Snap: Has Brain Research Reached Its Breaking Point?

by James Le Fanu

The current state of neuroscience poses an intriguing paradox. Lavishly funded and immensely productive-generating thousands of studies published in its learned journals every year- its sophisticated scanning studies with their brightly colored images of the brain ’lighting up’ when thinking, memorizing and perceiving the world have caught the public’s imagination. But there is growing skepticism about its claims to have identified those parts of the brain involved in the higher mental functions of wisdom, love and morality. This analysis of its most recent findings confirm it has indeed profoundly changed our understanding of the relationship between the physical brain and the diverse attributes of the human mind, but in ways quite contrary to those anticipated- to reveal the five cardinal mysteries of subjective experience, memory, free will, the powers of reason and imagination and the sense of ‘self’ that provides profound insights into the exceptionality of the human experience.

88 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2013

About the author

James Le Fanu studied the Humanities at Ampleforth College before switching to medicine, graduating from Cambridge University and the Royal London Hospital. He subsequently worked in the Renal Transplant Unit and Cardiology Departments of the Royal Free and St Mary’s Hospital in London. For the past 20 he has combined working as a doctor in general practice with contributing a weekly column to the Sunday and Daily Telegraph. He has contributed articles and reviews to The New Statesman, Spectator, GQ, The British Medical Journal and Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. He has written several books including The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine that won the Los Angeles Prize Book Award in 2001.

He has made original contributions to current controversies over the value of experiments in human embryos, environmentalism, dietary causes of disease and the misdiagnosis of Non Accidental Injury in children. He lives in south London.

Reviews

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting summary of all the current and past neuroscience research. Well written and clearly explained.

Interessante sommario di tutte le presenti e passate ricerche nel campo delle neuroscienze. Ben scritto e spiegato.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND EMBOOKS FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brain Imaging Highlights the Mind/Brain Problem

Modern studies of the brain use sophisticated imaging techniques, MRIs, PET scans, and others in an effort to isolate functions to specific parts of the brain. At first these techniques seemed extremely promising. However, when subjects were given more tests to highlight specific facets of memory and perception, the results were often unexpected. Storage of memories could more around. It might be different in young people and older people. These were fascinating findings and while not negating previous findings they amplified them, and, as often in science, the amplification led to new questions.

Probably the most important part of the book is the final chapter in which Le Fanu reflects on what the findings have shown about the brain and what still remains a mystery. Among the mysteries are imagination, reasoning, and free will. Perhaps the remaining most significant mystery is the self. Nearly everyone perceives themselves as a distinct being. We can think about our thoughts, and most of us have the sensation that our self is located somewhere in the forehead between the eyes. Neuroscience has not yet been able to find the mind that integrates brain functions, so we are left with the mind/brain problem. A problem that has troubled philosophers and scientists for hundreds of years.

I highly recommend this book. The author does a good job presenting technical information in language most lay people can understand. He also makes an excellent case for the gap between what neuroscience has been able to accomplish, and that is a great deal, and the still unexplained mysteries of the mind.

I reviewed this book for Net Galley.