THE BRAIN: the Story of You by David Eagleman. Pantheon Books, 2015 (218 pages) OUTLINE OF BOOK'S FACTS & IDEAS 2-12-16 INTRODUCTION (1- 1) WHO AM I? (3- note = teenage brain structure diagram hippocampus and London taxi drivers (18- pathological changes and Einstein's brain (19- Am I the sum of my memories (21) Whitman's (mass killer) brain matter was changing due to nickel sized tumor pressure on amygdala (21) Your memory of an event is represented by the unique constellation of cells involved in the details you experience (23) Memory of the future (26) quote = "Consciousness emerges when neurons are coordinating with one another in complex, subtle, mostly independent rhythms. In slow-wave sleep, neurons are more synchronized with one another, and consciousness is absent." (31) The mind-body problem (32) Brains are like snowflakes (33) = Francis Crick and the search for meaning! Note = use quote bottom of 33-top of 34 on consciousness (33-34) 2) WHAT IS REALITY? (35) note = The illusion of reality (37) Your experience of reality (38) Sensory transduction (41) Synchronizing the senses (47) The brain is like a city (50-53) Slice of reality seen by eyes (58) Your reality, my reality (59) Believing what our brains tell us (60-61) So what is reality? (66) 3) WHO'S IN CONTROL (67-) Consciousness (69-70) The unconsciousness brain in action (70-76) Proprioception (74) Synapses and learning (82) note = begets = facilitates (83) Freud and unconsciousness (84-90) Why are we conscious? (90-92) note = so who is in control? (93-94) THE FEELING OF FREE WILL (94-97) 4) HOW DO I DECIDE? (99- note = the sound of a decision (101-103) note = the brain is a machine built from conflict (104-110) states of the body help you decide (110-114) note = key business of brains is to predict (116-120) Dopamine circuit diagram (118) Overcoming the power of now = the Ulysses contract (120-121) The invisible mechanisms of decision making (121-124) WILLPOWER = Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (123) 5) DO I NEED YOU? (131 6) WHO WILL WE BE? (159 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (203 ENDNOTES (205 GLOSSARY (215 IMAGE CREDITS (219 AUTHOR NOTE, SUMMARY, AND BOOK DESCRIPTION SUMMARY = This is the story of how your life shapes your brain, and how your brain shapes your life. A companion to the six-part PBS series. Because brain science is a fast-moving field, it's rare to step back to view the lay of the land, to work out what our studies mean for our lives, to discuss in a plain and simple way what it means to be a biological creature. This book sets out to do that with color illustrations throughout. AUTHOR NOTES = Dr. David Eagleman is a neuroscientist who specializes in brain plasticity, time perception, synesthesia, and the intersection of science with social policy. He has authored over 90 scientific publications and holds several patents. He has also written two international bestsellers, the novel Sum and the non-fiction book Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain. He is the writer and presenter of the companion PBS television series The Brain. Locked in the silence and darkness of your skull, your brain fashions the rich narratives of your reality and your identity. Join renowned neuroscientist David Eagleman for a journey into the questions at the mysterious heart of our existence. What is reality? Who are "you"? How do you make decisions? Why does your brain need other people? How is technology poised to change what it means to be human? In the course of his investigations, Eagleman guides us through the world of extreme sports, criminal justice, facial expressions, genocide, brain surgery, gut feelings, robotics, and the search for immortality. Strap in for a whistle-stop tour into the inner cosmos. In the infinitely dense tangle of billions of brain cells and their trillions of connections, something emerges that you might not have expected to see in there: YOU! PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW = Neuroscientist and novelist Eagleman (Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain) reports on many big, recent neuroscience developments in this deceptively simple look at the universe's most complex known object: the human brain. Much of Eagleman's work covers scientists' ever-increasing appreciation of human brain plasticity. He addresses how brains rewire themselves in response to practice and discusses devices that help the brain regain damaged functions such as vision and hearing. Eagleman also shows how new technologies have revealed the reach and limits of human empathy, noting that seeing others in physical pain lights up the same neurons activated by experiencing physical pain directly-though they light up less brightly when the observed victims are from a different social group. Those same brain areas even light up in response to emotional rejection. Remarking that human brains are essentially "peripheral plug-and-play devices," Eagleman shows that no matter what sort of data comes in, "the brain figures out what to do with it." And he effectively unveils the stunning degree to which "we can now hack our own hardware" in order to understand, and better, ourselves. This is a straightforward, stimulating companion book to the PBS series on the subject. Illus. instantly return to: HUMANIST ATHEIST GALAXY OF SCIENCE STARS