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Electric Brain: How the New Science of Brainwaves Reads Minds, Tells Us How We Learn, and Helps Us Change for the Better
What is as unique as your fingerprints and more revealing than your diary? Your body is emitting them right now and has been every single day of your life. Brainwaves. Analyzing brainwaves, the imperceptible waves of electricity surging across your scalp, has been possible for nearly a century. But only now are neuroscientists becoming aware of the wealth of information brainwaves hold about a person's life, thoughts, and future health. From the moment a reclusive German doctor discovered waves of electricity radiating from the heads of his patients in the 1920s, brainwaves have sparked astonishment and intrigue, yet the significance of the discovery and its momentous implications have been poorly understood. Now, it is clear that these silent broadcasts can actually reveal a stunning wealth of information about any one of us. In Electric Brain, world-renowned neuroscientist and author R. Douglas Fields takes us on an enthralling journey into the world of brainwaves, detailing how new brain science could fundamentally change society, separating fact from hyperbole along the way. In this eye-opening and in-depth look at the most recent findings in brain science, Fields explores groundbreaking research that shows brainwaves • Reveal the type of brain you have—its strengths and weaknesses and your aptitude for learning different types of information • Allow scientists to watch your brain learn, glean your intelligence, and even tell how adventurous you are • Expose hidden dysfunctions—including signifiers of mental illness and neurological disorders • Render your thoughts and transmit them to machines and back from machines into your brain • Meld minds by telepathically transmitting information from one brain to another • Enable individuals to rewire their own brains and improve cognitive performance Written by one of the neuroscientists on the cutting edge of brainwave research, Electric Brain tells a fascinating and obscure story of discovery, explains the latest science, and looks to the future—and the exciting possibilities in store for medicine, technology, and our understanding of ourselves.
480 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 4, 2020
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January 20, 2020
Whew. What a book. I was a science/math geek in high school (that would be 40+ years ago) but I didn't take the Advanced Placement Anatomy & Physiology class offered because I wasn't into the squishy (or soft) sciences. I'm an engineer now, and still not, but...I've expanded my interests to polymath levels over the past 25 or so years. I've read a bit, and listened to Great Courses lectures, on the brain and neurology, memory and "disorders", but interesting maybe only to me, none have delved more than a scratch into the electric waves of the brain. So I requested and was granted this advance review copy from the publisher BenBella Books through Edelweiss.
Be warned in advance...there is a lot of anatomy and physiology - of the brain - in here. I can't speak for those in the field, but it seems to me to be sufficiently medically detailed to satisfy those in the profession. And for those of us who are not, if you can get past the technical elements of the many cortexes, axons, neurons, and more, there is much here to likely enlighten you. Fields writes well, if overly academic...perhaps he had little choice. Considerable history of the field, backstories, successes and failures, modern advancements. Here are a subset of my takeaways...
Dr. Hans Berger was the first to record a human EEG, but his science was affected (infected?) by ethical issues. And he mixed in a belief in telepathy and psychic energy. In a monograph relating an incident where he was thrown from a horse in the path of a horse-drawn cannon that stopped just in time, his sister "far away, had at the same moment a sudden strong feeling that Berger was in danger" and he wrote, "It was a case of spontaneous telepathy in which at a time of mortal danger, and as I contemplated certain death, I transmitted my thoughts, while my sister, whose was particularly close to me, acted as the receiver." ... okay, sure.
Berger wrote fourteen identically titled papers on his research between 1929 and 1938. Fields notes
Fields showed a limitation I'm not sure many would catch. Recounting the experiment of Stanley Miller in the 1950s in which Miller replicated what he thought the atmosphere was like 3.5 billion years ago, sealing it in a globe of purified water and bombarding it with electric sparks simulating lightning, and found amino acids in the result.
I got a kick out of Fields, who at one point said, "I'm leaving out a lot of fascinating neurobiology here to stay on point." He put a lot of fascinating neurobiology in!
Researchers have found brain wave evidence to support Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow theories.
A good researcher, and I'll say, journalist, Fields submitted himself to a comprehensive brain wave scan that took more than a month to analyze. Brain Science International scientist Jay "Gunkleman says he performs his EEG analysis without first reading the patient's medical history or the initial complaint that motivated them to have their brainwaves recorded and analyzed." My note was simply "Good. Unbiased." Fields's analysis revealed a variant with his alpha waves present in 10% of the population. Fields said something there that I consider probably the most important in this long, dense book: "Just because something differs from the norm, it does not necessarily mean it is bad." So true. What are called "disorders" are just differences. Of course, they can manifest as disorderly, but ...
When testing neurofeedback to see if his alphas could be modified, Fields interacted with neurofeedback practitioners Jessica Eure and Robin Bernhard
Fields opens his chapter Consciousness, Riding on Brainwaves, with
Here's an example of something that sounds like Dan Ackroyd wrote (no disrespect intended...just that those are busy words!)
On the purpose of dreams: "One of the reasons that we sleep is to dream, and one of the reasons we dream is to remember and forget." And on remembering and forgetting, this was something I did not yet know:
I thought this was a refresh of a good point:
Fields makes an important clarification on the medical technology of cranial implants translating waves and electrical impulses into prosthetic movements:
I thought it interesting that brainwave study revealed abilities to learn new languages seems to be inversely proportional to reading ability. Don't take offense. Dr. Chantal Prat "claims to be able to ["spot accurately which students will learn a new language rapidly"] by simply recording the brainwaves of a person as they sit quietly at rest." Prat analyzed the author and determined that Fields "should not move to Europe." She said "You are probably an excellent reader. Our brain is optimized, and when you get better at one thing it comes at a cost to something else." A Cambridge study that came out as Fields was researching this part of his book reported that "monolingual people are superior to bilingual people at metacognition, which is described as 'thinking about thinking,' and that they excel at correcting their performance when making errors." - I am so monolingual!
New terminology to me was "fluid intelligence" - "facility of thinking abstractly and rapidly, accurately identifying patterns and quickly reasoning to solve problems" - and "crystallized intelligence" - ability to use acquired knowledge and reasoning to recognize patterns and find correct solutions to problems.
Looking at the wave patterns associated with creative activities, Field wisely cautions "[o]nce again, correlation is not causation, and the surge in alpha waves during a creative flash could be the result, not the cause, of creative thinking."
Here's a good one that needs to be trumpeted:
Bottom line, unless you are in the field, or a serious amateur enthusiast, this book might take a bit of time to digest, but it will be enlightening. Recommended.
Be warned in advance...there is a lot of anatomy and physiology - of the brain - in here. I can't speak for those in the field, but it seems to me to be sufficiently medically detailed to satisfy those in the profession. And for those of us who are not, if you can get past the technical elements of the many cortexes, axons, neurons, and more, there is much here to likely enlighten you. Fields writes well, if overly academic...perhaps he had little choice. Considerable history of the field, backstories, successes and failures, modern advancements. Here are a subset of my takeaways...
Dr. Hans Berger was the first to record a human EEG, but his science was affected (infected?) by ethical issues. And he mixed in a belief in telepathy and psychic energy. In a monograph relating an incident where he was thrown from a horse in the path of a horse-drawn cannon that stopped just in time, his sister "far away, had at the same moment a sudden strong feeling that Berger was in danger" and he wrote, "It was a case of spontaneous telepathy in which at a time of mortal danger, and as I contemplated certain death, I transmitted my thoughts, while my sister, whose was particularly close to me, acted as the receiver." ... okay, sure.
Berger wrote fourteen identically titled papers on his research between 1929 and 1938. Fields notes
It is also difficult to reference any of Berger's specific findings, as the citations for these fourteen papers differ only by the year of publication. Cloaking his findings in this way hid them from the larger scientific community and diminished their impact.This prompted my recall of Martin Gardner's characteristics of a crank (see Fads and Fallacies in the name of Science). Not strictly a Gardner crank, but secretive enough to edge in.
Fields showed a limitation I'm not sure many would catch. Recounting the experiment of Stanley Miller in the 1950s in which Miller replicated what he thought the atmosphere was like 3.5 billion years ago, sealing it in a globe of purified water and bombarding it with electric sparks simulating lightning, and found amino acids in the result.
Simple cells might then assemble into primitive organisms - all initiated by a spark - and through eons of evolution the tree of life would expand and ultimately yield Homo sapiens, ...The limitation/trap? That would be "ultimately". The reality is...so far. Homo sapiens tends to think evolution stops with himself.
I got a kick out of Fields, who at one point said, "I'm leaving out a lot of fascinating neurobiology here to stay on point." He put a lot of fascinating neurobiology in!
Researchers have found brain wave evidence to support Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow theories.
A good researcher, and I'll say, journalist, Fields submitted himself to a comprehensive brain wave scan that took more than a month to analyze. Brain Science International scientist Jay "Gunkleman says he performs his EEG analysis without first reading the patient's medical history or the initial complaint that motivated them to have their brainwaves recorded and analyzed." My note was simply "Good. Unbiased." Fields's analysis revealed a variant with his alpha waves present in 10% of the population. Fields said something there that I consider probably the most important in this long, dense book: "Just because something differs from the norm, it does not necessarily mean it is bad." So true. What are called "disorders" are just differences. Of course, they can manifest as disorderly, but ...
When testing neurofeedback to see if his alphas could be modified, Fields interacted with neurofeedback practitioners Jessica Eure and Robin Bernhard
"What am I supposed to be trying to do?" I ask.Apart from the "left-brained" bit, I suspect I'd be the same way. I am that way with most things.
"You don't need to ..." Robin halts her reply to my question and turning to Jessica, she says under her breath, "Did you see what he said to me?"
Rephrasing my question, I ask, "How do I interpret that screen?"
"You see, that's what I knew would happen," Robin says in a tone conveying good-natured, restrained frustration, Jessica giggles knowingly. "You thinker," she scolds, "So the cool thing is that your amygdala knows exactly what is going on already. The conscious mind is really way too stupid to do anything to affect it." She and Robin chuckle, They've already cracked into my brain with their machine. They knew I would take a left-brained, analytical approach to neurofeedback, and that tack would not be of much help.
Fields opens his chapter Consciousness, Riding on Brainwaves, with
Consciousness has long mystified philosophers and scientists. What is conscious awareness? Do animals have it? Consciousness touches on the most fundamental question in philosophy, psychology, and biology, of how the brain creates the mind.Good. No dualism there.
Here's an example of something that sounds like Dan Ackroyd wrote (no disrespect intended...just that those are busy words!)
In 1949, Giuseooe Moruzzi and Horace Winchell Magoun found that electrical stimulation of the midbrain reticular formation instantly desynchronized the slowly oscillating EEG and aroused sleeping animals.
On the purpose of dreams: "One of the reasons that we sleep is to dream, and one of the reasons we dream is to remember and forget." And on remembering and forgetting, this was something I did not yet know:
Many labs conducting research in the last few decades, including mine, have identified the detailed cellular and molecular mechanisms of memory consolidation. The key distinction between short-term and long-term memory is that genes must be turned on and new proteins made for long-term memory but not for short-term memory.
I thought this was a refresh of a good point:
Science is a luxury that can only be practiced in societies after all the basic needs of life have been obtained, because scientific research requires substantial funding and public support. For this reason, science does not proceed at the pace of scientific innovation; it proceeds at a pace, and in the specific directions, that is funded by the public or business. Research can be stalled or halted by regulations.Evidence when a draconian medieval administration bent on being anti-science forbids research - forbids their agencies from even talking about it - into the most pressing world concern of today, anthropogenic climate change.
Fields makes an important clarification on the medical technology of cranial implants translating waves and electrical impulses into prosthetic movements:
As you well appreciate by now, no matter what you may read in sensational articles, neuroscientists do not yet understand how thoughts, emotions, and intentions are coded in the pattern of neural impulses zipping through neural circuits and sweeping through brain tissue as oscillating brainwaves. The neural code is still a mystery, but computers using advanced machine learning can begin to recognize patterns of electrical activity that are associated with a specific sensory or motor function, and use that insight as a reliable signal to trigger prosthetic devices to perform useful functions. This is a complex process, far from being able to decode neural impulses as one would read computer code.
I thought it interesting that brainwave study revealed abilities to learn new languages seems to be inversely proportional to reading ability. Don't take offense. Dr. Chantal Prat "claims to be able to ["spot accurately which students will learn a new language rapidly"] by simply recording the brainwaves of a person as they sit quietly at rest." Prat analyzed the author and determined that Fields "should not move to Europe." She said "You are probably an excellent reader. Our brain is optimized, and when you get better at one thing it comes at a cost to something else." A Cambridge study that came out as Fields was researching this part of his book reported that "monolingual people are superior to bilingual people at metacognition, which is described as 'thinking about thinking,' and that they excel at correcting their performance when making errors." - I am so monolingual!
New terminology to me was "fluid intelligence" - "facility of thinking abstractly and rapidly, accurately identifying patterns and quickly reasoning to solve problems" - and "crystallized intelligence" - ability to use acquired knowledge and reasoning to recognize patterns and find correct solutions to problems.
Looking at the wave patterns associated with creative activities, Field wisely cautions "[o]nce again, correlation is not causation, and the surge in alpha waves during a creative flash could be the result, not the cause, of creative thinking."
Here's a good one that needs to be trumpeted:
Dyslexia is commonly referred to as a dysfunction. While it is certainly a serious disability in the modern world, I would not consider it a dysfunction, because reading is not a normal brain function.Fields observes that reading "is something that human beings never did until very recently in our history." Fields compares difficulty learning to read to learning to play the piano - not being able to learn either is not a disorder! Well, pass the biscuits and praise the cook! I'm going to pass that on to friends with kids with dyslexia. I think it is very important to de-label the labels.
Bottom line, unless you are in the field, or a serious amateur enthusiast, this book might take a bit of time to digest, but it will be enlightening. Recommended.
March 27, 2020
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
I tried so much with this book, and it did have good information - and yet, reading it was such a chore - like reading a textbook. At one point I didn't think I was going to finish (kidding - way more than one point..)
The book has quite an unfortunate beginning which almost made me abandon it. It starts with some history of discovering brain waves, but it goes round and round and back to the same things, so somehow I had a lot of trouble making it past that part. Not only that, but as any medical history, probably, it contains A LOT of gruesome things which I didn't enjoy reading in the least. The part about the history both bored and disgusted me, and it takes up 15% of the book.
However, what follows was a lot more interesting. For example, we all fear electroshock therapy because the media has taught us to - because it was grossly overused and even abused in the past century. But there was stuff about electroshock therapy in this book that was news to me - that it actually worked, although it was a crude, painful way to cure some ailments. Never has the media conveyed to me that it actually did help some people with certain mental illnesses - or rather, illnesses of the brain, as it does seem to be.
Then all the info on neurofeedback - a technique that is quite harmless and pretty accessible, but simply not known to many people. The chapter on that was also pretty interesting, apart from the paragraphs upon paragraphs of the author's stream of consciousness not related to anything in the book, just to illustrate that he's trying not to think but failing during his neurofeedback training session. I mean, we get it, man - trying to calm down, meditate or keep your mind clear is hard - three paragraphs is enough to paint the picture, I don't need several pages of the random thoughts about music, childhood memories, your trips and the types of guitar strings that you were thinking of at the time of the training to convey the idea to me. That part must have been the most tedious thing I've read in YEARS.
The info about brain waves and possible applications of its research - control of artificial limbs, a sort of "tech-assisted telepathy" and many other things - it was all fascinating, and explained and outlined well - and yet, it STILL read like a textbook. Dry and quite hard to read.
Ultimately, this book had a lot of interesting info that I've never heard about before - that radio waves have been successfully used to suggest ideas and behaviors to people and animals, that brainwaves can show what a person is thinking specifically if the patterns for that person have been translated before, or that it is now possible for fully paralyzed people to type at a speaking pace, using only thought and an implant in their brain - all of that is fascinating and quite futuristic, but - but this book also felt like a textbook or a chore sometimes, and it also backtracked and repeated the same things over and over again a lot of times. In places it was tough to read because of every third word being some term I'm not quite familiar with, or just the plain science-speak that was a little bit too dry. I do love scientific books - but perhaps I've read more of them about physics, rather than biology or medicine. So you could say, maybe the book wasn't for me. Maybe it would have been more interesting to a person for whom it this kind of material is more accessible. A lot of books on these topics can be and are made accessible and readable to complete laymen, but sadly, I didn't feel like this one was one of them, despite the quite interesting table of contents and the aim to inform the reader to all of the newest findings in this area.
Triggers:
gruesome experiments with animals and humans described in more detail than I would have liked. Descriptions of invasive procedures. Descriptions of patients conscious and talking while their brain is being operated on. Descriptions of how electroshock therapy was used to "treat" homosexuality (this whole experiment is so awful and incredibly unethical that I don't even want to give you more details about it. Ugh. It is described as a fact of history and it's ethical side isn't really discussed much, but it may be very triggering and it felt just so wrong when I was reading it. If you think it may trigger you, definitely heed this warning.)
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
I tried so much with this book, and it did have good information - and yet, reading it was such a chore - like reading a textbook. At one point I didn't think I was going to finish (kidding - way more than one point..)
The book has quite an unfortunate beginning which almost made me abandon it. It starts with some history of discovering brain waves, but it goes round and round and back to the same things, so somehow I had a lot of trouble making it past that part. Not only that, but as any medical history, probably, it contains A LOT of gruesome things which I didn't enjoy reading in the least. The part about the history both bored and disgusted me, and it takes up 15% of the book.
However, what follows was a lot more interesting. For example, we all fear electroshock therapy because the media has taught us to - because it was grossly overused and even abused in the past century. But there was stuff about electroshock therapy in this book that was news to me - that it actually worked, although it was a crude, painful way to cure some ailments. Never has the media conveyed to me that it actually did help some people with certain mental illnesses - or rather, illnesses of the brain, as it does seem to be.
Then all the info on neurofeedback - a technique that is quite harmless and pretty accessible, but simply not known to many people. The chapter on that was also pretty interesting, apart from the paragraphs upon paragraphs of the author's stream of consciousness not related to anything in the book, just to illustrate that he's trying not to think but failing during his neurofeedback training session. I mean, we get it, man - trying to calm down, meditate or keep your mind clear is hard - three paragraphs is enough to paint the picture, I don't need several pages of the random thoughts about music, childhood memories, your trips and the types of guitar strings that you were thinking of at the time of the training to convey the idea to me. That part must have been the most tedious thing I've read in YEARS.
The info about brain waves and possible applications of its research - control of artificial limbs, a sort of "tech-assisted telepathy" and many other things - it was all fascinating, and explained and outlined well - and yet, it STILL read like a textbook. Dry and quite hard to read.
Ultimately, this book had a lot of interesting info that I've never heard about before - that radio waves have been successfully used to suggest ideas and behaviors to people and animals, that brainwaves can show what a person is thinking specifically if the patterns for that person have been translated before, or that it is now possible for fully paralyzed people to type at a speaking pace, using only thought and an implant in their brain - all of that is fascinating and quite futuristic, but - but this book also felt like a textbook or a chore sometimes, and it also backtracked and repeated the same things over and over again a lot of times. In places it was tough to read because of every third word being some term I'm not quite familiar with, or just the plain science-speak that was a little bit too dry. I do love scientific books - but perhaps I've read more of them about physics, rather than biology or medicine. So you could say, maybe the book wasn't for me. Maybe it would have been more interesting to a person for whom it this kind of material is more accessible. A lot of books on these topics can be and are made accessible and readable to complete laymen, but sadly, I didn't feel like this one was one of them, despite the quite interesting table of contents and the aim to inform the reader to all of the newest findings in this area.
Triggers:
gruesome experiments with animals and humans described in more detail than I would have liked. Descriptions of invasive procedures. Descriptions of patients conscious and talking while their brain is being operated on. Descriptions of how electroshock therapy was used to "treat" homosexuality (this whole experiment is so awful and incredibly unethical that I don't even want to give you more details about it. Ugh. It is described as a fact of history and it's ethical side isn't really discussed much, but it may be very triggering and it felt just so wrong when I was reading it. If you think it may trigger you, definitely heed this warning.)
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
July 12, 2024
I hate this book so much. It is actually one of the worst experiences in my reading life. I still feel strongly about it and it has been years.
Why? Because it's scientific content is actually good, and well presented, BUT you have to wade through tons of completely unnecessary narrative to get there.
I am not bashing Douglas Fields life or work here.
It is this books lost potential I take issue with.
Fields clearly has information I wanted to know, but I felt like a hostage in this book. He was bout to let me go, but because I was in his power he told me his life story and any interesting anecdote that came to his mind on the way.
A little fleshing out the context of how he wrote the book or who first researched, or still is researching what is fine, great even, but I do not want to hear about your plane flight to Paris to go to a lab to meet ppl who research brain waves, just to then be continuously assaulted by passages of you popping up at the place, going through floors, shaking hands, expressing your impressions of the place, complimenting people, having memory flashbacks etc, when I just want to learn about the brain.
I mean that's the books title isn't it?
What it can teach us, what it is etc, not how it is investigated by the author, and how this book has been written.
Who told the author this is relevant to his points?
These parts are not even badly written. The style is fine. They are just not half as good as they would have to be to apologize for the fact that this is an unnecessary bloating up of a non fiction book by making it a personal memoir.
It could be 1 third of the length.
That's why I could not finish it, and mayhaps never will, even though I care for the scientific content.
Why? Because it's scientific content is actually good, and well presented, BUT you have to wade through tons of completely unnecessary narrative to get there.
I am not bashing Douglas Fields life or work here.
It is this books lost potential I take issue with.
Fields clearly has information I wanted to know, but I felt like a hostage in this book. He was bout to let me go, but because I was in his power he told me his life story and any interesting anecdote that came to his mind on the way.
A little fleshing out the context of how he wrote the book or who first researched, or still is researching what is fine, great even, but I do not want to hear about your plane flight to Paris to go to a lab to meet ppl who research brain waves, just to then be continuously assaulted by passages of you popping up at the place, going through floors, shaking hands, expressing your impressions of the place, complimenting people, having memory flashbacks etc, when I just want to learn about the brain.
I mean that's the books title isn't it?
What it can teach us, what it is etc, not how it is investigated by the author, and how this book has been written.
Who told the author this is relevant to his points?
These parts are not even badly written. The style is fine. They are just not half as good as they would have to be to apologize for the fact that this is an unnecessary bloating up of a non fiction book by making it a personal memoir.
It could be 1 third of the length.
That's why I could not finish it, and mayhaps never will, even though I care for the scientific content.
February 27, 2023
Skipped through parts of the book because it contained numerous lengthy personal anecdotes. This book should have been titled the history of brainwaves rather than the science of brainwaves. Book needs editing!
May 2, 2022
I had very high expectations for this book. The primary reason is the topic, and the second reason is the author. The topic of electrical signals in the brain always fascinated me ever since my very first experiment in neuroscience. Back then, the research EEG lab was a shoebox of a room on a hospital ward. I spent countless hours in that lab trying to decipher how people’s brain activity changes when they view different facial expressions. It never stopped to amaze me that we can record people’s brain activity and learn about basic processes that affect how they think and feel. So, naturally, I was keen on reading this book on the electric brain. I was also familiar with the author because of his excellent book “The Other Brain” which got me interested in brain connectivity - my other passion in neuroscience. Unfortunately, I found this book quite disappointing. It has some good chapters and sections that provide a good overview of brain activity and introduce cutting-edge developments. For instance, I learned about an exciting new method of recording the brain through electrodes that can be inserted through the blood vessels during surgery. However, the book feels more like a collection of different articles rather than a coherent whole. There are seemingly random excursions that have little to do with the main topic. For instance, there is a long section about the effects of mountaineering on brain structure. It’s interesting, but the connection to the electric brain seems like a stretch too far. There were also some parts that angered me because they exposed sloppy background reading. For instance, the author describes research that he came across at a conference about the association between brain activity and reading problems in children. The research was not only unpublished, it also did not measure electrical activity, the topic of the book. If the author had done some research rather than recycled his conference notes, he would have found that there is well-established research that shows that electrical brain activity in response to sounds is highly predictive of reading problems at school age. This would have been a much better illustration of his point and would have been more reliable. If this was a draft of the book, I would think that it holds great promise but needs a lot of editing. Since this is the published version, I cannot recommend it.
January 20, 2023
In Electric Brain, R. Douglass Fields offers a thought-provoking and provocative examination of the way in which our brain functions and how it shapes our behavior and decision-making. Fields argues that our understanding of the brain has evolved significantly in recent years, and that we now have a much better understanding of the way in which the brain processes information and influences our behavior.
One of the key ideas that Fields introduces in Electric Brain is the concept of "neural plasticity." He argues that the brain is capable of adapting and changing in response to new information and experiences, and that this ability to adapt and change is what allows us to learn and grow. He provides a wealth of examples and case studies to illustrate this point, including the story of a stroke victim who was able to recover lost function through a combination of physical therapy and brain training, and the story of a soldier who was able to overcome PTSD through a combination of therapy and brain training.
Another compelling aspect of Fields' book is his focus on the impact of technology on the brain. He argues that technology has the ability to change the way in which we process information and make decisions, and that this has significant implications for our cognitive abilities and mental health. He provides examples of how technology is affecting the way we think and make decisions, such as how social media is changing the way we process information and interact with others.
Overall, Electric Brain is a thought-provoking and provocative examination of the way in which our brain functions and how it shapes our behavior and decision-making. It offers valuable insights and practical strategies for understanding and improving our cognitive abilities and mental health. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in neuroscience, psychology, and technology and its impact on human behavior.
One of the key ideas that Fields introduces in Electric Brain is the concept of "neural plasticity." He argues that the brain is capable of adapting and changing in response to new information and experiences, and that this ability to adapt and change is what allows us to learn and grow. He provides a wealth of examples and case studies to illustrate this point, including the story of a stroke victim who was able to recover lost function through a combination of physical therapy and brain training, and the story of a soldier who was able to overcome PTSD through a combination of therapy and brain training.
Another compelling aspect of Fields' book is his focus on the impact of technology on the brain. He argues that technology has the ability to change the way in which we process information and make decisions, and that this has significant implications for our cognitive abilities and mental health. He provides examples of how technology is affecting the way we think and make decisions, such as how social media is changing the way we process information and interact with others.
Overall, Electric Brain is a thought-provoking and provocative examination of the way in which our brain functions and how it shapes our behavior and decision-making. It offers valuable insights and practical strategies for understanding and improving our cognitive abilities and mental health. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in neuroscience, psychology, and technology and its impact on human behavior.
February 4, 2020
Douglas Fields is not only an expert of the brain, but also a very funny writer. So this book was not only interesting but pretty enjoyable. I found out a lot of things I didn't know either about the story of neurology (where Italian scientists were also involved) or about the brain itself, and I finally learned how does a Neurofeedback works. I would recommend to everybody that is interested in the brain.
Douglas Field non é soltanto un esperto del cervello, ma anche uno scrittore molto divertente. Quindi questo libro non é stato solo istruttivo, ma anche piacevole da leggere. Ho scoperto molte cose che ignoravo sulla storia della Neurologia (della quale hanno fatto parte anche parecchi italiani, nel bene e nel male) e sul ceervello stesso e le onde dell Elettroencefalogramma, inoltre ho finalmente capito come funziona un Neurofeedback. Consiglierei la lettura di questo libro a tutti coloro che hanno anche un seppur minimo interesse sull'argomento cervello, anche perché tra la tanta letteratura che c'é in giro, questo volume parte da una posizione particolarmente nuova.
THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE ARC!
Douglas Field non é soltanto un esperto del cervello, ma anche uno scrittore molto divertente. Quindi questo libro non é stato solo istruttivo, ma anche piacevole da leggere. Ho scoperto molte cose che ignoravo sulla storia della Neurologia (della quale hanno fatto parte anche parecchi italiani, nel bene e nel male) e sul ceervello stesso e le onde dell Elettroencefalogramma, inoltre ho finalmente capito come funziona un Neurofeedback. Consiglierei la lettura di questo libro a tutti coloro che hanno anche un seppur minimo interesse sull'argomento cervello, anche perché tra la tanta letteratura che c'é in giro, questo volume parte da una posizione particolarmente nuova.
THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE ARC!
July 25, 2025
So the reviews seemed to be split between joy due the many scientific factoids related to the brain (and there's a deep grab bag) and disgust among some on the writing style and tangents (so many). I believe this a psychometric fissure on narrative (people/social networks) and field (physical mapping/subject abstract equivalent) or novel verse textbook and one's proclivities in digesting information in one way or another (differing regions of the hippocampus would be a good place to investigate as an author's writing styles seems bimodal correlated with gender). Personally I like it because Fields seems a little mad in a fun way and his unfiltered thought process reflects that. There are many tales of Dr. Frankenstein (literal inspiration of the novel) with reanimation or the effects of electricity on the corpses of criminals. Some parsing of mad scientist's tales is included to deduce fact from science fiction but it can be captivating on your tastes because of the historical aspects with very little oversight (sometimes gruesome like a car wreck you can't look away from and then again some are based on the historic figure's tales). There are fascinating tales on biofeedback for new age mind control (of devices), glial cells (much neglected due to sexier neurons), effects from descending great heights too quickly, the author's main work on memory consolidation during sleep (something he should contact Sanjay Sarma about) and brain computer interfaces leading to muscle moments through electric simulation to muscles in the paralyzed for regained motion (and much more). So this really seems to be for someone with a low disgust threshold, a desire for mystery, and enjoyment of novelty in sci-fi writing from the past and present that's actual non fiction without the sterilized presentation.
The historical review of such passionate scientists and some charlatans requires such dry and academic writing to avoid the elation of an 'It's Alive... IT'S ALIVE' type moment that comes with a life's work and some corroborating evidence to instill an overreaching conclusion from confirmation science. As documented in the text, it can make for captivating reading and you want to believe just as badly as the experimenter that they've hit bedrock on some fundamental discovery instead of a modest stone in a complex milieu of material. The discoveries of Galvanic electricity or Hans Berger's brain waves showcase how such incredible components of physiology can be shelved out of sight from the general public or institution with great frustration to any who've marveled at them up close. Modern science generally coalesces around the material as it's easily verifiable by human's main sense of vision which is less susceptible to individual discrepancies (personal experiences like smells or taste or feelings don't have picture equivalents to replicate them and render translation much more difficult without the original).
In Alchemical terms, we largely focus on Earth.
Time as a river that can't be stepped in twice (though patterns repeat given memory of culture, technique, memes flowing past rocks and other objects in the stream of more complex hydrodynamic repeats of its shape) as Alchemical Water.
Alchemical air delves into quantum mechanics and combinatorics on vast but mutually exclusive partial placements per unit of time branching (Wood in the Chinese system) to divergent outcomes from choice or the greater heresy of Parapsychology that the researcher can influence results at this scale (with respect to the Cartesian division of the Soul for church purposes or metal aspect in a Chinese sense).
The text deals mostly with Alchemical fire or energy and science has obvious ethical issues with the complexity of 'the vital force' past describing metabolism or ion channels in a safe partial form without the chaos of thermodynamics among trillions of cells and even more at the molecular or atomic scale.
The stable reductionist philosophy for iron clad rules, a tacit consent to stay out of spiritual matters or couch them in complex statistical averages and exclude deviations, or discount complex systems results because they could easily be faked or there are so many unknown initial conditions that repetition is near impossible. Brainwaves are non physical, complex in terms of a high definition brain and low def EEG, and subject to first person descriptions of conscious states with many psychology tests failing repeatability. Neuroscience is slowly getting to a 1 to 1 map scale ratio for components and AI could potentially deduce complex relationships with sophisticated models containing numerous variables, but until then it’s more of a claim staking game for when hypotheses can be validated with rigorous science. So I have a claim to stake with the Havana Syndrome.
THE HAVANA HEAD ACHE
First and foremost, given the conditions and alliteration, why not recoin it (I’m not great with names unless one uses a latin, ancient greek, or something else with gravitas but simple etymology)? Second, this is an old Soviet playbook also mentioned in Becker & Selden’s “The Body Electric” which covers Moscow (pp 315-6) bathing the US embassy with electromagnetic waves and using the diplomats as guinea pigs. The microwave frequency was used (the reason a microwave works is that the waves resonate with water molecules to excite them with energy transducing radiant energy to thermal energy). The CIA discovered the ‘Moscow Signal’ and put Milton Zaret in charge of Project Pandora. The frequency looked like a composite suggesting a modulation which required finding its resonance with molecular biological structures. Further clues include blood tests by the State department showing elevated white blood cell counts in a third of the staff (the authors note a 40% rise with suggestions of possible leukemia) and lots of chromosome breaks. This would be a Directed Energy Weapon that should be outlawed along similar lines as nuclear, biological, or chemical (NBC) due to the prolonged effects in energizing vital biomolecules (maybe nucleotides or proteins but energy medicine is still hush hush due to its subtlety and possible disinformation chaos in questioning what resonates with what or how much harmless doses are).
Fields doesn’t delve into the old microwaves but he does tackle the issue of a sonic attack.
1.The requirements entail not having collateral damage in that the victim is the only one who receives the dose.
2. It must penetrate glass or concrete to come from outside or be small enough to fit inside (somehow barring the possibility of attack past the exit in a stationary position in a building like Tchaikovsky Street).
3. Must produce a sonic noise or stimulate one from brain chemistry.
4. Ultrasounds with mothers require gel and no distance for their transduction into the womb as the air to skin acoustic impedance dissipates the wave.
Earlier in the text Fields covers some amazing research on thought transference from humans to rats to use a person's intentions to make the rodent’s tail to twitch and do it without invasive procedures. So EEG’s are used for the ‘read device’ in humans and a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as a possibility for a ‘write device’ to the rats. But instead of this more imprecise method the researchers used ‘ultrasonic waves’ to pierce past the skull and target certain areas of the brain. The resonance is thought to ‘stretch activate’ the neural membranes but possibly also increase the action potential by heating (pp. 255-6). However, it does require a transducer to be placed against the scalp. So it is potentially feasible but the PhD holder tends to have a benevolent outlook on life (I like him for that) in that this equipment is ‘generally safe.’ I wouldn’t argue the point as it’s medical equipment has strict guidelines on safety protocols or it wouldn’t be in use. Most things depend on dosage or amplitude in this case and a scientist with malevolent goals (comparable to some of the monsters of the the past in the text) would seek to weaponize the dosage and overheat the neurons.
A technology that is not highly known about could solve the other out of the box (allowable thoughts) that Dr. Fields might not be looking at with the right perspective. Seth Horowitz’s “The Universal Sense” covers some ground breaking research on the sonic permutation of reality (the strategy of smaller frogs in mating is worth a grin). The meat of the content pertinent to this topic is titled ‘Weapons and Weirdness’ (pp. 216-45). There’s mention of Radar's using microwaves and causing ‘clicking noises’ but attributing this to unequal heating in the inner ear from resonance (a classic example of the benefits of energy tech and its potential dangers with the cure of… don’t stand in front of the device). There is a note of patents for microwave modulation to beam sounds into a person’s head from the 70’s (around the time of the Moscow signal but without performance tests for data) as well as a EM crowd control device titled MEDUSA with some reservations held by the author. But the main tech that is of interest are the piezo directional speakers. The tech doesn't use cone speakers but straight up and down burst for faster ranges far above the 20kHz limit for human hearing and as high as the 200kHz range. If I comprehend this right, there is selective wave interference so that only the convergence point is modulated into the audible. For different numbers a constant carrier at 40kHz would be in audible but with another 40kHz to 60kHz the resulting constructive and destructive interference would put one in the 20kHz audible range but only where they converge properly (In my limited wave physics sense, the amplitudes would be altered with aim of elongating the wavelengths to audible sizes matching speech). But it is possible to selectively beam noise to a target point as there’s doubt cast on the phenomena in Feild’s text.
I’m not sure how one would get over the transduction issue with ultrasonic so it could be the use of new technology and a repeat of the Moscow Signal or some of the more complex dew technologies. The lack of sensors and attribution give the phenomena a psychological warfare aspect in sewing fear and confusion aside from headaches caused by a few brave State Department employees. This is literally the root of the tinfoil hat conspiracy and the greater psyop is instilling paranoia over the hidden forces that have led to unstable group dynamics in times and places around the globe. As a counter, the sun is a directed energy weapon as it can cause burns and cancers depending on amplitude and dose. Sunlight is visible and heat is detectable so there’s less of an occult fear of not knowing what’s going on. The individual has agency in being able to put on sunscreen or covering garments and an appropriate hat. Atomic radiation is another permutation of energy that can be toxic in terms of amplitude and dose (it’s also complicated as the half life of carbon 14 is much different than uranium 234) but there are Geiger-counters for detection and informative protocols and material in blocking or treating the issue. Building out a system for sensing and understanding the issue allows for agency and attribution to deal with the issue and stop the much larger problem of mass panic or destructive social tensions. If there is damage to diplomats, the old modulated microwave tech could have been revived by Putin with his background in the KGB. Since complaints come from Cuba and China, the higher value is political capital. If Russian agents could set up modified devices targeting US personnel and there is a lack of attribution, the host nation would be the first target of the rumor mill. With help on social media, US suspicion of said nations in the matter could be amplified, and host nations’ indignation could be amplified for something they didn’t do. The final layer of the push and pull tactic would be wedge between host nations and the US in diplomacy and a sympathetic Russian ear to vent to and seek advice. Being able to establish the harmful frequencies that match biomolecules including water, rate their amplitude, detect direction, and establish dose and a source could sort all of this out with evidence. The ultrasonic component would be another layer to increase complexity of the phenomena and promote hysteria. We should be able to protect our people and tinfoil is not the answer.
Taste the DEWs
All that said, directed energy weapons are the future of warfare or could be in both a Star Trek and Star Wars sense. In the former, I’d really like to see a future with phasers set to stun and properly tuned directed energy weapons that could provide that technology. Granted, they could not under any circumstances have the long-lasting degradation of resonating with biomolecules for tortuous death. The goal would be like Becker and Selden’s example of a strong magnet knocking out brain waves for rapid authorization… something without pain and sudden and without long term side effects but long enough to detain the person and with proper legal use of force rules. Obviously a laser could burn a hole in a hostiles’ heads but I think we’ll look back on death from warfare as something barbaric and a harmless sleep gun in the right hands could aid in that future.
In terms of the the Star Wars pa-hue-hue, Brain Dougherty’s “Airborne Directed Energy Weapon Applications for Special Operations Forces” is pretty dated, for the worst possible platform in terms of current energy output with weight limits, but illuminating in terms of the state of the art two decades ago. He lists out the benefits of incorporating these arms into the force in terms of:
Speed of Light Engagement - much faster than bullets or missiles
Ballistic Freedom - no complexities of artillery calculations or bullet drop or wind speed
Ultra Precision Accuracy - straightline precision so hopefully no collateral damage
Range of Effects - the phaser setting or disabling platforms or destroying them
Deep Magazines - ammo logistics replaced by power grids/capacity/chemicals
Low Cost Per Shot - much needed cost savings to the force if perfected
There’s some fascinating research on the types of lasers and microwave devices with their capacities and requirements but it’s for aircraft so the restrictions are severe. With the advent of drone warfare and more reliance on missiles or air denial capabilities, these systems would be perfect for threatened land based targets or waterborne vessels with nuclear energy systems. The general idea would be one of Moore’s law in microchips or the pattern in solar panels… the more that is produced, the higher the quality and lower the cost… but it’s really only something that USA aligned nations would possess in time and be able to mass for defensive or sea based offensive purposes. There’s been development in the field with the Ukrainian defense and even if they’re not perfect, the continual investment could eventually allow for more Patriot like systems but cheaper, more numerous, and without the missile replenishment feature but it’ll take time, trial, money, and R&D.
The historical review of such passionate scientists and some charlatans requires such dry and academic writing to avoid the elation of an 'It's Alive... IT'S ALIVE' type moment that comes with a life's work and some corroborating evidence to instill an overreaching conclusion from confirmation science. As documented in the text, it can make for captivating reading and you want to believe just as badly as the experimenter that they've hit bedrock on some fundamental discovery instead of a modest stone in a complex milieu of material. The discoveries of Galvanic electricity or Hans Berger's brain waves showcase how such incredible components of physiology can be shelved out of sight from the general public or institution with great frustration to any who've marveled at them up close. Modern science generally coalesces around the material as it's easily verifiable by human's main sense of vision which is less susceptible to individual discrepancies (personal experiences like smells or taste or feelings don't have picture equivalents to replicate them and render translation much more difficult without the original).
In Alchemical terms, we largely focus on Earth.
Time as a river that can't be stepped in twice (though patterns repeat given memory of culture, technique, memes flowing past rocks and other objects in the stream of more complex hydrodynamic repeats of its shape) as Alchemical Water.
Alchemical air delves into quantum mechanics and combinatorics on vast but mutually exclusive partial placements per unit of time branching (Wood in the Chinese system) to divergent outcomes from choice or the greater heresy of Parapsychology that the researcher can influence results at this scale (with respect to the Cartesian division of the Soul for church purposes or metal aspect in a Chinese sense).
The text deals mostly with Alchemical fire or energy and science has obvious ethical issues with the complexity of 'the vital force' past describing metabolism or ion channels in a safe partial form without the chaos of thermodynamics among trillions of cells and even more at the molecular or atomic scale.
The stable reductionist philosophy for iron clad rules, a tacit consent to stay out of spiritual matters or couch them in complex statistical averages and exclude deviations, or discount complex systems results because they could easily be faked or there are so many unknown initial conditions that repetition is near impossible. Brainwaves are non physical, complex in terms of a high definition brain and low def EEG, and subject to first person descriptions of conscious states with many psychology tests failing repeatability. Neuroscience is slowly getting to a 1 to 1 map scale ratio for components and AI could potentially deduce complex relationships with sophisticated models containing numerous variables, but until then it’s more of a claim staking game for when hypotheses can be validated with rigorous science. So I have a claim to stake with the Havana Syndrome.
THE HAVANA HEAD ACHE
First and foremost, given the conditions and alliteration, why not recoin it (I’m not great with names unless one uses a latin, ancient greek, or something else with gravitas but simple etymology)? Second, this is an old Soviet playbook also mentioned in Becker & Selden’s “The Body Electric” which covers Moscow (pp 315-6) bathing the US embassy with electromagnetic waves and using the diplomats as guinea pigs. The microwave frequency was used (the reason a microwave works is that the waves resonate with water molecules to excite them with energy transducing radiant energy to thermal energy). The CIA discovered the ‘Moscow Signal’ and put Milton Zaret in charge of Project Pandora. The frequency looked like a composite suggesting a modulation which required finding its resonance with molecular biological structures. Further clues include blood tests by the State department showing elevated white blood cell counts in a third of the staff (the authors note a 40% rise with suggestions of possible leukemia) and lots of chromosome breaks. This would be a Directed Energy Weapon that should be outlawed along similar lines as nuclear, biological, or chemical (NBC) due to the prolonged effects in energizing vital biomolecules (maybe nucleotides or proteins but energy medicine is still hush hush due to its subtlety and possible disinformation chaos in questioning what resonates with what or how much harmless doses are).
Fields doesn’t delve into the old microwaves but he does tackle the issue of a sonic attack.
1.The requirements entail not having collateral damage in that the victim is the only one who receives the dose.
2. It must penetrate glass or concrete to come from outside or be small enough to fit inside (somehow barring the possibility of attack past the exit in a stationary position in a building like Tchaikovsky Street).
3. Must produce a sonic noise or stimulate one from brain chemistry.
4. Ultrasounds with mothers require gel and no distance for their transduction into the womb as the air to skin acoustic impedance dissipates the wave.
Earlier in the text Fields covers some amazing research on thought transference from humans to rats to use a person's intentions to make the rodent’s tail to twitch and do it without invasive procedures. So EEG’s are used for the ‘read device’ in humans and a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as a possibility for a ‘write device’ to the rats. But instead of this more imprecise method the researchers used ‘ultrasonic waves’ to pierce past the skull and target certain areas of the brain. The resonance is thought to ‘stretch activate’ the neural membranes but possibly also increase the action potential by heating (pp. 255-6). However, it does require a transducer to be placed against the scalp. So it is potentially feasible but the PhD holder tends to have a benevolent outlook on life (I like him for that) in that this equipment is ‘generally safe.’ I wouldn’t argue the point as it’s medical equipment has strict guidelines on safety protocols or it wouldn’t be in use. Most things depend on dosage or amplitude in this case and a scientist with malevolent goals (comparable to some of the monsters of the the past in the text) would seek to weaponize the dosage and overheat the neurons.
A technology that is not highly known about could solve the other out of the box (allowable thoughts) that Dr. Fields might not be looking at with the right perspective. Seth Horowitz’s “The Universal Sense” covers some ground breaking research on the sonic permutation of reality (the strategy of smaller frogs in mating is worth a grin). The meat of the content pertinent to this topic is titled ‘Weapons and Weirdness’ (pp. 216-45). There’s mention of Radar's using microwaves and causing ‘clicking noises’ but attributing this to unequal heating in the inner ear from resonance (a classic example of the benefits of energy tech and its potential dangers with the cure of… don’t stand in front of the device). There is a note of patents for microwave modulation to beam sounds into a person’s head from the 70’s (around the time of the Moscow signal but without performance tests for data) as well as a EM crowd control device titled MEDUSA with some reservations held by the author. But the main tech that is of interest are the piezo directional speakers. The tech doesn't use cone speakers but straight up and down burst for faster ranges far above the 20kHz limit for human hearing and as high as the 200kHz range. If I comprehend this right, there is selective wave interference so that only the convergence point is modulated into the audible. For different numbers a constant carrier at 40kHz would be in audible but with another 40kHz to 60kHz the resulting constructive and destructive interference would put one in the 20kHz audible range but only where they converge properly (In my limited wave physics sense, the amplitudes would be altered with aim of elongating the wavelengths to audible sizes matching speech). But it is possible to selectively beam noise to a target point as there’s doubt cast on the phenomena in Feild’s text.
I’m not sure how one would get over the transduction issue with ultrasonic so it could be the use of new technology and a repeat of the Moscow Signal or some of the more complex dew technologies. The lack of sensors and attribution give the phenomena a psychological warfare aspect in sewing fear and confusion aside from headaches caused by a few brave State Department employees. This is literally the root of the tinfoil hat conspiracy and the greater psyop is instilling paranoia over the hidden forces that have led to unstable group dynamics in times and places around the globe. As a counter, the sun is a directed energy weapon as it can cause burns and cancers depending on amplitude and dose. Sunlight is visible and heat is detectable so there’s less of an occult fear of not knowing what’s going on. The individual has agency in being able to put on sunscreen or covering garments and an appropriate hat. Atomic radiation is another permutation of energy that can be toxic in terms of amplitude and dose (it’s also complicated as the half life of carbon 14 is much different than uranium 234) but there are Geiger-counters for detection and informative protocols and material in blocking or treating the issue. Building out a system for sensing and understanding the issue allows for agency and attribution to deal with the issue and stop the much larger problem of mass panic or destructive social tensions. If there is damage to diplomats, the old modulated microwave tech could have been revived by Putin with his background in the KGB. Since complaints come from Cuba and China, the higher value is political capital. If Russian agents could set up modified devices targeting US personnel and there is a lack of attribution, the host nation would be the first target of the rumor mill. With help on social media, US suspicion of said nations in the matter could be amplified, and host nations’ indignation could be amplified for something they didn’t do. The final layer of the push and pull tactic would be wedge between host nations and the US in diplomacy and a sympathetic Russian ear to vent to and seek advice. Being able to establish the harmful frequencies that match biomolecules including water, rate their amplitude, detect direction, and establish dose and a source could sort all of this out with evidence. The ultrasonic component would be another layer to increase complexity of the phenomena and promote hysteria. We should be able to protect our people and tinfoil is not the answer.
Taste the DEWs
All that said, directed energy weapons are the future of warfare or could be in both a Star Trek and Star Wars sense. In the former, I’d really like to see a future with phasers set to stun and properly tuned directed energy weapons that could provide that technology. Granted, they could not under any circumstances have the long-lasting degradation of resonating with biomolecules for tortuous death. The goal would be like Becker and Selden’s example of a strong magnet knocking out brain waves for rapid authorization… something without pain and sudden and without long term side effects but long enough to detain the person and with proper legal use of force rules. Obviously a laser could burn a hole in a hostiles’ heads but I think we’ll look back on death from warfare as something barbaric and a harmless sleep gun in the right hands could aid in that future.
In terms of the the Star Wars pa-hue-hue, Brain Dougherty’s “Airborne Directed Energy Weapon Applications for Special Operations Forces” is pretty dated, for the worst possible platform in terms of current energy output with weight limits, but illuminating in terms of the state of the art two decades ago. He lists out the benefits of incorporating these arms into the force in terms of:
Speed of Light Engagement - much faster than bullets or missiles
Ballistic Freedom - no complexities of artillery calculations or bullet drop or wind speed
Ultra Precision Accuracy - straightline precision so hopefully no collateral damage
Range of Effects - the phaser setting or disabling platforms or destroying them
Deep Magazines - ammo logistics replaced by power grids/capacity/chemicals
Low Cost Per Shot - much needed cost savings to the force if perfected
There’s some fascinating research on the types of lasers and microwave devices with their capacities and requirements but it’s for aircraft so the restrictions are severe. With the advent of drone warfare and more reliance on missiles or air denial capabilities, these systems would be perfect for threatened land based targets or waterborne vessels with nuclear energy systems. The general idea would be one of Moore’s law in microchips or the pattern in solar panels… the more that is produced, the higher the quality and lower the cost… but it’s really only something that USA aligned nations would possess in time and be able to mass for defensive or sea based offensive purposes. There’s been development in the field with the Ukrainian defense and even if they’re not perfect, the continual investment could eventually allow for more Patriot like systems but cheaper, more numerous, and without the missile replenishment feature but it’ll take time, trial, money, and R&D.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2023
While studying neuroscience in university, one of the topics that really bewildered myself and my fellow coursemates at first was the subject of brain waves…
We had learned about action potentials, and how they produced an all-or-nothing digital response, but at the same time there’s also an analogue component, waves of charge distribution within the brain due to electrical charges surrounding the neurons and other brain cells.
Hence I was very keen to pick up this book and start learning more. And I’m pleased to report that I was blown away by how much the technology in the field has accelerated since my time in university about 20 years ago.
Fields' writing in this book is nothing short of electrifying (excuse the pun!) It begins with the somewhat shady, yet revolutionary beginnings of brainwave discovery by Hans Berger circa 1929, that gained little acceptance with his peers due to his not-so-ethical methods.
Fields then elaborates on the properties of electricity in the brain for the remainder of Part I of the book. The highlights for me were how brainwaves form a particular pattern when someone is under general anaesthetic, and the topic of antidromic firing of neurons, where the action potential is triggered in the cell body rather than the dendrites.
Then there’s Part II, which covers much of the author’s own findings. Part III meanwhile focuses on the potential (excuse the pun!) of what these findings could mean for the future.
There are a great many methods of analysing the brain and it’s brainwaves within the book, including some of the more crude methods such as Direct Brain Stimulation,and using brain stimulation to “treat” homosexuality. Before going onto discuss less invasive methods such as the stentrode method, optogenetics, and using infra-red light (fNIRS).
Fields describes how it is now possible to know what a person is thinking simply by looking at brain imagery, since it has been discovered that different parts of the brain light up for different words - and these are consistent no matter what language the words are written in (provided that they are understood by the participant)
What’s more, Fields also goes on to discuss how personality traits can be determined through fMRI, such as harm avoidance, reward dependency, and novelty seeking. All through patterns of activity in the default, salience and executive brain networks.
Fields goes into as much detail as he can on brain-computer interfaces, but acknowledges there is still a way to go in terms of understanding how these interfaces work. He maintains that while brain-computer interfaces can induce pleasure or punishment so as to encourage or discourage particular behaviours, that this is not quite the same thing as “brain control”. He argues there is yet to be a scientific basis for overriding free will.
Throughout much of the book, Fields uses a journalistic style of writing, with lots of scene setting as he describes visiting various establishments as he seeks to learn more. In fact, when I first began reading the book, I felt it was written for the layman.
However, this did change as the book went on, it became much more detail heavy, with minimal description of brain networks and acronyms.
And he does make some very important points regarding this field of research (and others besides), “Science does not proceed at the pace of scientific innovation; it proceeds at a pace, and in the specific directions that it is funded by the public or business.” Sad, but true.
But I believe that the main point Fields wants to make in his book is, and I quote:
“Developing treatments for serious psychological illnesses is especially urgent. Psychosurgery is too primitive and dangerous. Electrical stimulation is too blunt. Drug therapies can be ineffective.”
And it is for this reason, perhaps above all others, that more research into such matters as brain waves, and brain-computer interfaces, is required. But it’s in sight, for everyday we are a day closer to the future.
For more of my neuroscience book reviews, please head over to www.brocasneuroknowhow.com
We had learned about action potentials, and how they produced an all-or-nothing digital response, but at the same time there’s also an analogue component, waves of charge distribution within the brain due to electrical charges surrounding the neurons and other brain cells.
Hence I was very keen to pick up this book and start learning more. And I’m pleased to report that I was blown away by how much the technology in the field has accelerated since my time in university about 20 years ago.
Fields' writing in this book is nothing short of electrifying (excuse the pun!) It begins with the somewhat shady, yet revolutionary beginnings of brainwave discovery by Hans Berger circa 1929, that gained little acceptance with his peers due to his not-so-ethical methods.
Fields then elaborates on the properties of electricity in the brain for the remainder of Part I of the book. The highlights for me were how brainwaves form a particular pattern when someone is under general anaesthetic, and the topic of antidromic firing of neurons, where the action potential is triggered in the cell body rather than the dendrites.
Then there’s Part II, which covers much of the author’s own findings. Part III meanwhile focuses on the potential (excuse the pun!) of what these findings could mean for the future.
There are a great many methods of analysing the brain and it’s brainwaves within the book, including some of the more crude methods such as Direct Brain Stimulation,and using brain stimulation to “treat” homosexuality. Before going onto discuss less invasive methods such as the stentrode method, optogenetics, and using infra-red light (fNIRS).
Fields describes how it is now possible to know what a person is thinking simply by looking at brain imagery, since it has been discovered that different parts of the brain light up for different words - and these are consistent no matter what language the words are written in (provided that they are understood by the participant)
What’s more, Fields also goes on to discuss how personality traits can be determined through fMRI, such as harm avoidance, reward dependency, and novelty seeking. All through patterns of activity in the default, salience and executive brain networks.
Fields goes into as much detail as he can on brain-computer interfaces, but acknowledges there is still a way to go in terms of understanding how these interfaces work. He maintains that while brain-computer interfaces can induce pleasure or punishment so as to encourage or discourage particular behaviours, that this is not quite the same thing as “brain control”. He argues there is yet to be a scientific basis for overriding free will.
Throughout much of the book, Fields uses a journalistic style of writing, with lots of scene setting as he describes visiting various establishments as he seeks to learn more. In fact, when I first began reading the book, I felt it was written for the layman.
However, this did change as the book went on, it became much more detail heavy, with minimal description of brain networks and acronyms.
And he does make some very important points regarding this field of research (and others besides), “Science does not proceed at the pace of scientific innovation; it proceeds at a pace, and in the specific directions that it is funded by the public or business.” Sad, but true.
But I believe that the main point Fields wants to make in his book is, and I quote:
“Developing treatments for serious psychological illnesses is especially urgent. Psychosurgery is too primitive and dangerous. Electrical stimulation is too blunt. Drug therapies can be ineffective.”
And it is for this reason, perhaps above all others, that more research into such matters as brain waves, and brain-computer interfaces, is required. But it’s in sight, for everyday we are a day closer to the future.
For more of my neuroscience book reviews, please head over to www.brocasneuroknowhow.com
April 14, 2021
Reviewed for Foreword Books INDIES Awards.
This book is a bit confused. It explicitly tells us on the cover and in the first several chapters that it is focusing on brainwaves, and thus we are to understand that things like deep brain stimulation and other invasive procedures are outside the scope of this book. Except that apparently they're not, once we get to some later chapters.
At times this book read like a very long and broad but very superficial review article. It pulled in LOTS of references and mentioned their highlights, but they were only a tiny sampling of the literature out there.
At times this book felt like a personal narrative, like the 8-page stream of consciousness recitation that the author led us through as he tried not to think about anything. It was complete nonsense, and completely irrelevant to the book. There were other narrative parts too, like how he went mountaineering and had his brain scanned before and after to detect anomalies. At least this part was interesting, and gave me hope for the rest of the book. Sadly it was downhill from there.
I was also appalled that the author seemed to have minimal if any qualms about putting schoolchildren into different educational tracks based on their aptitude for reading (Chapter 9), which he pressured a researcher ("pushed her") to consider at a poster session. He seems to have hesitate a little at actually reading a person's mind, because our thoughts are private, but he doesn't mind creating educational disparities early on that could never be overcome simply because a child's brain is wired.
And finally, for the moment, I was put off a little by the author's imprecision of language. As an example, he stated in the last chapter that "cell phone broadcasts can disrupt brainwaves in a way that prevents sleep." If the brainwaves themselves are indicators of the underlying brain processes, then you can't disrupt a brainwave; you can disrupt the process and that will be indicated in the brainwave, but you can't disrupt a brainwave itself.
A huge mishmash of ideas and concepts. This book would probably best be broken down into two or three smaller volumes, so that the author can focus on one topic at a time (focus on brainwaves, if that is indeed your topic like you purport in the subtitle, and save the deep brain stimulation and other invasive techniques for other volumes).
This book is a bit confused. It explicitly tells us on the cover and in the first several chapters that it is focusing on brainwaves, and thus we are to understand that things like deep brain stimulation and other invasive procedures are outside the scope of this book. Except that apparently they're not, once we get to some later chapters.
At times this book read like a very long and broad but very superficial review article. It pulled in LOTS of references and mentioned their highlights, but they were only a tiny sampling of the literature out there.
At times this book felt like a personal narrative, like the 8-page stream of consciousness recitation that the author led us through as he tried not to think about anything. It was complete nonsense, and completely irrelevant to the book. There were other narrative parts too, like how he went mountaineering and had his brain scanned before and after to detect anomalies. At least this part was interesting, and gave me hope for the rest of the book. Sadly it was downhill from there.
I was also appalled that the author seemed to have minimal if any qualms about putting schoolchildren into different educational tracks based on their aptitude for reading (Chapter 9), which he pressured a researcher ("pushed her") to consider at a poster session. He seems to have hesitate a little at actually reading a person's mind, because our thoughts are private, but he doesn't mind creating educational disparities early on that could never be overcome simply because a child's brain is wired.
And finally, for the moment, I was put off a little by the author's imprecision of language. As an example, he stated in the last chapter that "cell phone broadcasts can disrupt brainwaves in a way that prevents sleep." If the brainwaves themselves are indicators of the underlying brain processes, then you can't disrupt a brainwave; you can disrupt the process and that will be indicated in the brainwave, but you can't disrupt a brainwave itself.
A huge mishmash of ideas and concepts. This book would probably best be broken down into two or three smaller volumes, so that the author can focus on one topic at a time (focus on brainwaves, if that is indeed your topic like you purport in the subtitle, and save the deep brain stimulation and other invasive techniques for other volumes).
January 31, 2020
"Electric Brain" talked about the past, present, and potential future of brainwave research. This book was written by someone who is actively researching in this field, so he provided in-depth scientific detail about how the brain works and what the latest research has found. This is not a popular science book. The book started off with a rather gross history of the sometimes unethical research done to discover what brain waves are and how they can be manipulated. If you don't like descriptions of things like kittens having their brains scooped out, skip the first 15% of this book. The author also described his visits to some of the research labs (past and present).
He described the current research being done on brain waves and the debates among experts about what is causing what. He went into detail about the many things that can go wrong with the brain and what might be done to fix them. He described things like brain waves during a coma, general anesthesia, and sleep. The last half of the book talked about applying the current research to create brain to computer interfaces, crude telepathy, thought control of an animal or another human, and in identifying potential abilities or diagnosing neurological disorders. He also talked about future applications that people are dreaming about developing and ways people are currently altering brain waves (neurofeedback, electrical brain stimulation, magnetic stimulation, meditation, and brainwave gadgets). The main thing I learned from this book is that we really don't know what we're doing yet, but that's not stopping anyone.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
He described the current research being done on brain waves and the debates among experts about what is causing what. He went into detail about the many things that can go wrong with the brain and what might be done to fix them. He described things like brain waves during a coma, general anesthesia, and sleep. The last half of the book talked about applying the current research to create brain to computer interfaces, crude telepathy, thought control of an animal or another human, and in identifying potential abilities or diagnosing neurological disorders. He also talked about future applications that people are dreaming about developing and ways people are currently altering brain waves (neurofeedback, electrical brain stimulation, magnetic stimulation, meditation, and brainwave gadgets). The main thing I learned from this book is that we really don't know what we're doing yet, but that's not stopping anyone.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
March 27, 2020
After reading through Electric Brain by R. Douglas Fields while self-isolating during a pandemic, I believe I have caught up with the latest in above-board neuroscience developments that might interest me. As expected, like the history of psychology and psychiatry, the history of neuroscience has not always been the most ethical, with dubious and even outright dark figures such as Dr. Berger, a supporting member of the Nazi SS, who went along with the regime's mass eugenics plans, or Dr. Delgado, whose experiments were akin to disturbing if not over-hyped forms of mind control.
Unfortunately, there has been much whitewashing of accounts of abuse and ethical failings, but I was glad to see the author not shying away from presenting the more darker side of his field rather than go along with historical revisionism. In fact, he seemed to present a rather balanced view of these developing technologies, neither too "pop-sci" and unrealistic nor too skeptical or fearful. The writing style was fairly clear although technical at times, with the only rambling part being a rather sizable block of text devoted to his internal mind chatter when undergoing various scans, reminiscent of a stream of consciousness novel. I enjoyed many of his analogies used to explain concepts, and there was a little humor every now and then.
I would rate this a 4 out of 5.
NB: I have received an ARC copy of this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
Unfortunately, there has been much whitewashing of accounts of abuse and ethical failings, but I was glad to see the author not shying away from presenting the more darker side of his field rather than go along with historical revisionism. In fact, he seemed to present a rather balanced view of these developing technologies, neither too "pop-sci" and unrealistic nor too skeptical or fearful. The writing style was fairly clear although technical at times, with the only rambling part being a rather sizable block of text devoted to his internal mind chatter when undergoing various scans, reminiscent of a stream of consciousness novel. I enjoyed many of his analogies used to explain concepts, and there was a little humor every now and then.
I would rate this a 4 out of 5.
NB: I have received an ARC copy of this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
April 10, 2020
How many times can you force yourself to pick up a book before you give up on finishing it?
I didn’t count with this book, but it must have been my eighth or ninth try, when I realized I’d rather clean my bathroom, that I decided this book and I just don’t belong together.
Neuroscience and neuropsychology fascinate me. I read a lot on the topics, so it’s not like I’m new to this area of nonfiction. I had no problem understanding it; my problem was the experience felt like my college days, when I was forced to read dense textbooks written by academics with too much gusto for their topic and not enough narrative engagement for the reader.
If you can get past the first 70 or so pages, which are tedious and repetitive in content, it does get more interesting, though only marginally more readable. The writing is overly wordy and often meanders off topic. I felt like we circled issues far too long before getting to the point.
A word of caution: We’re given quite a bit (way too much for me) graphic detail on early animal experimentation. I had to skim, because I don’t need those visuals, ever.
I do think this book is good for students studying neuroscience and/or for anyone working or teaching in the field. As an educational “pleasure” read, however, this isn’t a book I’d recommend.
*I received a review copy from the publisher.*
I didn’t count with this book, but it must have been my eighth or ninth try, when I realized I’d rather clean my bathroom, that I decided this book and I just don’t belong together.
Neuroscience and neuropsychology fascinate me. I read a lot on the topics, so it’s not like I’m new to this area of nonfiction. I had no problem understanding it; my problem was the experience felt like my college days, when I was forced to read dense textbooks written by academics with too much gusto for their topic and not enough narrative engagement for the reader.
If you can get past the first 70 or so pages, which are tedious and repetitive in content, it does get more interesting, though only marginally more readable. The writing is overly wordy and often meanders off topic. I felt like we circled issues far too long before getting to the point.
A word of caution: We’re given quite a bit (way too much for me) graphic detail on early animal experimentation. I had to skim, because I don’t need those visuals, ever.
I do think this book is good for students studying neuroscience and/or for anyone working or teaching in the field. As an educational “pleasure” read, however, this isn’t a book I’d recommend.
*I received a review copy from the publisher.*
February 1, 2020
Though Electric Brain is a dense read, it is a valuable one. Dr. Fields is a leading neuroscientist at the forefront of brainwave research. In this in-depth look into neuroscience, he discusses the somewhat-dark origins of the science, dives into present-day research, and looks at how recent discoveries offer exciting possibilities in the future. Our brainwaves offer insight into our mental health, ability to learn, and so much more. With such information medicine, education, technology, etc. could be forever changed. But Fields has already begun to question the ethics of using such personal and private information. So while chapters such as “Brainwaves Reveal Your Thoughts, Strengths, and Weaknesses” and “Mastering Your Brainwaves” might appeal to a general audience, this book truly serves a foundation for Fields and his fellow neuroscientists and academics to continue to build upon.
October 13, 2021
A bit under 4 stars but close enough. I found this book to be very interesting, but it did take me a while to get through. The second half, as it moves from history to current research, requires a certain amount of scientific literacy. So I wouldn't say this is a good introduction to brain science unless you're fairly familiar with other biological sciences as well. And the historical part has a surprising (to me, at least) amount of Nazis. It makes sense, I just wasn't expecting it. But a lot of European science from the first half of the 20th century has ties to/roots in Nazi experiments - the book doesn't speak favorably of Nazis at all, FYI, but they're definitely part of the history. There's also some heavy history tied to experimentation on disabled or other marginalized people. So just be aware as you go into this, and avoid it if you find those subjects triggering.
December 29, 2019
This book was received as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was actually not sure what I was getting into with this one, neuroscience isn't a topic I have any interest or general knowledge about, but Fields' book is actually extremely easy to read and understand, even as someone who's lacking in the topic! It's definitely something that proves more people need to educated themselves on things that are moving in our world, and this is one I really genuinely liked. I was surprised that the subject matter was simple to absorb but difficult enough to want to find out more about it and look into other sources (there's a delightful jumping point at the back of the book!), and the idea of brainwaves and where we're going in the research of them is super fascinating.
I was actually not sure what I was getting into with this one, neuroscience isn't a topic I have any interest or general knowledge about, but Fields' book is actually extremely easy to read and understand, even as someone who's lacking in the topic! It's definitely something that proves more people need to educated themselves on things that are moving in our world, and this is one I really genuinely liked. I was surprised that the subject matter was simple to absorb but difficult enough to want to find out more about it and look into other sources (there's a delightful jumping point at the back of the book!), and the idea of brainwaves and where we're going in the research of them is super fascinating.
May 20, 2023
Informative but Highly Technical
I found the topics in this book to be very interesting, and supported with a lot of details from a extensive catalog of research. That being said, this book is not for the casual reader. The use of jargon, medical/technical references, and level of detail make this read more like a medical text book. Without much background on this subject, I found my eyes glazing over pretty often, and needing to re-read sections over and over again to comprehend the level of complexity. Definitely would recommend to someone in the field with a background and solid understanding of the vocabulary. Anyone looking for an entry level or 101 type book on the subject may want to look elsewhere.
I found the topics in this book to be very interesting, and supported with a lot of details from a extensive catalog of research. That being said, this book is not for the casual reader. The use of jargon, medical/technical references, and level of detail make this read more like a medical text book. Without much background on this subject, I found my eyes glazing over pretty often, and needing to re-read sections over and over again to comprehend the level of complexity. Definitely would recommend to someone in the field with a background and solid understanding of the vocabulary. Anyone looking for an entry level or 101 type book on the subject may want to look elsewhere.
December 7, 2023
Some things I didn't like in the books were:
- Parts where the author describes the scene like we're reading a fiction novel. It's completely useless.
- Describes what was going on in his head and that something is completely irrelevant.
- Some parts had too much info without the required background. I think it's better to just cite the studies there so that the field experts can read the papers if they're interested in such details.
So, basically, the book could've been more concise and more enjoyable to read.
But I did learn quite a bit about brain waves and I did skip the parts I felt were useless so I can't give it just 3 stars.
- Parts where the author describes the scene like we're reading a fiction novel. It's completely useless.
- Describes what was going on in his head and that something is completely irrelevant.
- Some parts had too much info without the required background. I think it's better to just cite the studies there so that the field experts can read the papers if they're interested in such details.
So, basically, the book could've been more concise and more enjoyable to read.
But I did learn quite a bit about brain waves and I did skip the parts I felt were useless so I can't give it just 3 stars.
February 28, 2021
I skipped blocks of text here and there because it gets pretty granular with details, which may appeal to some readers. Very informative, with rich anecdotes. And in the conclusion, the author discusses the supposed "sonic weapon attacks" on US personnel in Cuba, explaining there is no existing technological capability, evidence or brain science that backs it up. My guess is that if it isn't just a case of mass hysteria, it was a US psyop to isolate Cuba and perhaps implicate Russia.
February 13, 2020
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When I first requested this book, I found it really intriguing. As I was reading it, however, I felt like it didn't tickle my fancy as much as I would have liked. It was still interesting, though.
When I first requested this book, I found it really intriguing. As I was reading it, however, I felt like it didn't tickle my fancy as much as I would have liked. It was still interesting, though.
April 6, 2021
An ultramodern reading with the ability to amaze you, charming and colloquial prose, makes this current topic in neuroscience accessible to anyone. For an intellectual geek, it is an enthralling and memorable journey!
December 13, 2019
#ElectricBrain
#NetGalley
#Edelweiss
#NetGalley
#Edelweiss
January 20, 2020
Electric Brain is a interesting book. Clearly the author is knowledgeable about this subject and has a sense of humor also. The book is well written.
January 25, 2020
Thoroughly interesting and engaging. Thank you.
February 18, 2020
Very interesting book about the brain, the history of neuroscience and wavelengths. Easy to understand for someone without a science background.
May 19, 2020
I like the idea of the book but I wasn't really sold on it when I was reading it.
Can't say I found it that interesting
Can't say I found it that interesting
May 25, 2020
An interesting but pretty enjoyable book. I would recommend to everybody that is interested in the brain. I learned a lot!
May 29, 2022
Repetitive and with huge amounts of (often entirely pointless) fluff.
September 19, 2023
very interesting, but highly technical
February 27, 2025
i like it
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