The human brain is arguably the most complex object in the universe. With about 100 billion neurons, each of which makes perhaps 10,000 synapses, our incredible central processing unit is capable of roughly 1,000 trillion interconnections. What do scientists know about how this amazingly complex organ functions? Is it even possible to unravel all of its mysteries? In this comprehensive book on the science of the brain, distinguished neurophysiologist R. Grant Steen provides us with a crash course on how the brain works. As a researcher on the forefront of brain studies, Dr Steen explores the latest findings on a host of topics: Consciousness, unconsciousness, and brain death; Learning, memory, and role of genes; Motivation, aggression, and the range of emotions; The plasticity of the growing brain; Mental illness and treatment. He also delves into such stimulating questions as: Where does creativity come from? What is personality? Can we distinguish between the brain and the mind? Impressive in breadth and depth, yet written with clarity in an engaging, non-technical style, this fascinating tour of the brain provides the general reader with the latest information on one of the most intriguing and burgeoning areas of scientific research. No topic has more meaning or relevance than using our brains to understand the working of our own minds.
R. Grant Steen, Ph.D. (Chapel Hill, NC) is a neurophysiologist and associate professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill. He has authored or edited four books including the highly acclaimed DNA & Destiny: Nature and Nurture in Human Behavior, in addition to nearly seventy research papers.
The Anthill of the Brain; Conduction and Connection; The Sensation of Change; The "Dinosaur" Brain; The "Human" Brain; The Psychology of Learning; The Biological Basis of Memory; Brain Plasticity and Neural Stem Cells; Consciousness; Altered States; Emotion and the Social Brain; Motivation and the Social Mind; Genes, Environment and Human Behaviour; Neurology and Illnesses of the Brain; Psychiatry and Illnesses of the Mind Intelligence and Sociality; Toward a Theory of Emergent Complexity; Index.
"...superbly describe[s] breakthroughs in basic neurobiology, debunk[s] 'intelligent design,' and both argue[s] and demonstrate[s] the need for cross-disciplinary collaboration to address issues such as consciousness, creativity, and self-knowledge. Well-written and informative, The Evolving Brain is recommended to a broad audience, including students...as well as established clinicians and researches wishing to see the larger panorama within which their work resides...I found this book to be a tour de force." -- Psychiatric Services magazine, Vol. 58, No. 11, November 2007
