The Tangled Brain

The Tangled Brain PDF Author: Dick Pitt
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1440138303
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Book Description
Part of being human is to learn new ideas, reject them or modify them and pass them on. What we choose to do with an idea depends on who we are; our gender, ethnicity, earlier ideas, what we do for a living, etc. That is, ideas spread to our minds depending on whether they are fit for the environment or not. Descent with modification and selection is the central feature of both biological and ideological evolution. An evolutionary approach helps us to understand such issues as changes in Christianity over time, the mimicry of colonial regimes, the cycles of corruption that are followed by purges in the police and business, and much more. This approach can even shed a light on the belief that the end of the world is nigh. However, there are major differences between ideological and biological evolution. The roles played by consciousness and powerful individuals or groups cannot be ignored. The book contains examples that highlight the similarities and differences between biological and ideological evolution. We have a rich ideological flora and fauna in our minds. Hopefully, an understanding of how they got there will help us distinguish between beautiful flowers and pernicious weeds.

The Tangled Brain

The Tangled Brain PDF Author: Dick Pitt
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1440138303
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 390

Get Book Here

Book Description
Part of being human is to learn new ideas, reject them or modify them and pass them on. What we choose to do with an idea depends on who we are; our gender, ethnicity, earlier ideas, what we do for a living, etc. That is, ideas spread to our minds depending on whether they are fit for the environment or not. Descent with modification and selection is the central feature of both biological and ideological evolution. An evolutionary approach helps us to understand such issues as changes in Christianity over time, the mimicry of colonial regimes, the cycles of corruption that are followed by purges in the police and business, and much more. This approach can even shed a light on the belief that the end of the world is nigh. However, there are major differences between ideological and biological evolution. The roles played by consciousness and powerful individuals or groups cannot be ignored. The book contains examples that highlight the similarities and differences between biological and ideological evolution. We have a rich ideological flora and fauna in our minds. Hopefully, an understanding of how they got there will help us distinguish between beautiful flowers and pernicious weeds.

The Entangled Brain

The Entangled Brain PDF Author: Luiz Pessoa
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262544601
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
A new vision of the brain as a fully integrated, networked organ. Popular neuroscience accounts often focus on specific mind-brain aspects like addiction, cognition, or memory, but The Entangled Brain tackles a much bigger question: What kind of object is the brain? Neuroscientist Luiz Pessoa describes the brain as a highly networked, interconnected system that cannot be neatly decomposed into a set of independent parts. One can’t point to the brain and say, “This is where emotion happens” (or any other mental faculty). Pessoa argues that only by understanding how large-scale neural circuits combine multiple and diverse signals can we truly appreciate how the brain supports the mind. Presenting the brain as an integrated organ and drawing on neuroscience, computation, mathematics, systems theory, and evolution, The Entangled Brain explains how brain functions result from cross-cutting brain processing, not the function of segregated areas. Parts of the brain work in a coordinated fashion across large-scale distributed networks in which disparate parts of the cortex and the subcortex work simultaneously to bring about behaviors. Pessoa intuitively explains the concepts needed to formalize this idea of the brain as a complex system and how to unleash powerful understandings built with “collective computations.”

The Tangled Mind

The Tangled Mind PDF Author: Nick Kolenda
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781733978903
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 460

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Book Description
The Tangled Mind argues that a small group of sensory concepts sculpted your perception of the world. Today, your entire knowledge rests upon a sensory foundation. In this book, you'll learn how those sensory underpinnings influence perception and behavior, including deep-rooted beliefs and values (e.g., morality, religion, politics).

Totally Tangled

Totally Tangled PDF Author: Sandy Bartholomew
Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing
ISBN: 1607651181
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description
Learn to focus, relax your mind and boost your creative confidence! This inspiring book offers over 100 Zentangle designs, with versatile graphics that can be used to decorate any surface. Micron pens make drawing the tangles simple and permanent.

Discovering the Brain

Discovering the Brain PDF Author: National Academy of Sciences
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309045290
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 195

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Book Description
The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

Principles of Brain Dynamics

Principles of Brain Dynamics PDF Author: Mikhail I. Rabinovich
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262549905
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 371

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Book Description
Experimental and theoretical approaches to global brain dynamics that draw on the latest research in the field. The consideration of time or dynamics is fundamental for all aspects of mental activity—perception, cognition, and emotion—because the main feature of brain activity is the continuous change of the underlying brain states even in a constant environment. The application of nonlinear dynamics to the study of brain activity began to flourish in the 1990s when combined with empirical observations from modern morphological and physiological observations. This book offers perspectives on brain dynamics that draw on the latest advances in research in the field. It includes contributions from both theoreticians and experimentalists, offering an eclectic treatment of fundamental issues. Topics addressed range from experimental and computational approaches to transient brain dynamics to the free-energy principle as a global brain theory. The book concludes with a short but rigorous guide to modern nonlinear dynamics and their application to neural dynamics.

Comprehensive Management of Arteriovenous Malformations of the Brain and Spine

Comprehensive Management of Arteriovenous Malformations of the Brain and Spine PDF Author: Robert F. Spetzler
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107033888
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 355

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Book Description
Vascular malformations of the brain and spine pose many management challenges. This text provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art review of the natural history, treatment options, and outcomes of patients with these conditions. Despite their relative rarity, these lesions are responsible for devastating injury to individuals and can cause an enduring physical, psychological, and economic burden on patients and families. Many new therapeutic options are now available with the advent of novel surgical, endovascular, and radiosurgical techniques. The basic sciences have fuelled development of small molecule and biologic therapies targeting the molecular basis of disease. Authored by international experts in the fields of neurosurgery, neurology, radiology, and radiation oncology, this book provides state-of-the-art treatment plans and discussions of ideal therapy. This text is aimed at practitioners in the fields of neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, radiation oncology, rehabilitation medicine and allied fields who care for patients with brain and spinal vascular malformations.

Mind Thief

Mind Thief PDF Author: Han Yu
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231552769
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 487

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Book Description
Alzheimer’s disease, a haunting and harrowing ailment, is one of the world’s most common causes of death. Alzheimer’s lingers for years, with patients’ outward appearance unaffected while their cognitive functions fade away. Patients lose the ability to work and live independently, to remember and recognize. There is still no proven way to treat Alzheimer’s because its causes remain unknown. Mind Thief is a comprehensive and engaging history of Alzheimer’s that demystifies efforts to understand the disease. Beginning with the discovery of “presenile dementia” in the early twentieth century, Han Yu examines over a century of research and controversy. She presents the leading hypotheses for what causes Alzheimer’s; discusses each hypothesis’s tangled origins, merits, and gaps; and details their successes and failures. Yu synthesizes a vast amount of medical literature, historical studies, and media interviews, telling the gripping stories of researchers’ struggles while situating science in its historical, social, and cultural contexts. Her chronicling of the trajectory of Alzheimer’s research deftly balances rich scientific detail with attention to the wider implications. In narrating the attempts to find a treatment, Yu also offers a critical account of research and drug development and a consideration of the philosophy of aging. Wide-ranging and accessible, Mind Thief is an important book for all readers interested in the challenge of Alzheimer’s.

The Day My Brain Exploded

The Day My Brain Exploded PDF Author: Ashok Rajamani
Publisher: Algonquin Books
ISBN: 1565129970
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
A first-generation Indian American explains how he had a full-on brain bleed at the age of 25, right before his brother's wedding; how he had to relearn even the most basic tasks; and how his family helped during his recovery. Original.

The Beautiful Brain

The Beautiful Brain PDF Author: Larry W. Swanson
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1613129947
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
At the crossroads of art and science, Beautiful Brain presents Nobel Laureate Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s contributions to neuroscience through his groundbreaking artistic brain imagery. Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934) was the father of modern neuroscience and an exceptional artist. He devoted his life to the anatomy of the brain, the body’s most complex and mysterious organ. His superhuman feats of visualization, based on fanatically precise techniques and countless hours at the microscope, resulted in some of the most remarkable illustrations in the history of science. Beautiful Brain presents a selection of his exquisite drawings of brain cells, brain regions, and neural circuits with accessible descriptive commentary. These drawings are explored from multiple perspectives: Larry W. Swanson describes Cajal’s contributions to neuroscience; Lyndel King and Eric Himmel explore his artistic roots and achievement; Eric A. Newman provides commentary on the drawings; and Janet M. Dubinsky describes contemporary neuroscience imaging techniques. This book is the companion to a traveling exhibition opening at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis in February 2017, marking the first time that many of these works, which are housed at the Instituto Cajal in Madrid, have been seen outside of Spain. Beautiful Brain showcases Cajal’s contributions to neuroscience, explores his artistic roots and achievement, and looks at his work in relation to contemporary neuroscience imaging, appealing to general readers and professionals alike.