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The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience
"The Brain" presents some of the more complex concepts in the neurosciences in a manner that is accessible to students with virtually no background in the field. Oriented towards the physiology of the brain, the book is devoted to the study of the brain in all its aspects - its structure, how it develops, the chemical and bioelectric phenomena of its nerve cells and how they interact, and the functions of the brain. A printed test bank is available as an ancillary text.
363 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 21, 2018
I finished it the day before my exam - I would say that is a success, of sorts...
So one thing I have to get of the way is the obvious typos in this book. THERE ARE SO MANY. Even though the grammar seems concise enough and the topics are well written to be understood, the misspellings of words are very protuberant... I have no idea what went wrong there but I am surprised no one has picked up on it. Maybe I just have a dodgy copy, who knows...
It took me a long time to finish this book for various reasons, but this is in no way reflected on how I enjoyed the book itself. I think subconsciously I knew reading this book would be a form of revision so I avoided it for Maya Angelou, Edgar Allan Poe and other fiction instead...
This book covered pretty much all I needed to know for my 'Introduction to Neuroscience' module. I had a lot of trouble understanding the physiology of motor neurons and the neuro-muscular junction but these topics were covered in depth and made it easier. To be honest, this book might be my saving grace and the reason why I passed if I do hahaha...
I mostly enjoyed the chapters on brain ageing and learning, behaviour and memory. Also, there is some great material about mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and anxiety neuroses. However, it didn't apply these conditions and explain what exactly happens to neurons and the body's specific biochemistry when explaining the symptoms of these diseases - I would have loved more of that, to be honest. Even though this is a pretty dated book, it gives a great overview. I would recommend this to people with a foundation understanding of psychology or biology; I think for someone who would read this without a basic understanding would find it a little overwhelming but I don't understand why anyone would find this uninteresting. There is good use of illustrations with descriptive captions that accompany the main text which really helped me wrap my head around complex units.
If you're interested in memory, I would recommend these articles:
Patient H.M.
H.M. Brain Slicing Video
So one thing I have to get of the way is the obvious typos in this book. THERE ARE SO MANY. Even though the grammar seems concise enough and the topics are well written to be understood, the misspellings of words are very protuberant... I have no idea what went wrong there but I am surprised no one has picked up on it. Maybe I just have a dodgy copy, who knows...
It took me a long time to finish this book for various reasons, but this is in no way reflected on how I enjoyed the book itself. I think subconsciously I knew reading this book would be a form of revision so I avoided it for Maya Angelou, Edgar Allan Poe and other fiction instead...
This book covered pretty much all I needed to know for my 'Introduction to Neuroscience' module. I had a lot of trouble understanding the physiology of motor neurons and the neuro-muscular junction but these topics were covered in depth and made it easier. To be honest, this book might be my saving grace and the reason why I passed if I do hahaha...
I mostly enjoyed the chapters on brain ageing and learning, behaviour and memory. Also, there is some great material about mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and anxiety neuroses. However, it didn't apply these conditions and explain what exactly happens to neurons and the body's specific biochemistry when explaining the symptoms of these diseases - I would have loved more of that, to be honest. Even though this is a pretty dated book, it gives a great overview. I would recommend this to people with a foundation understanding of psychology or biology; I think for someone who would read this without a basic understanding would find it a little overwhelming but I don't understand why anyone would find this uninteresting. There is good use of illustrations with descriptive captions that accompany the main text which really helped me wrap my head around complex units.
If you're interested in memory, I would recommend these articles:
Patient H.M.
H.M. Brain Slicing Video
January 20, 2026
A bit dated but very solid recap by an ex Stanford prof. Especially love the focus on core principles and basic structural-functional mapping. e.g., cortical layer IV receives, V and VI send; inhibitory synapses tend to have flatter vesicles and they are closer to cell body than axon; unmyelineated axons carry burn sensation (why it takes a few moments to feel the pain after finger is burnt) amd crocodiles have a huge limbic system (olfactory heavy!). Quick and good read for high schoolers or enthusiasts.
August 4, 2012
I read this for school - I teach Psychology
I can't say it was riveting - but I learned alot about the brain - many tidbits I will use in class.
The first 200 pages are on the structure and physiology of nerves. Extensive coverage is given to the function of neurotransmitters, and to what happens when they go wrong.
The rest of the book is about the brain itself, and includes a discussion of sensory and motor control systems; the life cycle of the brain; learning and memory; and an introduction to cognitive neuroscience. Each chapter provides an end summary of the material covered.
I was especially interested in the material in the latter part of the book that discussed consciousness and the split brain
I can't say it was riveting - but I learned alot about the brain - many tidbits I will use in class.
The first 200 pages are on the structure and physiology of nerves. Extensive coverage is given to the function of neurotransmitters, and to what happens when they go wrong.
The rest of the book is about the brain itself, and includes a discussion of sensory and motor control systems; the life cycle of the brain; learning and memory; and an introduction to cognitive neuroscience. Each chapter provides an end summary of the material covered.
I was especially interested in the material in the latter part of the book that discussed consciousness and the split brain
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews