50 Human Brain Ideas You Really Need to Know

50 Ideas You Really Need to Know

by Moheb Costandi

Neuroscience is one of the most fascinating and complex areas of scientific research, with new advances being made every day. In 50 Human Brain Ideas You Really Need to Know, Mo Costandi condenses all we know about the brain and how it works into series of introductions to the most important concepts.

Outlining both long-standing theories - such as the function of neurons and synaptic transmission - and cutting-edge ideas - including neuroethics and brain-computer interfacing - with straightforward narrative and clear two-colour illustrations, this book is a perfect beginner's guide to the most powerful and mysterious organ in the body.

The ideas explored The nervous impulse; Differences between the male and female brain; The root of addiction; Neurobiological basis for personality; The relationship between sleep and memory.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Neuroscience, Psychology, Brain, Productivity, Biology

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 4, 2013

About the author

Moheb Costandi, trained as a neuroscientist, is a science writer based in London whose work has appeared in publications including Nature, Science, New Scientist, and Scientific American. He is the author of Neuroplasticity (MIT Press) and 50 Human Brain Ideas You Really Need to Know.

Reviews

[Shashi Martynova]

very helpful glue of a book to stick together what has been long forgotten from school biology course, what scattered and hid under the mental sofa after reading all sorts of articles and blah around the net, as well as topical books for laymen as myself.

systematic. balanced. recommended.

[Sina Homayooni]

A pretty good read for those who want to familiarize themselves with neuroscience in a really short time. It actually covers almost every aspect of modern neuroscience and even for a guy like me, who's into this field, it had something to say.

Unfortunately, it comes with a flaw though. There are no actual references. You'd frequently see sentences like, "Researchers in California did...." but there are no other hints as who these researchers are and when they did what they did. Of course, enough is said for one to be able to google it! :D

I really liked the template of this book and how it covered the material. Probably will read others from these series.

[Anna]

I'm not a big fan of the "50..." series. There are concepts in the book that were interesting and new for me, but the format doesn't allow to explain them properly, which results in certain shallowness. Other than that, I liked the author's style, would read a book by him where he's not bound by this format.

[Alex Linschoten]

A useful overview of the latest developments in neural science and research. It's not very detailed, and starts with a lot of names and terms that could probably have been left to appendices (with more maps and charts), but it was a quick way to stay up to scratch with what's currently known.

[Danielle Sullivan]

This isn't necessarily a book I'd recommend reading from cover-to-cover, but it's a *wonderful* reference to have around to look something up quickly, or to show clients when discussing a relevant topic during a session.

[Alayne]

Very informative little book :)

[Tutankhamun18]

This books still contains a releavant and interesting overview of many topics in neuroscience and the biological aspects of psychology. Good starting point. Information simple but with interesting detail.

[Chris Seltzer]

This is a fun enough book. If you're interested in the topic there are better resources though.

[veronica]

good book for neuroscience fundamentals

[July]

Das Buch behandelt die Hirnforschungsthemen knapp und trotzdem für Laien verständlich; sobald man aber Vorbildung (in meinem Fall Psychologiestudium) in dem Bereich hat, ist es sehr schnell langweilig. Ich selbst habe kaum etwas Neues erfahren, bin aber vielleicht nicht die Zielgruppe.

[C]

หนังสือ​แนว​ neuroscience ที่​ดี​อีก​เล่ม​นึง

[Tom Left for Hardcover]

short easily digestible chapters

[Dr. Sidha]

A whole year to read?! Not really! Been busy with parallel reading! Gives a useful insight into the human brain.