback of the heart and breath, and coverage of biofeedback by health insurance plans, the numerous advances have driven the need for a revised edition to this groundbreaking book that traces the fascinating, untold story of the development of biofeedback. Discovered by a small corps of research scientists, this alternative treatment allows a patient to see real-time measurements of their bodily processes. Its advocates claim biofeedback can treat epilepsy, autism, attention deficit disorder, addictions, and depression with no drugs or side effects; bring patients out of vegetative states, even improve golf scores or an opera singer's voice. But biofeedback has faced battles for acceptance in the conservative medical world despite positive signs that it could revolutionize the way an incredibly diverse range of medical and psychological problems are treated. Offering a wealth of powerful case studies, accessible scientific explanations, and dramatic personal accounts, Robbins remarkable history develops our understanding of this important field.

Owing to its bizarre nature and its implications for understanding how brains work, synesthesia has recently received a lot of attention in the popular press and motivated a great deal of research and discussion among scientists. The questions generated by these two communities are intriguing: Does the synesthetic phenomenon require awareness and attention? How does a feature that is not present become bound to one that is? Does synesthesia develop or is it hard wired? Should it change our way of thinking about perceptual experience in general? What is its value in understanding perceptual systems as a whole? This volume brings together a distinguished group of investigators from diverse backgrounds--among them neuroscientists, novelists, and synesthetes themselves--who provide fascinating answers to these questions. Although each approaches synesthesia from a very different perspective, and each was curious about and investigated synesthesia for very different reasons, the similarities between their work cannot be ignored. The research presented in this volume demonstrates that it is no longer reasonable to ask whether or not synesthesia is real--we must now ask how we can account for it from cognitive, neurobiological, developmental, and evolutionary perspectives. This book will be important reading for any scientist interested in brain and mind, not to mention synesthetes themselves, and others who might be wondering what all the fuss is about.

Biological Psychology is a comprehensive survey of the biological bases of behavior that is authoritative and up-to-date. Designed for undergraduates enrolled in Biological Psychology, Physiological Psychology, or Behavioral Neuroscience, the book continues to offer an outstanding illustration program that engages students, making even complicated topics and chains of events clear. The book offers a broad perspective, encompassing lucid descriptions of behavior, evolutionary history, development, proximate mechanisms, and applications. New coauthor Neil V. Watson brings his expert knowledge of the field and the course to the Fourth Edition. This edition is designed to make the book even more readable. Each chapter has been made more concise and now begins with a brief narrative relating the topic to the human condition. The new edition boasts hundreds of new references, including research students may have encountered in the popular media. Yet critical thinking skills are also honed as the reader is alerted to the many widely-held myths about the neuroscience of behavior (different parts of the tongue detect only certain flavors, dogs are color-blind, sleep deprivation makes you crazy), and educated about facts that sound so unlikely to the uninformed (some people cannot feel pain, in some animals only half the brain sleeps at a time, ears make sounds, some people cannot form new memories, experience alters the structure of the brain). Thorough and reader-friendly, Biological Psychology reveals the fascinating interactions of brain and behavior.

Oliver Sacks has always been fascinated by islands--their remoteness, their mystery, above all the unique forms of life they harbor. For him, islands conjure up equally the romance of Melville and Stevenson, the adventure of Magellan and Cook, and the scientific wonder of Darwin and Wallace. Drawn to the tiny Pacific atoll of Pingelap by intriguing reports of an isolated community of islanders born totally color-blind, Sacks finds himself setting up a clinic in a one-room island dispensary, where he listens to these achromatopic islanders describe their colorless world in rich terms of pattern and tone, luminance and shadow. And on Guam, where he goes to investigate the puzzling neurodegenerative paralysis endemic there for a century, he becomes, for a brief time, an island neurologist, making house calls with his colleague John Steele, amid crowing cockerels, cycad jungles, and the remains of a colonial culture. The islands reawaken Sacks' lifelong passion for botany--in particular, for the primitive cycad trees, whose existence dates back to the Paleozoic--and the cycads are the starting point for an intensely personal reflection on the meaning of islands, the dissemination of species, the genesis of disease, and the nature of deep geologic time. Out of an unexpected journey, Sacks has woven an unforgettable narrative which immerses us in the romance of island life, and shares his own compelling vision of the complexities of being human.

Awakenings--which inspired the major motion picture--is the remarkable story of a group of patients who contracted sleeping-sickness during the great epidemic just after World War I. Frozen for decades in a trance-like state, these men and women were given up as hopeless until 1969, when Dr. Oliver Sacks gave them the then-new drug L-DOPA, which had an astonishing, explosive, "awakening" effect. Dr. Sacks recounts the moving case histories of his patients, their lives, and the extraordinary transformations which went with their reintroduction to a changed world.

This book is unique in linking in vivo 13C NMR measurements of neuronal activity and energetics with applications to functional imaging and certain disease states It provides a fundamental neurochemical explanation of brain activity applicable to functional imaging, theories of neuronal activity and disease states, e.g. epilepsy, psychiatric diseases and developmental disorders.

This Second Edition incorporates all the most recent developments in the field of neuropsychology, as well as research findings about brain-behavior relations, cognitive psychology, and psychological assessment. It has been considerably expanded and contains several new chapters on test selection administration, preparation of the client, report-writing and informing interview, executive functions, occupational interest and aptitude, and malingering and symptom validity testing. The first four chapters--a framework for conducting an assessment--focus on history taking, test selection, profiling of test results, report writing, and informing the client. The remaining thirteen chapters contain nearly all the tests and assessment techniques covered in the previous edition plus almost the same number of new ones. Some of the new tests included are: Kaufman-Brief Intelligence Test, Mini-Mental State Examination, Weschler Individual Achievement Test, and Design Fluency. For each test the authors provide a thorough description, source and price, instructions for administration, approximate time for administration, scoring procedures, sample score sheets, normative data, and information on reliability and validity. They also discuss when special tests may be of particular use and emphasize clinical techniques helpful in making inferences about the functional integrity of brain regions. An important feature of this compendium is that it does not limit itself to the adult age range, but includes all available norms for pediatric and gerontological populations, as well as neuropsychological tests developed specifically for children.

The emergence of language, social intelligence, and tool development are what made homo sapiens sapiens differentiate itself from all other biological species in the world. The use of language and the management of social and instrumental skills imply an awareness of intention and the consideration that one faces another individual with an attitude analogical to that of one's own. The metaphor of 'mirror' aptly comes to mind. Recent investigations have shown that the human ability to 'mirror' other's actions originates in the brain at a much deeper level than phenomenal awareness. A new class of neurons has been discovered in the premotor area of the monkey brain: 'mirror neurons'. Quite remarkably, they are tuned to fire to the enaction as well as observation of specific classes of behavior: fine manual actions and actions performed by mouth. They become activated independent of the agent, be it the self or a third person whose action is observed. The activation in mirror neurons is automatic and binds the observation and enaction of some behavior by the self or by the observed other. The peculiar first-to-third-person 'intersubjectivity' of the performance of mirror neurons and their surprising complementarity to the functioning of strategic communicative face-to-face (first-to-second person) interaction may shed new light on the functional architecture of conscious vs. unconscious mental processes and the relationship between behavioral and communicative action in monkeys, primates, and humans. The present volume discusses the nature of mirror neurons as presented by the research team of Prof. Giacomo Rizzolatti (University of Parma), who originally discovered them, and the implications to our understanding of the evolution of brain, mind and communicative interaction in non-human primates and man.

The volume provides a unique review of the essential topographical anatomy of the brain from an MRI perspective, correlating high-quality anatomaical plates with the corresponding high-resolution MRI images. The book includes a historical review of brain mapping and an analysis of the essential reference planes used for the study of the human brain. Subsequent chapters provide a detailed review of the sulcal and the gyral anatomy of the human cortex, guiding the reader through an interpretation of the individual brain atlas provided by high-resolution MRI. The relationship between brain structure and function is approached in a topograhical fashion with analysis of the necessary imaging methodology and displayed anatomy. The central, perisylvian, mesial temporal and occipital areas receive special attention. Imaging of the core brain structures is included. An extensive coronal atlas concludes the book.

This comprehensive text atlas of neuroimaging is intended to provide an exhaustive review of the pathologies and diseases affecting the head and brain, skull base and face and spine and cord. The case presentation format of this handbook covers the salient clinical and neuropathological aspects of the disease process with MR correlations. This approach has necessitated the inclusion of 350 selected pathologies represented in 750 high resolution MR images. This text atlas covers all aspects of neurological disorders and the fundamental aspects of physics of magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy as well as a review of MR techniques of image optimization. Given its scope, this book is of interest to radiologists involved in MR interpretation, neuroradiologists seeking an up-to-date review and all workers in the field of diagnostic and therapeutic neurology.

Wise studied for eight years with C. Maxwell Cade, codeveloper of an electroencephalograph, the Mind Mirror EEG, which was specially designed to read the brain waves of those in a meditative state. Continuing Cade's research into brain-wave biofeedback, Wise has become the leading authority on this device. Her purpose here is to discuss and illustrate the four types of brain waves--beta, alpha, theta, and delta--with emphasis on what they do, how they work together, and whether we can use their power. Harnessing human brain waves for heightened creativity, inspiration, and self-healing is the major goal. Several pages of meditation exercises are included with tips on how to relax, all designed to trigger specific brain-wave patterns and achieve a high-performance mind. With so much attention currently focused on achieving more from our hectic lifestyles, these techniques may benefit those who are committed to mastering their brain waves. Wise's strong beliefs and evidence of success are convincing arguments for giving her methods a try. -- Booklist

Nearly 400 exquisite images (many of them life-size) in a clean and intuitive format offering students and practitioners a beautiful and thoroughly integrated view. Extensive use of carefully matched MRIs and other radiological images complement classical sections and directly relate brain structure to clinical settings. The unique uncluttered labeling system facilitates learning neuroanatomy while providing easy to use self-testing for board review and exam preparation. Brain pathways are depicted on actual brain sections for dramatic, accurate, three-dimensional conceptualization. Blood vessel territories in the brain are outlined by color overlays offering a clear and concise picture of brain blood supply.

The significance of art in human existence has long been a source of puzzlement, fascination, and mystery. In Neuropsychology of Art, Dahlia W. Zaidel explores the brain regions and neuronal systems that support artistic creativity, talent, and appreciation. Both the visual and musical arts are discussed against a neurological background. Evidence from the latest relevant brain research is presented and critically examined in an attempt to clarify the brain-art relationship, language processing and visuo-spatial perception. The consequences of perceptual problems in famous artists, along with data from autistic savants and established artists with brain damage as a result of unilateral stroke, dementia, or other neurological conditions, are brought into consideration and the effects of damage to specific regions of the brain explored. A major compilation of rare cases of artists with brain damage is provided and the cognitive abilities required for the neuropsychology of art reviewed. This book draws on interdisciplinary principles from the biology of art, brain evolution, anthropology, and the cinema through to the question of beauty, language, perception, and hemispheric specialization. It will be of interest to advanced students in neuropsychology, neuroscience and neurology, to clinicians and all researchers and scholars interested in the workings of the human brain.