The Brain: A Very Short Introduction by Michael O'Shea
Product Details:
Language: English
ISBN 10: 0192853929
ISBN 13: 978-0192853929
Author: Michael O'Shea
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Subject: Brain
Place of publication: USA
Year Published: 2006
Edition: 1st edition
Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 144
Dimensions: 17.2 x 11 x 1 cm / 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 120 gr / 4.2 ounces
Synopsis:
- Short, clear discussion on the mechanical workings of the brain
- Covers the details of brain science in an accessible way
- Up to date coverage of developments of brain research
- Suggests directions future research might take
- Discusses many of the brain's actions that people wonder about, such as memories, perceptions, and motor control
Full Description:
The Brain: A Very Short Introduction provides a non-technical introduction to the main issues and findings in current brain research and gives a sense of how neuroscience addresses questions about the relationship between the brain and the mind. Short, clear discussions on the mechanical workings of the brain are offered and the details of brain science are covered in an accessible style. Explanations of the more familiar implications of the brain's actions, such as memories, perceptions, and motor control are integrated throughout the book. It has chapters on brain processes and the causes of "altered mental states," as well as a final chapter that discusses possible future developments in neuroscience, touching on artificial intelligence, gene therapy, the importance of the Human Genome Project, drugs by design, and transplants. Up-to-date coverage of the newest developments in brain research and suggestions for future research on the brain are also included.
How does the brain work? How different is a human brain from other creatures' brains? Is the human brain still evolving?
Readership:
Students of neuroscience and neurophysiology. General readers curious about the new developments in neuro-technology, and brain research; anyone interested in how the brain works, and wishing to
know more about the relationships between the brain and thoughts, motor skills, memories, and perceptions.
Table of Contents
1: Mind and brain: what's the problem?
2: Let's get physical
3: Sight, sound, and imagination
4: "Last week's potatoes!"
5: Perception to action
6: Altered states of mind
7: Where do we go from here?
About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.
About the Author:
Michael O’Shea is Professor of Neuroscience and co-Director of the Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics at the University of Sussex in the UK. Before taking up his present position he was Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Geneva, Switzerland and Associate Professor at the University of Chicago in the USA. He held Research Fellowships at the University of Cambridge and the University of California at Berkeley. He is author of more than 100 scholarly articles on cellular, molecular and computational neuroscience and biologically inspired robotics. He is a keen amateur astronomer and an armchair philosopher.
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The Brain: A Very Short Introduction by Michael O'Shea