The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience

by Richard F. Thompson

Book Overview

Developed for those with no prior exposure to the field, this primer is an authoritative yet accessible introduction to the brain and its functions. Written by a leading neuroscientist, Thompson... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0716714620
• ISBN13: 9780716714620
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: W.H. Freeman & Company
• Length: 363 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

You'll Use Your Brain Reading This Book

Author Thompson calls this book a neuroscience primer. Well, it does assume that you know nothing about the nervous system, but it certainly goes beyond what most people consider a primer to be. Actually this is a wonderful book for the interested, intelligent layman who wants to learn more than a superficial introduction to the subject. It's a thick book of 500 pages, and you will want to take your time with it. You'll be reading and rereading many passages in order to fully comprehend what you've read. Skim through it and you'll finish with very little of it stuck in your long-term memory.Doctor Thompson, a Neuropsychologist, is a patient teacher. For the most part he proceeds slowly, never leaping over one step in order to get to the next. The first 200 pages are on the structure and physiology of nerves. Extensive coverage is given to the function of neurotransmitters, and to what happens when they go wrong.The rest of the book is about the brain itself, and includes a discussion of sensory and motor control systems; the life cycle of the brain; learning and memory; and an introduction to cognitive neuroscience. Each chapter provides an end summary of the material covered.In the latter half of the book I did feel confused at times. The brain has so many parts and areas of specialization that I had some difficulty keeping things straight. If you are fascinated by the brain, and are willing to read an extensive yet accessible treatise on the subject this may be the book for you.

A thorough and facinating explanation.

I got this book from the library shelf along with several others on the same topic. This was the best by far. As you would expect from the title, this survey explains (but is not limited to) the details of the nervous system mechanism - from neurotransmitters to a basic explanation of voltage and other electrical properties. This technical material does not weigh down the book though, because the author skillfully relates the mechanism to its manifestations in behavior and illness. The book contains information on the cerebellum and emotional centers which is conspicuously absent from many cerebral cortex-centric texts. I had hoped for more on these topics - but brain research has been biased toward the cerebral cortex for the last 100 years so any book on the topic will reflect that.Here you will find the references to those amazing facts you've heard on the radio but can't remember when. An example: patients who have had the "gut nerve" (the nerve providing sensation from the abdomen) severed were found to be unable to make rational decisions. So we find out that our "gut feeling" about issues are not irrational but perhaps a key part of rationality! Every time I sat down with this book, I learned at least one interesting thing about the nervous system to share with my friends and associates. This book will provide you with ammo for cocktail parties!I looked it up here in the hope there would be a 3rd edition since the field is changing so fast. I hope the author and publisher have it on their agenda!