The Brain Book: Development, Function, Disorder, Health

by Ken Ashwell

"There is something almost magical about a beautiful, colorful, well-illustrated book... It is definitely a useful special topic book in upper middle school and high school." --National Science Teachers Association Recommends

"This volume is so much more than a beautifully illustrated coffee table book, it is both fascinatingly detailed and extraordinarily readable. No reference library, or lover of good books, should be without a copy." --Vancouver Sun

The Brain Book is a fascinating exploration of the most complex organ in the human body. Composed of billions of nerve cells, the brain controls our thoughts, movements, behavior and emotions and much more. This comprehensive, approachable and richly illustrated book explores such diverse topics as how we sense the world, consciousness and memory, disease and disorder, the aging brain, and spinal injury repair. Research moves fast in science and much has been learned since the book was first published in 2012.

This new edition includes:

Redesigned and captions updated throughout More than 100 new photographs added Text reviewed in detail and updated to reflect the most up-to-date research and novel therapies Genetic control of brain development Genetic control of language Spinal cord injury Drug abuse Stem cell therapy to treat brain disease Williams syndrome. Hundreds of color images, including stunning 3D illustrations and scans, reveal the intricate workings of the brain and show the incredible details beyond what the eye can usually see.

Clearly written in an accessible tone, The Brain Book demystifies the fascinating and complex workings of the brain. It is a one-stop reference for understanding the brain and an essential selection for all schools and libraries, and for anyone who wants to further explore the intricacies of this incredible organ.

Genres: Nonfiction, Neuroscience, Science, Medical

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2012

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the library for nostalgic reasons. Eons ago, I had studied physiological psychology during my collegiate days. This textbook is a wonderful primer for an introduction to physiological psychology. It describes all the biological components of the human nervous system as well as dealing with a superficial description of the other biological functions that work with the nervous system. There is also a description of brain development as well as specific functions and behaviors and pathologies.

The writing is generally clear and concise. All the graphics are well chosen and placed. While this textbook is a great introduction, it is by no means an in-depth study.

[Ken Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing to knock, I just reserve 5 stars for the truly amazing. This is a reference, not a story. Great illustrations and photos throughout, lots of details on where various brain regions are located and the functions each performs. Lots of details about how regions are connected and how information flows. There is a lot of information here that I have not found anywhere else, especially in the details of how various sensory neurons convert physical input to axon activation. Not much detail about how, exactly, the larger networks accomplish their specific processing tasks, and even less detail regarding how the basic design of the nervous system is laid down by our genome, which are the areas of my specific interest. Possibly these are details about which little is known. Still this is a terrific reference to keep on the shelf.

[Steve Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a Best of the Best for the month of December, 2019, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet / Stevo's Nobel Ideas. You can find me at http://forums.delphiforums.com/stevo1, on my Stevo's Novel Ideas Amazon Influencer page (https://www.amazon.com/shop/stevo4747), on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Stevo4747), on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brocksteve/) or search for me on Google for many more reviews and recommendations.

[Meaningless · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is definitely nostalgic for me!
It was the fourth psychology I read back in 2014-15.
For whatever reason, however, it didn't hook my attention like the others, even though it had great visuals.

[Jocelyn Dann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very helpful for my studies on the development of the brain. I picked this book up at the media center in the beginning of February and had to renew it twice, it is a very large and lengthy book. The book talks about the brain and the different areas that respond to specific actions. The brain is broken down into sections where they talk about the diseases that affect it and how they damage and add strain to everyday activities. I have not completed the book but use it to take notes for my research paper for senior project. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about the brain and who like to visually learn as well, there are many photos to explain the part of the brain they are talking about.

[Mills College Library]

612.82 A831 2012

[Kami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written book to learn about the different parts of the brain and their functions.