Understanding the Brain: From Cells to Behavior to Cognition

Dowling, John E.

ISBN 10: 0393712575 / ISBN 13: 9780393712575

Published by W. W. Norton & Company, 2018

About this Item

The human brain weighs no more than three and a half pounds- only about 2-3% of our total body weight. But its importance cannot be overstated. It oversees everything we do and makes us what we are. When the brain deteriorates, not only are individuals unable to carry out even simple tasks, bit they lose their uniqueness and individuality. This book describes our understanding of brain function, conveys the progress we are making how brains work, and describes some of our strategies for studying brain function.

Seller Inventory # 9780393712575

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Understanding the Brain: From Cells to Behavior to Cognition
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0393712575
• ISBN 13: 9780393712575
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New
• Dust Jacket Condition: New
• Seller catalogs:
  • New Book

About this title

Synopsis

An examination of what makes us human and unique among all creatures―our brains.

No reader curious about our “little grey cells” will want to pass up Harvard neuroscientist John E. Dowling’s brief introduction to the brain. In this up-to-date revision of his 1998 book Creating Mind, Dowling conveys the essence and vitality of the field of neuroscience―examining the progress we’ve made in understanding how brains work, and shedding light on discoveries having to do with aging, mental illness, and brain health. The first half of the book provides the nuts-and-bolts necessary for an up-to-date understanding of the brain. Covering the general organization of the brain, early chapters explain how cells communicate with one another to enable us to experience the world. The rest of the book touches on higher-level concepts such as vision, perception, language, memory, emotion, and consciousness. Beautifully illustrated and lucidly written, this introduction elegantly reveals the beauty of the organ that makes us uniquely human.

About the Author

John E. Dowling is professor emeritus at Harvard University, and has done extensive research into the neurobiology of vision. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.