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Brain Structure and Its Origins: in Development and in Evolution of Behavior and the Mind
An introduction to the brain's anatomical organization and functions with explanations in terms of evolutionary adaptations and development. This introduction to the structure of the central nervous system demonstrates that the best way to learn how the brain is put together is to understand something about why. It explains why the brain is put together as it is by describing basic functions and key aspects of its evolution and development. This approach makes the structure of the brain and spinal cord more comprehensible as well as more interesting and memorable. The book offers a detailed outline of the neuroanatomy of vertebrates, especially mammals, that equips students for further explorations of the field. Gaining familiarity with neuroanatomy requires multiple exposures to the material with many incremental additions and reviews. Thus the early chapters of this book tell the story of the brain's origins in a first run-through of the entire system; this is followed by other such surveys in succeeding chapters, each from a different angle. The book proceeds from basic aspects of nerve cells and their physiology to the evolutionary beginnings of the nervous system to differentiation and development, motor and sensory systems, and the structure and function of the main parts of the brain. Along the way, it makes enlightening connections to evolutionary history and individual development. Brain Structure and Its Origins can be used for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate classes in neuroscience, biology, psychology, and related fields, or as a reference for researchers and others who want to know more about the brain.
728 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2014
8 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 16, 2019
How oh how shall the human brain be studied and understood in all of its manifestations and behaviors? Shall we wait on doctors to note each peculiar malady that afflicts the common person as the doctor does a Mr Burns mudra in ecstatic fascination. Shall we throw these individual who trespasses our perceptions of normalcy in peculiar contraptions with beeps, bobs numbers graphs and lines. The answer is yes. To all of the above.
This book is an attempted deconstruction of how the human brain became itself via biological evolution. It is an apprx 800 page text composed of essays ranging on on a variety of topics from comparative sensory systems and their developments( e.g. vision, hearing , touch, smell ), to topics on the development of motor coordination, emotional networks, cognition and on it goes.
It is in short, a very good introduction to Neuro- anatomy from a very coherent perspective. Comparative biology. I will admit though, it is a fairly dense text and one may struggle with understanding if they do not start at easier texts.
As an intro to neuro- anatomy I advocate reading this text after books like Kandel's famous Principals of neuroscience (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...), or to get even more introductory, but more peculiar, albeit brilliant, Pico's holistic approach to sensory integration:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...
Recommended for :
- Neuroscientists and neurologists
-Those interested in how the brain came to be
- Psychologists who are feeling ambitious
This book is an attempted deconstruction of how the human brain became itself via biological evolution. It is an apprx 800 page text composed of essays ranging on on a variety of topics from comparative sensory systems and their developments( e.g. vision, hearing , touch, smell ), to topics on the development of motor coordination, emotional networks, cognition and on it goes.
It is in short, a very good introduction to Neuro- anatomy from a very coherent perspective. Comparative biology. I will admit though, it is a fairly dense text and one may struggle with understanding if they do not start at easier texts.
As an intro to neuro- anatomy I advocate reading this text after books like Kandel's famous Principals of neuroscience (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...), or to get even more introductory, but more peculiar, albeit brilliant, Pico's holistic approach to sensory integration:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...
Recommended for :
- Neuroscientists and neurologists
-Those interested in how the brain came to be
- Psychologists who are feeling ambitious
January 2, 2022
This nearly 700-page book masterfully covers the topic it set out to cover: the anatomy and physiology of the brain. The author does a good job delivering what is essentially an arcane topic, full of a myriad of brain structures whose names were applied historically, based on locations and not on functions. While this nomenclature does provide landmarks, the lack of implied method or function goes a great way toward making the topic of limited value.
Yet, the fault for that lies not in this book, which does an excellent job of showing what we know to the depth that is possible in a book this brief. No, the problem is that neuroscience still does not understand what is happening inside these named structures. What has changed in the past few decades is a magnificent host of information inferred from cleverly-designed experiments intended to suss out the locations where the amygdala stores its memories to where procedural memory is stored, to the complex behavior around the hippocampus and its set of enabling structures. All these clever experiments using fMRI and other magnetic tools to temporarily suppress specific areas of the brain have allowed researchers to greatly understand what is happening where. They just don't understand how.
Reading this book is akin to being rushed through a museum, desiring to detain at some brilliant exhibit, learning all its minutiae, but this book is only 666-pages long so there's no time for the details.
Another way of explaining the experience of consuming this book is to use the analogy of flying in an airplane above a city. You can see the cars and trucks moving to here and there. In that building, memories of fear are stored. How do they store those engrams? No insights provided in this book.
Though there are lots of tidbits that were interesting and insightful, for a book this long there really were not that many surprises.
Yet, the fault for that lies not in this book, which does an excellent job of showing what we know to the depth that is possible in a book this brief. No, the problem is that neuroscience still does not understand what is happening inside these named structures. What has changed in the past few decades is a magnificent host of information inferred from cleverly-designed experiments intended to suss out the locations where the amygdala stores its memories to where procedural memory is stored, to the complex behavior around the hippocampus and its set of enabling structures. All these clever experiments using fMRI and other magnetic tools to temporarily suppress specific areas of the brain have allowed researchers to greatly understand what is happening where. They just don't understand how.
Reading this book is akin to being rushed through a museum, desiring to detain at some brilliant exhibit, learning all its minutiae, but this book is only 666-pages long so there's no time for the details.
Another way of explaining the experience of consuming this book is to use the analogy of flying in an airplane above a city. You can see the cars and trucks moving to here and there. In that building, memories of fear are stored. How do they store those engrams? No insights provided in this book.
Though there are lots of tidbits that were interesting and insightful, for a book this long there really were not that many surprises.
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October 22, 2016neuroanatomy from the perspective of a researcher interested in behavior
not boring
incl. pictures of dinosaurs
not boring
incl. pictures of dinosaurs
December 12, 2018
I want to read this book for knowledge
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews