The Neuroscience Bible: The Definitive Guide to the Science of the Mapping of the Mind

A new "bible" title that reveals the science of our brains.

The term "mind mapping" has been used in various contexts over time, however this book, The Neuroscience Bible, is strictly about the human brain as a vital organ and how it controls the nervous system and thus our life. It is a crash-course in the latest scientific knowledge of the workings of the brain and the nervous system it controls. The most elusive concepts, such as memory and addiction and the difference between the brain and the mind, are broken down into easily understandable bite-sized pieces.

In pictures of the brain, the cerebrum is most noticeable. Sitting at the top of the brain, it is the source of all intellectual activities. It is split into two halves -- the proverbial "left brain and right brain" -- which communicate via nerve fibers. Information collected by your senses moves along a network of linked nerve cells called neurons, which are the basic building blocks of the nervous system. These neurons are active in both sides of the brain, which although looking the same, are different. Words are formed in the left hemisphere, abstract reasoning in the right. Together, they control every brain activity -- from memories, planning, imagination, recognizing friends and reading books to playing games and creating art.

The Neuroscience Bible explains all this and much more. Topics include:

• The anatomy of the brain
• Neurons, synapses and axons
• The building blocks of the brain
• The difference between the brain and the mind
• The biology of mental illness
• Modern treatment of mental illness
• The effects on the brain of alcohol and drugs
• Memory, senses, cravings
• Fight or flight
• Exploring the brain's billions of neurons with mind mapping
• The future of neuroscience.

As you read this book, your brain and your nervous system will be busy making sense of the words. Nerve cells in your eyes will sense the letters' boundaries and transmit them from your eyes to your brain which forms the words and recalls their meanings.

Jon Turney has been a science writer, editor and reviewer for more than 30 years. He has lectured widely and created and taught science communication courses at the university level and for museums and schools. He lives in Bristol, UK.