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› Find signed collectible books: 'An Alchemy of Mind: The Marvel And Mystery of the Brain'
Does the mind reflect or dictate what the body sees and feels? What is the language of emotion? Is memory a function of our imaginations? Are we all just out of our minds?
In this ambitious and enlightening work, Diane Ackerman combines an artist's eye with a scientist's erudition to illuminate the magic and mysteries of the human brain. With An Alchemy of Mind, she offers an unprecedented exploration of the mental fantasia in which we spend our days. In addition to explaining memory, thought, emotion, dreams, and language acquisition, Ackerman reports on the latest discoveries in neuroscience and addresses such controversial subjects as the effects of trauma, nature versus nurture, and male versus female brains. In prose that is not simply accessible but also beautiful and electric, Ackerman distills the hard, objective truths of science in order to yield vivid, anecdotal explanations about a range of existential questions regarding consciousness and the nature of identity. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales'
Detailed and fascinating portraits of seven neurological patients, including a surgeon consumed by the compulsive tics of Tourette's syndrome unless he is operating; an artist who loses all sense of color in a car accident, but finds a new sensibility and creative power in black and white; and an autistic professor who cannot decipher the simplest social exchange between humans, but has built a career out of her intuitive understanding of animal behavior.
"Among doctors who write with acuity and grace, Sacks ( The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat) takes a higher place with each successive book.... enlarges our view of the nature of human experience." --Publisher's Weekly
"... Dr. Sacks's best book to date." --The New York Time Book Review [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature'
Our conceptions of human nature affect everything aspect of our lives, from child-rearing to politics to morality to the arts. Yet many fear that scientific discoveries about innate patterns of thinking and feeling may be used to justify inequality, to subvert social change, and to dissolve personal responsibility.
In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker explores the idea of human nature and its moral, emotional, and political colorings. He shows how many intellectuals have denied the existence of human nature and instead have embraced three dogmas: The Blank Slate (the mind has no innate traits), The Noble Savage (people are born good and corrupted by society), and The Ghost in the Machine (each of us has a soul that makes choices free from biology). Each dogma carries a moral burden, so their defenders have engaged in desperate tactics to discredit the scientists who are now challenging them.
Pinker provides calm in the stormy debate by disentangling the political and moral issues from the scientific ones. He shows that equality, compassion, responsibility, and purpose have nothing to fear from discoveries about an innately organized psyche. Pinker shows that the new sciences of mind, brain, genes, and evolution, far from being dangerous, are complementing observations about the human condition made by millennia of artists and philosophers. All this is done in the style that earned his previous books many prizes and worldwide acclaim: irreverent wit, lucid exposition, and startling insight on matters great and small. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Brainscapes: An Introduction to What Neuroscience Has Learned About the Structure, Function, and Abilities of the Brain'
A leading expert on the brain offers an accessible, fascinating, and up-to-date survey of what we know about the brain, from how brain cells communicate with one another to the relationship between pollution and Alzheimer's disease. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Bright Air, Brilliant Fire: On the Matter of the Mind'
We are on the verge of a revolution in neuroscience as significant as the Galilean revolution in physics or the Darwinian revolution in biology. Nobel laureate Gerald M. Edelman takes issue with the many current cognitive and behavioral approaches to the brain that leave biology out of the picture, and argues that the workings of the brain more closely resemble the living ecology of a jungle than they do the activities of a computer. Some startling conclusions emerge from these ideas: individuality is necessarily at the very center of what it means to have a mind, no creature is born value-free, and no physical theory of the universe can claim to be a "theory of everything" without including an account of how the brain gives rise to the mind. There is no greater scientific challenge than understanding the brain. Bright Air, Brilliant Fire is a book that provides a window on that understanding. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Clinical Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously Simple'
This now-classic text (over 300,000 copies sold) presents the most relevant points in clinical neuroanatomy with mnemonics, humor and case presentations. For neuroanatomy courses and Board review. Second edition. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Cognitive Neuroscience: A Reader'
Cognitive Neuroscience: A Reader provides the first definitive collection of readings in this burgeoning area of study. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind'
The second edition of "Cognitive Neuroscience" strengthens the text's interdisciplinary approach to understanding how the human mind works by introducing over 400 new citations and two new chapters. This volume also features increased coverage of computational modelling, discussions of prominent methodological advances and an enhanced art programme. Throughout the text, clinical case studies anchor science to the realm of human experience. These narratives - which explore disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease - invite students to consider realities behind the scientific research. This undergraduate text reinforces central concepts with a variety of pedagogical elements, including: chapter-opening vignettes; key terms; thought-provoking questions; chapter summeries; suggested readings; and a glossary. Feature boxes such as "Milestones in Cognitive Neuroscience", "How the Brain Works" and "The Cognitive Neuroscientist's Toolkit", highlight cognitive neuroscience in action. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Cognitive Neurosciences'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Cognitive Neurosciences III'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Computational Brain'
How do groups of neurons interact to enable the organism to see, decide, and move appropriately? What are the principles whereby networks of neurons represent and compute? These are the central questions probed by The Computational Brain. Churchland and Sejnowski address the foundational ideas of the emerging field of computational neuroscience, examine a diverse range of neural network models, and consider future directions of the field. The Computational Brain is the first unified and broadly accessible book to bring together computational concepts and behavioral data within a neurobiological framework.Computer models constrained by neurobiological data can help reveal how -networks of neurons subserve perception and behavior - bow their physical interactions can yield global results in perception and behavior, and how their physical properties are used to code information and compute solutions. The Computational Brain focuses mainly on three domains: visual perception, learning and memory, and sensorimotor integration. Examples of recent computer models in these domains are discussed in detail, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, and extracting principles applicable to other domains. Churchland and Sejnowski show how both abstract models and neurobiologically realistic models can have useful roles in computational neuroscience, and they predict the coevolution of models and experiments at many levels of organization, from the neuron to the system.The Computational Brain addresses a broad audience: neuroscientists, computer scientists, cognitive scientists, and philosophers. It is written for both the expert and novice. A basic overview of neuroscience and computational theory is provided, followed by a study of some of the most recent and sophisticated modeling work in the context of relevant neurobiological research. Technical terms are clearly explained in the text, and definitions are provided in an extensive glossary. The appendix contains a précis of neurobiological techniques.Patricia S. Churchland is Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, San Diego, Adjunct Professor at the Salk Institute, and a MacArthur Fellow. Terrence J. Sejnowski is Professor of Biology at the University of California, San Diego, Professor at the Salk Institute, where he is Director of the Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Consciousness Explained'
Consciousness is notoriously difficult to explain. On one hand, there are facts about conscious experience--the way clarinets sound, the way lemonade tastes--that we know subjectively, from the inside. On the other hand, such facts are not readily accommodated in the objective world described by science. How, after all, could the reediness of clarinets or the tartness of lemonade be predicted in advance? Central to Daniel C. Dennett's attempt to resolve this dilemma is the "heterophenomenological" method, which treats reports of introspection nontraditionally--not as evidence to be used in explaining consciousness, but as data to be explained. Using this method, Dennett argues against the myth of the Cartesian theater--the idea that consciousness can be precisely located in space or in time. To replace the Cartesian theater, he introduces his own multiple drafts model of consciousness, in which the mind is a bubbling congeries of unsupervised parallel processing. Finally, Dennett tackles the conventional philosophical questions about consciousness, taking issue not only with the traditional answers but also with the traditional methodology by which they were reached.
Dennett's writing, while always serious, is never solemn; who would have thought that combining philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience could be such fun? Not every reader will be convinced that Dennett has succeeded in explaining consciousness; many will feel that his account fails to capture essential features of conscious experience. But none will want to deny that the attempt was well worth making. --Glenn Branch [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, And the Human Brain'
In this wondrously lucid and engaging book, renowned neurologist Antonio Damasio demonstrates what many of us have long suspected: emotions are not a luxury, they are essential to rational thinking.
Descartes' Error takes the reader on an enthralling journey of scientific discovery, starting with the case of Phineas Gage--a construction foreman who in 1848 survived a freak accident in which a 3 1/2 foot iron rod passed through his head--and continuing on to Damasio's experiences with modern-day neurological patients affected by brain damage. Far from interfering with rationality, his research shows us, the absence of emotion and feeling can break down rationality and make wise decision making almost impossible.
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Essentials of Neural Science and Behavior'
This book introduces undergraduate students to the fundamentals of biology in mental processes. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter'
In his fourth book, Everything Bad Is Good for You, iconoclastic science writer Steven Johnson (who used himself as a test subject for the latest neurological technology in his last book, Mind Wide Open) takes on one of the most widely held preconceptions of the postmodern world--the belief that video games, television shows, and other forms of popular entertainment are detrimental to Americans' cognitive and moral development. Everything Good builds a case to the contrary that is engaging, thorough, and ultimately convincing.
The heart of Johnson's argument is something called the Sleeper Curve--a universe of popular entertainment that trends, intellectually speaking, ever upward, so that today's pop-culture consumer has to do more "cognitive work"--making snap decisions and coming up with long-term strategies in role-playing video games, for example, or mastering new virtual environments on the Internet-- than ever before. Johnson makes a compelling case that even today's least nutritional TV junk foodthe Joe Millionaires and Survivors so commonly derided as evidence of America's cultural decline--is more complex and stimulating, in terms of plot complexity and the amount of external information viewers need to understand them, than the Love Boats and I Love Lucys that preceded it. When it comes to television, even (perhaps especially) crappy television, Johnson argues, "the content is less interesting than the cognitive work the show elicits from your mind."
Johnson's work has been controversial, as befits a writer willing to challenge wisdom so conventional it has ossified into accepted truth. But even the most skeptical readers should be captivated by the intriguing questions Johnson raises, whether or not they choose to accept his answers. --Erica C. Barnett [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness'
As you read this, at some level you're aware that you're reading, thanks to a standard human feature commonly referred to as consciousness. What is it--a spiritual phenomenon, an evolutionary tool, a neurological side effect? The best scientists love to tackle big, meaningful questions like this, and neuroscientist Antonio Damasio jumps right in with The Feeling of What Happens, a poetic examination of interior life through lenses of research, medical cases, philosophical analysis, and unashamed introspection. Damasio's perspective is, fortunately, becoming increasingly common in the scientific community; despite all the protestations of old-guard behaviorists, subjective consciousness is a plain fact to most of us and the demand for new methods of inquiry is finally being met.
These new methods are not without rigor, though. Damasio and his colleagues examine patients with disruptions and interruptions in consciousness and take deep insights from these tragic lives while offering greater comfort and meaning to the sufferers. His thesis, that our sense of self arises from our need to map relations between self and others, is firmly rooted in medical and evolutionary research but stands up well to self-examination. His examples from the weird world of neurology are unsettling yet deeply humanizing--real people with serious problems spring to life in the pages, but they are never reduced to their deficits. The Feeling of What Happens captures the spirit of discovery as it plunges deeper than ever into the darkest waters yet. --Rob Lightner [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Guided Meditation: Creative Visualization for Generating Energy and Managing Stress'
1997 W.W Norton & Company jumbo trade paperback, 7th printing. ISBN:9780965838047. Explains why we feel the way we do-control of emotions, thoughts and limbs in the control center also called the brain. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'How the Mind Works'
Why do fools fall in love? Why does a man's annual salary, on average, increase $600 with each inch of his height? When a crack dealer guns down a rival, how is he just like Alexander Hamilton, whose face is on the ten-dollar bill? How do optical illusions function as windows on the human soul? Cheerful, cheeky, occasionally outrageous MIT psychologist Steven Pinker answers all of the above and more in his marvelously fun, awesomely informative survey of modern brain science. Pinker argues that Darwin plus canny computer programs are the key to understanding ourselves--but he also throws in apt references to Star Trek, Star Wars, The Far Side, history, literature, W. C. Fields, Mozart, Marilyn Monroe, surrealism, experimental psychology, and Moulay Ismail the Bloodthirsty and his 888 children. If How the Mind Works were a rock show, tickets would be scalped for $100. This book deserved its spot as Number One on bestseller lists. It belongs on a short shelf alongside such classics as Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life, by Daniel C. Dennett, and The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology, by Robert Wright. Pinker's startling ideas pop out as dramatically as those hidden pictures in a Magic Eye 3D stereogram poster, which he also explains in brilliantly lucid prose. [via]
› Find signed collectible books: 'In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind'
A stunning book.Oliver Sacks
Charting the intellectual history of the emerging biology of mind, Eric R. Kandel illuminates how behavioral psychology, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and molecular biology have converged into a powerful new science of mind. This science now provides nuanced insights into normal mental functioning and disease, and simultaneously opens pathways to more effective healing.More editions of In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Lake Wobegon Summer 1956'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Language Instinct'
In The Language Instinct , Steven Pinker, well-known for his revolutionary theory of how children acquire language, lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, how it evolved. With wit, education, and deft use of everyday examples of humor and wordplay, Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution like web spinning in spiders or sonar in bats. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language'
In this "extremely valuable book, very informative, and very well written" (Noam Chomsky), one of the greatest thinkers in the field of linguistics explains how language works--how people, ny making noises with their mouths, can cause ideas to arise in other people's minds. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales'
A major bestseller and already acclaimed as a science classic, this collection of 20 true tales of individuals stricken with astonishing neurological disorders has sold over 70,000 copies. (Pscyhology) [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Man Who Tasted Shapes: A Bizarre Medical Mystery Offers Revolutionary Insights into Emotions, Reasoning, and Consciousness'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Mapping the Mind'
In the last decades of the 20th century, scientists have come to believe that the human brain is almost completely modular. Every bit of the brain does something in particular, and surprisingly specific abilities, memories, and responses are in localized areas. Journalist Rita Carter has drawn a map of what is known (and speculated) about the mind in a heavily illustrated field guide to the human brain.
Carter and her scientific editor, neuropsychologist Christopher Frith, cover the state of the mind in a reasonably accurate, accessible way. They emphasize topics that are likely to be of some practical interest--such as Alzheimer's or attention deficit disorder--but not so much as to give a distorted picture of the field.
Perhaps the most interesting parts of the book are the sidebars written by a variety of leading names in mind-brain science. Roger Penrose writes on computer minds, Francis Crick on consciousness, Steven Rose on memory, John Maynard Smith on social evolution, William Calvin on mosaic minds, Kay Redfield Jamison on creativity and bipolar disorders, and more. It's a stellar assortment, more than worth the price of admission--and there's a map of the mind on the cover, in case you misplace yours. --Mary Ellen Curtin [via]
› Find signed collectible books: 'Memory: From Mind to Molecules'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Mind Hacks'
The brain is a fearsomely complex information-processing environment--one that often eludes our ability to understand it. At any given time, the brain is collecting, filtering, and analyzing information and, in response, performing countless intricate processes, some of which are automatic, some voluntary, some conscious, and some unconscious.
Cognitive neuroscience is one of the ways we have to understand the workings of our minds. It's the study of the brain biology behind our mental functions: a collection of methods--like brain scanning and computational modeling--combined with a way of looking at psychological phenomena and discovering where, why, and how the brain makes them happen.
Want to know more? Mind Hacks is a collection of probes into the moment-by-moment works of the brain. Using cognitive neuroscience, these experiments, tricks, and tips related to vision, motor skills, attention, cognition, subliminal perception, and more throw light on how the human brain works. Each hack examines specific operations of the brain. By seeing how the brain responds, we pick up clues about the architecture and design of the brain, learning a little bit more about how the brain is put together.
Mind Hacks begins your exploration of the mind with a look inside the brain itself, using hacks such as "Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Turn On and Off Bits of the Brain" and "Tour the Cortex and the Four Lobes." Also among the 100 hacks in this book, you'll find:
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Mind Performance Hacks'
You're smart. This book can make you smarter.
Mind Performance Hacks provides real-life tips and tools for overclocking your brain and becoming a better thinker. In the increasingly frenetic pace of today's information economy, managing your life requires hacking your brain. With this book, you'll cut through the clutter and tune up your brain intentionally, safely, and productively.
Grounded in current research and theory, but offering practical solutions you can apply immediately, Mind Performance Hacks is filled with life hacks that teach you to:
While the hugely successful Mind Hacks showed you how your brain works, Mind Performance Hacks shows you how to make it work better.
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Mind Wide Open: Your Brain And The Neuroscience Of Everyday Life'
BRILLIANTLY EXPLORING TODAY'S CUTTING-EDGE BRAIN RESEARCH, "MIND WIDE OPEN" IS AN UNPRECEDENTED JOURNEY INTO THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN PERSONALITY, ALLOWING READERS TO UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES AND THE PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES AS NEVER BEFORE.
Using a mix of experiential reportage, personal storytelling, and fresh scientific discovery, Steven Johnson describes how the brain works -- its chemicals, structures, and subroutines -- and how these systems connect to the day-to-day realities of individual lives. For a hundred years, he says, many of us have assumed that the most powerful route to self-knowledge took the form of lying on a couch, talking about our childhoods. The possibility entertained in this book is that you can follow another path, in which learning about the brain's mechanics can widen one's self-awareness as powerfully as any therapy or meditation or drug.
In "Mind Wide Open, " Johnson embarks on this path as his own test subject, participating in a battery of attention tests, learning to control video games by altering his brain waves, scanning his own brain with a $2 million fMRI machine, all in search of a modern answer to the oldest of questions: who am I?
Along the way, Johnson explores how we "read" other people, how the brain processes frightening events (and how we might rid ourselves of the scars those memories leave), what the neurochemistry is behind love and sex, what it means that our brains are teeming with powerful chemicals closely related to recreational drugs, why music moves us to tears, and where our breakthrough ideas come from.
Johnson's clear, engaging explanation of the physical functions of the brain reveals not only the broad strokes of our aptitudes and fears, our skills and weaknesses and desires, but also the momentary brain phenomena that a whole human life comprises. Why, when hearing a tale of woe, do we sometimes smile inappropriately, even if we don't want to? Why are some of us so bad at remembering phone numbers but brilliant at recognizing faces? Why does depression make us feel stupid?
To read "Mind Wide Open" is to rethink family histories, individual fates, and the very nature of the self, and to see that brain science is now personally transformative -- a valuable tool for better relationships and better living. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Naked Brain: How the Emerging Neurosociety Is Changing How We Live, Work, And Love'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Neurobiology'
This widely used and highly praised textbook has been extensively revised to reflect the most exciting research across the entire range of neuroscience. A new feature is an introductory discussion of the mechanisms of gene regulation, while the superfamily of molecules responsible for membrane signaling is given new emphasis as a unifying theme throughout molecular and cellular neurobiology. The roles of these molecules in impulse conduction and synaptic transmission are fully explained, and illustrated by computer models. For the first time in a neurobiology text, these mechanisms can be explored by using a state-of-the-art interactive computer program provided with an accompanying tutorial handbook. In the sections dealing with neural systems, the comparative approach continues to be used to illustrate general principles. Students learn about the progress being made toward a molecular basis for sensory perception and new methods for revealing the neural activity underlying sensory and motor functions are described. There is an emphasis on the plasticity of both sensory and the motor circuits in mediating functions that reflect the effects of activity or recovery from injury. Central systems continue to be featured as the culmination of neural evolution. These include the systems vital for all animals, such as sleeping, feeding and reproduction, as well as the systems for language, emotion and higher cognitive functions that reach their peak in humans. There is special emphasis on recent work on memory, contrasting the mechanisms for short-term working memory and long-term memory and summarizing the present understanding of the mechanisms of long-term potential. The twin themes of organizational levels and comparative systems help bring together the vast range of studies and provides a conceptual framework that unifies the field of neurobiology. As in previous editions, the text continues to draw on the advantages of having a single author. In addition, leaders in a number of specialties have assisted the author, so that the text represents the most up-to-date views of current research on the nervous system. [via]
› Find signed collectible books: 'Neurophilosophy: Toward a Unified Science of Mind/Brain'
Five chapters in the book's first part, "Some Elementary Neuroscience," sketch the history of the science of nervous systems and provide a general introduction to neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, and neuropsychology. In the second part, "Recent Developments in the Philosophy of Science," chapters place the mind-body problem within the wider context of the philosophy of science. Drawing on recent research in this area, a general account of intertheoretic reduction is explained, arguments for a reductionist strategy are developed, and traditional objections from dualists and other anti reductionists are answered in novel ways. The third part, "A Neurophilosophical Perspective," concludes the book with a presentation and discussion of some of the most promising theoretical developments currently under exploration in functional neurobiology and in the connectionist models within artificial intelligence research.Patricia Churchland is Professor of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego. A Bradford Book.
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Neuroscience'
Neuroscience is a comprehensive text that emphasizes the structure of the nervous system, the correlation of structure and function, and the structure/function relationships particularly pertinent to the practice of medicine. Although not primarily about pathology,the book includes the basis of a variety of neurological disorders. It could serve equally well as a text for medical students or for undergraduate neuroscience courses in which many of the students are premeds. Being both comprehensive and authoritative, it is also appropriate for graduate and professional use. "...an outstanding textbook and one that will be useful for instructors and students of many introductory courses." Neuron [via]
› Find signed collectible books: 'Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain'
An undergraduate neuroscience text with particular emphasis on cellular foundations, sensory and motor systems, and behavioural topics. It emphasizes the biological basis of neuroscience versus strictly psychological and behavioural approaches. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'On Intelligence'

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Owner's Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind-Brain Research'
This information-packed guidebook combines the latest in brain research with the real world applications for your personal, family and work life. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind'
What would you say about a woman who, despite stroke-induced paralysis crippling the entire left side of her body, insists that she is whole and strong--who even sees her left hand reach out to grasp objects? Freud called it "denial"; neurologists call it "anosognosia." However it may be labeled, this phenomenon and others like it allow us peeks into other mental worlds and afford us considerable insight into our own.
The writings of Oliver Sacks and others have shown us that we can learn much about ourselves by looking closely at the deficits shown by people with neurological problems. V.S. Ramachandran has seen countless patients suffering from anosognosia, phantom limb pain, blindsight, and other disorders, and he brings a remarkable mixture of clinical intuition and research savvy to bear on their problems. He is one of the few scientists who are able and willing to explore the personal, subjective ramifications of his work; he rehumanizes an often too-sterile field and captures the spirit of wonder so essential for true discovery. Phantoms in the Brain is equal parts medical mystery, scientific adventure, and philosophical speculation; Ramachandran's writing is smart, caring, and very, very funny.
Whether you're curious about the workings of the brain, interested in alternatives to expensive, high-tech science (much of Ramachandran's research is done with materials found around the home), or simply want a fresh perspective on the nature of human consciousness, you'll find satisfaction with Phantoms in the Brain. --Rob Lightner [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Primate's Memoir'
Robert Sapolsky, the author of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers and other popular books on animal and human behavior, decided early in life to become a primatologist, volunteering at the American Museum of Natural History and badgering his high school principal to let him study Swahili to prepare for travel in Africa. When he set out to conduct fieldwork as a young graduate student, though, Sapolsky found that life among a Kenyan baboon troop was markedly different from his earlier bookish studies. Among other things, he confesses, he had to become a master of shooting anesthetic darts into his subjects with a blowgun to take blood samples, a mastery that required him to become "a leering slinky silent quicksilver baboon terror." He also had to learn how to negotiate the complexities of baboon politics, endure the difficulties of life in the bush, and subsist on cases of canned mackerel and beans.
His memoir is, in the main, quite humorous, although Sapolsky flings a few darts along the way at the late activist Dian Fossey--who, he hints, may have indirectly caused the deaths of her beloved mountain gorillas by her unstable, irrational dealings with local people--and at local bureaucrats whose interests did not often coincide with those of Sapolsky's wild charges. It is also full of good information on primates and primatology, a subject whose practitioners, it seems, are constantly fighting to save species and ecosystems. "Every primatologist I know is losing that battle," he writes. "They make me think of someone whose unlikely job would be to collect snowflakes, to rush into a warm room and observe the unique pattern under a microscope before it melts and is never seen again." --Gregory McNamee [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life among the Baboons'
Robert Sapolsky, the author of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers and other popular books on animal and human behavior, decided early in life to become a primatologist, volunteering at the American Museum of Natural History and badgering his high school principal to let him study Swahili to prepare for travel in Africa. When he set out to conduct fieldwork as a young graduate student, though, Sapolsky found that life among a Kenyan baboon troop was markedly different from his earlier bookish studies. Among other things, he confesses, he had to become a master of shooting anesthetic darts into his subjects with a blowgun to take blood samples, a mastery that required him to become "a leering slinky silent quicksilver baboon terror." He also had to learn how to negotiate the complexities of baboon politics, endure the difficulties of life in the bush, and subsist on cases of canned mackerel and beans.
His memoir is, in the main, quite humorous, although Sapolsky flings a few darts along the way at the late activist Dian Fossey--who, he hints, may have indirectly caused the deaths of her beloved mountain gorillas by her unstable, irrational dealings with local people--and at local bureaucrats whose interests did not often coincide with those of Sapolsky's wild charges. It is also full of good information on primates and primatology, a subject whose practitioners, it seems, are constantly fighting to save species and ecosystems. "Every primatologist I know is losing that battle," he writes. "They make me think of someone whose unlikely job would be to collect snowflakes, to rush into a warm room and observe the unique pattern under a microscope before it melts and is never seen again." --Gregory McNamee [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Principles of Neural Science'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Principles of Neural Science'
NA [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Principles of Neural Science'
Now updated: the definitive neuroscience resourcefrom Eric R. Kandel, MD (winner of the Nobel Prize in 2000); James H. Schwartz, MD, PhD; Thomas M. Jessell, PhD; Steven A. Siegelbaum, PhD; and A. J. Hudspeth, PhD
900 full-color illustrations
Deciphering the link between the human brain and behavior has always been one of the most intriguingand often challengingaspects of scientific endeavor. The sequencing of the human genome, and advances in molecular biology, have illuminated the pathogenesis of many neurological diseases and have propelled our knowledge of how the brain controls behavior.
To grasp the wider implications of these developments and gain a fundamental understanding of this dynamic, fast-moving field, Principles of Neuroscience stands alone as the most authoritative and indispensible resource of its kind.
In this classic text, prominent researchers in the field expertly survey the entire spectrum of neural science, giving an up-to-date, unparalleled view of the discipline for anyone who studies brain and mind. Here, in one remarkable volume, is the current state of neural science knowledgeranging from molecules and cells, to anatomic structures and systems, to the senses and cognitive functionsall supported by more than 900 precise, full-color illustrations. In addition to clarifying complex topics, the book also benefits from a cohesive organization, beginning with an insightful overview of the interrelationships between the brain, nervous system, genes, and behavior. Principles of Neural Science then proceeds with an in-depth examination of the molecular and cellular biology of nerve cells, synaptic transmission, and the neural basis of cognition. The remaining sections illuminate how cells, molecules, and systems give us sight, hearing, touch, movement, thought, learning, memories, and emotions.
The new fifth edition of Principles of Neural Science is thoroughly updated to reflect the tremendous amount of research, and the very latest clinical perspectives, that have significantly transformed the field within the last decade.
Ultimately, Principles of Neural Science affirms that all behavior is an expression of neural activity, and that the future of clinical neurology and psychiatry hinges on the progress of neural science. Far exceeding the scope and scholarship of similar texts, this unmatched guide offers a commanding, scientifically rigorous perspective on the molecular mechanisms of neural function and diseaseone that youll continually rely on to advance your comprehension of brain, mind, and behavior.
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Spikes: Exploring the Neural Code'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Sylvius 2.0: Fundamentals of Human Neural Structure'
Sylvius 2.0 features a completely redesigned, intuitive, and larger (800X600) interface, colorized (vs. greyscale) brains, functional information on labeled structures, audio pronunciation of neuroanatomical terms, and a self-quiz mode. The program consists of six interactive modules: Surface Anatomy (shows whole-brain surface features from eight different vantage points); Sectional Anatomy ("virtually" sections the whole-brain specimen in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes); Spinal Cord and Brainstem (uses a cross-sectional atlas or whole-brain model to examine these structures); Pathways (focuses on the major neural connections and pathways); Animations (QT and QTVR movies of both whole and dissected rotations); and Index and Reference (searches the visual glossary for a brief description of about 200 anatomical structures). [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are'
A middle-aged neuroscientist walking down Bourbon Street spots a T-shirt that reads, "I don't know, so maybe I'm not." This stimulus zooms from eyes to brain, neuron by neuron, via tiny junctions called synapses. The results? An immediate chuckle and (sometime later) a groundbreaking book titled The Synaptic Self. To Joseph LeDoux, the simple question, "What makes us who we are?" represents the driving force behind his 20-plus years of research into the cognitive, emotional, and motivational functions of the brain.
LeDoux believes the answer rests in the synapses, key players in the brain's intricately designed communication system. In other words, the pathways by which a person's "hardwired" responses (nature) mesh with his or her unique life experiences (nurture) determine that person's individuality. Here, LeDoux nimbly compresses centuries of philosophy, psychology, and biology into an amazingly clear picture of humanity's journey toward understanding the self.
Equally readable is his comprehensive science lesson, where detailed circuit speak reads like an absorbing--yet often humorous--mystery novel. Skillfully presenting research studies and findings alongside their various implications, LeDoux makes a solid case for accepting a synaptic explanation of existence and provides to the reader generous helpings of knowledge, amusement, and awe along the way. --Liane Thomas [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Three-pound Enigma: The Human Brain And the Quest To Unlock Its Mysteries'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Universe of Consciousness'
Emily Dickinson wrote "The Brain--is wider than the Sky," and who can argue with that? Quoted by Nobel-winning scientist Gerald M. Edelman and his Neurosciences Institute colleague Giulio Tononi in A Universe of Consciousness, Miss Emily neatly explains the problem of conscious awareness, then ducks out of the way as the two scientists get to work solving it. Testable theories of consciousness are mighty lonely, as even the soberest mind can be driven to tears of madness pondering its own activity. Centuries of work by philosophers and psychologists like James and Freud have made little progress by starting with awareness and working backward to the brain; these days we have a secure enough base to try looking in the other direction and building a theory of the mind out of neurons.
Though Edelman and Tononi do make a good effort to help out the lay reader, ultimately A Universe of Consciousness is aimed at the interdisciplinary gang of scientists and academics trying to understand our shared but invisible experience. The first sections of the book cover the basic philosophical, psychological, and biological elements essential to their theory. Swiftly the authors proceed to define terms and concepts (even the long-abused term complexity gets a reappraisal) and elaborate on these to create a robust, testable theory of the neural basis of consciousness. Following this hard work, they consider some ramifications of the theory and take a close look at language and thinking. This much-needed jump-start is sure to provoke a flurry of experimental and theoretical responses; A Universe of Consciousness might just help us answer some of the greatest questions of science, philosophy, and even poetry. --Rob Lightner [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Vintage Sacks'
Vintage Readers are a perfect introduction to some of the great modern writers presented in attractive, accessible paperback editions.
It is Dr. Sackss gift that he has found a way to enlarge our experience and understanding of what the human is. The Wall Street Journal
Dubbed the poet laureate of medicine by The New York Times, Oliver Sacks is a practicing neurologist and a mesmerizing storyteller. His empathetic accounts of his patientss livesand wrily observed narratives of his ownconvey both the extreme borderlands of human experience and the miracles of ordinary seeing, speaking, hearing, thinking, and feeling.
Vintage Sacks includes the introduction and case study Rose R. from Awakenings (the book that inspired the Oscar-nominated movie), as well as A Deaf World from Seeing Voices; The Visions of Hildegard from Migraine; excerpts from Island Hopping and Pingelap from The Island of the Colorblind; A Surgeons Life from An Anthropologist on Mars; and two chapters from Sackss acclaimed memoir Uncle Tungsten. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Wider Than The Sky: The Phenomenal Gift Of Consciousness'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Blink Inteligencia Intuitiva?/blink.: Por Que Sabemos La Verdad En Dos Segundos/ the Power of Thinking Without Thinking'
In Blink, bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant ¯in the blink of an eye¯ that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? How do our brains really work - in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others? [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'La Tabla Rasa'
La concepción que podamos tener de la naturaleza humana afecta a todos los aspectos de nuestra vida, desde la forma en que educamos a nuestros hijos hasta las ideas políticas que defendemos. Sin embargo, en un momento en que la ciencia está avanzando espectacularmente en estos temas, muchas personas se muestran hostiles al respecto. Temen que los descubrimientos sobre los patrones innatos del pensar y el sentir se puedan emplear para justificar la desigualdad, subvertir el orden social, anular la responsabilidad personal y confundir el sentido y el propósito de la vida.En La tabla rasa, Steven Pinker explora la idea de la naturaleza humana y sus aspectos éticos, emocionales y políticos. Demuestra que muchos intelectuales han negado su existencia al defender tres dogmas entrelazados: la tabla rasa (la mente no tiene características innatas), el buen salvaje (la persona nace buena y la sociedad la corrompe) y el fantasma en la máquina (todos tenemos un alma que toma decisiones sin depender de la biología). Cada dogma sobrelleva una carga ética, y por eso sus defensores se obcecan en tácticas desesperadas para desacreditar a los científicos que los cuestionan.Pinker aporta calma y serenidad a estos debates al mostrar que la igualdad, el progreso, la responsabilidad y el propósito nada tienen que temer de los descubrimientos sobre la complejidad de la naturaleza humana. Con un razonamiento claro, sencillez en la exposición y ejemplos procedentes de la ciencia y la historia, el autor desmonta incluso las amenazas más inquietantes. Y demuestra que un reconocimiento de la naturaleza humana basado en la ciencia y el sentido común, lejos de ser peligroso, puede ser un complemento a las ideas sobre la condición humana que miles de miles de artistas y filósofos han generado. Todo ello aderezado con un estilo que, en sus obras anteriores, le sirvió para conseguir muchos premios y el aplauso internacional: ingenio, lucidez y agudeza en el análisis de todos los asuntos, sean grandes o pequeños. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Ao Encontro De Espinosa: As Emocoes Sociais E a Neurologia Do Sentir'
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