GENETIC INFERNO --- INSIDE THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS
written and illustrated by John Medina. Cambridge University Press, 2000
    INTRODUCTION --- (pvii-xiii)

      1) The power of "physics envy" (p1-21)

        This chapter is divided into three parts. First, how to scientifically study aspects of human behavior, including pitfalls, unproductive assumptions, and controversies. Second, how to understand the biology of the brain, neural and genetifc interactions necessary to understand the rest of the information and data in this book. Third, how Dante in his Divine Comedy organized human behavior and how that organization differs from what modern biologists know.

          DIAGRAM = A typical animal cell (p15)

          DIAGRAM = The electrical nature of nerves (p19)

      2) LUST (p22-68)

          DIAGRAM = How sex hormones work (p30-31)

          DIAGRAM = Lust and the human brain (p34-35)

          DIAGRAM = Structure and function of a cell (p42-43)

          DIAGRAM = How to turn on a gene (54-55)

          DIAGRAM = The complex nature of lust (56-57)

      3) GLUTTONY (p69-107)

          DIAGRAM = Energy, food and appetite (p74-75)

          DIAGRAM = The molecules of appetite control (p86-87)

          DIAGRAM = How "God" signs his handiwork (p105)

      4) AVARICE (p108-150)

          DIAGRAM = The organ of fear (p116-117)

          DIAGRAM = How neurons communicate (p134-135)

          DIAGRAM = How "working memory" works (p148)

      5) SLOTH (p151-189)

          DIAGRAM = Melatonin and the sleep cycle (p162)

          DIAGRAM = Lessons from a bread mold (p172)

          DIAGRAM = What we've learned from fruit flies (p176-177)

        [X] Our brains (p188-189

      6) WRATH (p190-229)

          DIAGRAM = Adoption, environment and genes (p197)

          DIAGRAM = Age and aggressive behavior (p200)

          DIAGRAM = The functions of nitric oxide (p216)

        [A] Back to minds and brains (p225-227)

        [B] Another ingredient for consciousness (p227-228)

        [C] Concluding thoughts (p228-229)

      7) ENVY (p230-272)

          DIAGRAM = Exactly what is the HPA axis? (p250)

          DIAGRAM = Where does the HPA axis concept take us? (p251)

          DIAGRAM = Depression means altering neural communication (p256)

          DIAGRAM = Ways of disrupting neural communication (p257)

          DIAGRAM = Classes of antidepressants (p261)

        [X] Consciousness (p269-270)

        [XX] So what can we conclude? (p270-272)

      8) PRIDE (p273-323)

        [1] The subject of this chapter (p275-276)

        [2] An argument out of fashion (p276-280)

          DIAGRAM = A road map for chapter 8 on Pride (p278-279)

        [3] A battle of pride (p280-281)

        [4] The relevance to brain development (p281-282)

        [5] But that's not the end of the surprises (p282-285)

          DIAGRAM = How cells commit suicide (p283)

        [6] What this has to do with our discussion (p285-286)

        [7] What aobut other molecules? (p286-287)

          DIAGRAM = How neurons migrate in embryos (p290-291)

        [8] The first in the brain (p287)

        [9] A worm with the head of a computer (p287-288)

        [10] The components of the computer (p288-289)

        [11] What our studies of fruit flies have told us about humans (p289-293)

        [12] Thinking and the Louvre (p293-295)

        [13] Some background --- architecture (p295-296)

        [14] Some background --- turning proteins "on" and "off" (p296-297)

        [15] The data (p297-299)

        [16] What this means (p299)

          DIAGRAM = Molecules of human thought (p300)

        [17] Integrating these data (p299-303)

        [18]Is there a difference between apprehension and memory? (p303-305)

          DIAGRAM = Molecules of memory (p306-307)

        Understanding how neurons "learn things" means understanding the concept of "synaptic strength." Synaptic strength is the amount of input stimulus needed from the presynaptic cell to elicit a characterized response in a postsynaptic cell. Learning occurs in part when this synaptic strength changes between two neurons. (p306)

        [19] The genes of learning (p305-308)

        [20] The strongest will survive (p308-309)

        [21] The genes of memory (p309-310)

        [22] How it all works together (p310-311)

        [23] And that's not the whole story (p311-314)

          DIAGRAM = Genes and learning (p312-313)

        [24] Into the neural nucleus (p314-316)

        [25] What all this means (p316)

        [26] The famous case of Phineas Gage (p316-319)

          DIAGRAM = The great plasticity of the brain (p317)

        [27] Minds and brains and Kim (p319-320)

        [28] Consciousness and emergentism (p321-322)

        [29] The truth is out there (p322-323)

    CONCLUSION (p324-331)

      [1] How can we summarize all of this? (p326-330)

        Taken chapter by chapter in this book, different "ingredients" (ideas) make specific contributions. These contributions to the creation of human consciousness are listed below:

          (1) The contribution of "short-term buffers" (Chapter 3)

          (2) The contribution of "long-term memory" (Chapter 2)

          (3) The contrituion of "working-memory" (Chapter 4)

          (4) The presence of other "arousal systems," and the lack of a "continuum of consciousness" (Chapter 5)

          (5) The contribution of underlying "unconscious stimulation" (Chapter 6)

          (6) The notion that different types of consciousness exist (the difference between conscious emotional feelings and conscious thoughts, for examle) (Chapter 7)

          (7) The importance of body feedback, and the presence of "as if" phenomena (Chapter 8)(1) The contrituion of "short-term buffers" (Chapter 3)

      [2] The message in the music (p330-331)

        Whether the "mind" is the brain or simply something the brain does, there is always a great beauty in beholding a good one at work on some important project...

    FURTHER READING (p332-337)

    INDEX (p339-340)

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