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Brain Architecture: Understanding the Basic Plan

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Depending on your point of view the brain is an organ, a machine, a biological computer, or simply the most important component of the nervous system. How does it work as a whole? What are its major parts and how are they interconnected to generate thinking, feelings, and behavior? This
book surveys 2,500 years of scientific thinking about these profoundly important questions from the perspective of fundamental architectural principles, and then proposes a new model for the basic plan of neural systems organization based on an explosion of structural data emerging from the
neuroanatomy revolution of the 1970's
The importance of a balance between theoretical and experimental morphology is stressed throughout the book. Great advances in understanding the brain's basic plan brain have come especially from two traditional lines of biological thought- evolution and embryology, because each begins with the
simple and progresses to the more complex. Understanding the organization of brain circuits, which contain thousands of links or pathways, is much more difficult. It is argued here that a four-system network model can explain the structure-function organization of the brain. Possible relationships
between neural networks and gene networks revealed by the human genome project are explored in the final chapter.
The book is written in clear and sparkling prose, and it is profusely illustrated. It is designed to be read by anyone with an interest in the basic organization of the brain, from neuroscience to philosophy to computer science to molecular biology. It is suitable for use in neuroscience core
courses because it presents basic principles of the structure of the nervous system in a systematic way.

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2002

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Larry W. Swanson

11 books9 followers

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Jafar Isbarov.
55 reviews26 followers
June 21, 2017
"Most of us don't think much about our brain—let alone about how it works—until something goes wrong with it."

Maybe I had to revise my knowledge of neuroanatomy before reading this book, because after neglecting biology for a year some pages seemed to me as nothing more than incomprehensible anatomical details, importance of which I am unable to determine. However, I don't think my ignorance was only reason the book was so unreadable sometimes. Physiology is inexplicable without proper use of anatomy, that I fully understand. What I cannot understand is why Swanson felt such a terrible urge to opt for pictures of historical importance over more illustrative ones. Considering the amount of anatomy (although it was just several pages) and lack of good illustrations to accompany it, I think the very basic understanding of brain structure was taken for granted.

Having said that, this books is totally successful at its main purpose, outlining the basic structure of central nervous system. Author has accomplished nearly all that could be within such an obscure field. Actually what stroke me most about this book was how often it hit the bottom of human knowledge in such few pages. I have lost the number of times Swanson reminds the reader about our ignorance of the topic and possibility of never overcoming this ignorance completely. This becomes even more terrifying under the light of the fact that, the book is meant to be an introduction, not even an original scientific work.

So was it worth to read? Absolutely yes. Did I learn what expected to? No, but I learned that unlike other fields of biology, neurophysiology directly opens to uncertainty and almost to the edge of scientific research.
February 14, 2012
Very few people in the world could have created a text similar to Brain Architecture and Swanson happens to be one of those specialists within neuroscientists. I give him great credit for pioneering a simplified crash course into the genomic, structural, and molecular aspects of neurobiology spanning from the beginnings of its history. However, there were a few chapters that were of difficulty to read due to insufficient background knowledge or jagged structure/syntax. In the end, there were some great chapters, some okay chapters, and some I didn't especially like. However, credit must be given for creating a readable means to glimpse into the history and dynamics of a complex and changing field. Very few know and can present this general knowledge across multiple dimensions of the field.
Profile Image for withdrawn.
263 reviews258 followers
September 23, 2012
An excellent introduction to the brain, its development and some of its workings. The author leads the reader through each stage carefully and with enthusiasm. This is a man in love with his topic.

The book takes the reader from simple cells through ever more complex subject matter. The conscientious reader builds one idea on top of the other. The book is quite impressive even if my understanding of it was somewhat lacking at times due to a weakness of will.

This book would make an excellent text for an introductory course on the brain. I would love to see Swanson lecturing.
Profile Image for Besho Yostos.
3 reviews1 follower
February 4, 2022
The author builds brick by brick an understanding of the nervous system from gross anatomy to molecular biology And from spores to vertebrate well written and smooth to go through
65 reviews2 followers
March 27, 2022
An excellent overview of brains, covering history (with a bit too much history), invertebrate brains, vertebrate brains, and finally, the human brain. The human brain is analyzed as a system of 4 functional parts: perception (input), cognition (interneuron processing), motor (output), and physiological state (circadian rhythm, homeostatic moods, hunger, depression, anxiety, etc).

Some of the diagrams are hard-going due to their somewhat archaic style (from the 1880s to 1930s), with quite a few diagrams from Cajal's books! But careful reading of them shows that they are quite clear -- if in a different style, like an archaic accent, and make their own kind of sense.
Profile Image for Kale.
77 reviews1 follower
May 20, 2023
It's essentially a mini text book about neuroscience. I didn't get everything nor did I read every page, but it seemed to be a good starting point
1 review
May 29, 2015
Coming as somewhat of an amateur to the study of the brain specifically, but with an undergraduate degree in the life sciences.

This book seemed at times like an extensive table of contents; Swanson provides very brief overviews that use a good deal of vocabulary and overly specific names that can be quite intimidating and detract from the professed goal of providing a "basic plan." Where interesting and clever descriptions of the complex ideas being presented would have been welcome Swanson instead resorts, like most pop science writers, to providing complicated and specific examples and sometimes interesting but mostly irrelevant historical narratives.

I felt at times as though he was listing the same amount of information as you would find in a textbook whiled avoiding the difficult task of actually explaining it. Definitely not an introduction to the basic plan. Might work as a refresher for someone already immersed in the field.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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