Waubonsee Community College

Understanding the brain, from cells to behavior to cognition, John E. Dowling

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-284) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Understanding the brain

bibliography

1023537961

John E. Dowling

from cells to behavior to cognition

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. --, Publisher's description

Preface -- Part one. Cellular neurobiology : the nuts and bolts. The uniqueness of the brain -- Brain signals -- Neuromodulation, drugs, and the brain -- Sensing the world -- Part two. Systems neuroscience : getting at behaviors. Simpler nervous systems : the invertebrates -- Vertebrate brains ; Vision : window to the brain -- Part three. Cognitive science : higher brain function and mind. From brain to mind : visual perception -- The dynamic brain : development and plasticity -- Language and brain imaging -- Remembering things : learning and memory -- The emotional brain : rationality -- Consciousness