The Other Brain: From Dementia to Schizophrenia, How New Discoveries About the Brain Are Revolutionizing Medicine and Science

by R. Douglas Fields

Despite everything that has been written about the brain, a very important part of this vital organ has been overlooked in most books -- until now. The Other Brain is the story of glia, which make up approximately 85 percent of the cells in the brain. Long neglected as little more than cerebral packing material ("glia" means glue), glia are sparking a revolution in brain science.

Glia are completely different from neurons, the brain cells that we are familiar with. Scientists are discovering that glia have their own communication network, which operates in parallel to the more familiar communication among neurons. Glia provide the insulation for the neurons, and glia even regulate the flow of information between neurons.

But it is the potential breakthroughs for medical science that are the most exciting frontier in glia research today. Diseases such as brain cancer and multiple sclerosis are caused by diseased glia. Glia are now believed to play an important role in such psychiatric illnesses as schizophrenia and depression, and in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. They are linked to infectious diseases such as HIV and prion disease (mad cow disease, for example) and to chronic pain. Scientists have discovered that glia repair the brain and spinal cord after injury and stroke. The more we learn about these cells that make up the "other" brain, the more important they seem to be.

Written by a neuroscientist who is a leader in the research to reveal the secrets of these brain cells, The Other Brain offers a firsthand account of science in action. It takes us into the laboratories where important discoveries are being made, and it explains how scientists are learning that glial cells come in different types, with different capabilities. It tells the story of glia research from its origins to the most recent discoveries and gives readers a much more complete understanding of how the brain works and where the next breakthroughs in brain science and medicine are likely to come.

Genres: Science, Psychology, Nonfiction, Neuroscience, Medicine, Brain, Medical

384 pages, Hardcover

First published December 29, 2008

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're interested in learning about how your brain is eventually going to destroy your life, look no further than this book. It's jam-packed with startling insights on how glial cells, not neurons, are potentially the true string-pullers behind the brain's fantastic functionality, and also the ways it goes wrong---for example, by the age of 80, 50% of people will develop Alzheimer's, and glia, long overlooked by neuroscientists because they don't communicate electrically like neurons, are to blame.

The stars of this book are astrocytes (who act as the battery for the brain, among other things), microglia (emphasis on 2nd syllable, they are the brain's immune system), oligodendrocytes (who form myelin, an utterly essential partner to neurons, and the element whose failure leads directly to such problems as multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, and alzheimer's), and Schwann cells (who do the myelin job for the peripheral nervous system). If it seems like it'd take a while to keep all those unique cells straight, you're right, and the uphill battle with terminology is a definite need-to-know admonition with this book. R. Douglas Fields isn't an armchair brain scientist, but is in fact a leading researcher in the glial field, and that is evidenced throughout by the depth and range of his exploration, even if it at times can leave lay readers in the cold.

Ultimately, this book is a bounty for those who really really want to know the brain better, and for those who want to understand the true story behind what can go wrong in the brain. If you don't have the stomach for hardcore learning, though, you may be better off leaving this one on the shelf.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite some repetition and meandering in the writing, this book about the "white matter" in our brains by NIH scientist R. Douglas Fields is absolutely fascinating.

Fields has a mission: to convince readers, and possibly his colleagues, that this other part of the brain has been ignored for far too long and that it may play a vital role in far more mental activity than anyone had once believed.

More than half the brain's volume is taken up by these cells, which are known by various names and perform different functions. There are astrocytes, which control blood flow to different parts of the brain and react against infection; oligodendrocytes, which wrap fatty white sheaths of meylin around nerve fibers, which not only speeds the conduction of nerve impulses, but may actually coordinate all of our cognitive functions by making sure signals arrive from different nerves as the same time at a particular junction; and there are microglia, tiny white matter cells that respond to injury or infections and can clear out spaces in the brain for new neurons to grow.

Besides being a passionate advocate for the view that we are just on the verge of giving this part of our brains proper credence and research attention, Shields is a good writer with a flair for helpful similes and metaphors to describe the brain's activity and structure.

In the process, 'The Other Brain' becomes not just an argument for a new view of the brain, but a very good basic primer of how our brains help us think, feel, move, sense and relate to each other.

[Anish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is largely a review of research done on non-neuronal nervous system cells (ie, glial cells). To make it a palatable book that tells a story, he creates a narrative that basically places glial cells in the role of Jan Brady and neurons in the role of Marsha. Marsha gets all the attention because she is sexy and Jan is hard to understand because she is boring on the surface despite her intellect and greater likelihood for success in adulthood.

Despite the Brady Bunch analogy, this book is heavy on science and may take some time to get through for the non-science folk. Also, I think it would have been better to introduce the functions of the different cells in the brain and their role in memory and reflexes before introducing discussions of diseases that affect the cells.

However, this was a good overview of how the brain works with solid scientific explanations.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Douglas Fields is brilliant. Brilliant! He somehow managed to make a book on glial cells not only as intriguing as a best seller, but also as simple and easy to understand as one. He provides just enough information to clarify, but not confuse. One of my favorite things about this book was that he starts from the top- the big picture, and then works down to the details in successive chapters.

However, there is a reason I have given such a fascinating book only 4 stars. This book is going to be read by many, many people. I would not be surprised if it serves as a catalyst of change/redirection in neuroscience research field, as well and the general public's understanding of the brain. Which is why the stories he uses are significant-they will indelibly be imprinted in some of those many readers' minds, and influence their future perspectives...

Let me clarify my point-I was thrilled that Dr. Fields mentioned schizophrenia in the book title, as this disease desperately needs to be pulled out of the darkness and destigmatized by the neuroscience community. 1 in 100 people have schizophrenia, and the current treatments of this devastating disease are ineffective, and come with horrible side-effects. No one understands this disease- how it works, what causes it. Research and public understanding are both in short supply.

Schizophrenia in particular, and mental illness in general, come associated with a stigma of violence, that the mentally ill are more likely to commit violent crimes then a sane person. In actuality, the exact opposite are true. Being mentally ill makes one more likely to be the VICTIM of a violent crime. But the media perpetuate this stereotype, and so does Douglas Fields, the author of this book!! In explaining schizophrenia, he used a story of a young man with schizophrenia that killed someone due to his disease.

I was horrified that he was telling the same bulls&*t stories as every other movie/book/tv show out there. Fields went on to say that this is rare, blah blah blah, but if it is so rare, why even use it in the book?! There are a thousand other stories he could have told to explain schizophrenia that would not have perpetuated this false stereotype. Apparently even neuroscienctists feel the need to resort to false sensationalism to sell their book.


I believe this book will revolutionize mental health neuroscience. I just wish it could have been a more complete revolution-that Douglas Fields could have realized the significance of the stories that he chose, and had the confidence to use a more accurate depiction of schizophrenia.

[Tom Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Painfully overwritten. I was really interested in the topic and gung-ho to learn some new info about the brain's structure and mechanics, but the author's style and labored narrative really blocked me from getting into this one. And then in later chapters the fanciful narrative just dries up anyway and it becomes very dull, data-heavy, and disengaging.

3 stars - DNF. Informative but not interesting.

[molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was a very interesting and thought provoking book. Dr. Fields makes a very compelling argument for the importance of glia. (Which after reading the book, I'm convinced the word glia should be thrown out altogether because there are different types of glia that do different things that just got thrown together and called glia (neural glue) because neurologists didn't really understand the functions of glia.) I did find it a bit surprising that this book was just recently published, you'd think that glia would have gotten a more thorough examination, the author does touch on this question in the last chapter but I felt like I was missing something. I'm not thoroughly read on neurology so I'll have to take the author's word for it. Regardless, I am excited at the possible advances that can be made in treating disorders of the brain and nervous system through further research into glia. I would have given this four stars if not for my opinion that the book often meandered and many parts I thought the writing lacked focus. Simply put, the writer is not the greatest. I found it particularly annoying when he tried to sprinkle in personal experiences or interesting historical anecdotes, those just didn't fly with me. Like this one from page 201 of the hardback edition- "From this experience with morphine, I learned that addiction to opiates is not simply a matter of morals, it is physiology." Um, duh, you're a neuroscientist and you just figured this out (he never stated when this accident occurred, so if it was when he was 16 or 17 then maybe, okay, I'll give him a pass). And then there's the part where he describes Dr. Baker Brown's treatment of epilepsy in the mid 19th century with clitoridectomies. He states: "...Dr. Brown applied his surgical scissors to forty-eight female patients with epilepsy and other psychiatric illnesses. All of the women and girls he treated by the same procedure were 'cured.'" Ouch, what's the point of bringing this up but to creep me out?!
Anyway, overall, a worthwhile read. You'll learn a lot about how the brain works and you can follow the book without having extensive knowledge on this subject beforehand.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on neuroscience I have yet read. A+

Fields takes his reader on a tour of the brain, the glial brain that is. Studies involving glia will do for the field of neuroscience what the study of epigenetics did to the field of genetics. Because of the burst of new findings relating to glial cells, we are currently witnessing a complete paradigm shift, and it's exciting! Being a lover of neuroscience, I really should have read this sooner.

Glia play a large and unexpected role in almost every aspect of brain functioning. Once thought to exist merely to provide physical support for neurons, glia are turning out to have a much more important function in both mental and physical well being. Though new evidence has come to light since 2008 when this was published, it still serves as a timely and progressive look into some of the most interesting aspects of neuroscience.

[Broodingferret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely fascinating. The Other Brain focuses entirely on glial cells, which are the other general category of cells that make up the brain and nervous system (i.e. not neurons). Viewed since their discovery as little more than scaffolding and insulation for neurons, glial cells have been traditionally relegated to the sidelines of neuroscience as support cells while everyone focused on neurons. I always saw this as incredibly short-sighted; glial cells make up 85% of the central nervous system, so I've always thought they had to be involved in more processes than they had typically been given credit for. I did not, however, predict-though it seems obvious in retrospect-that they would play such vital roles in everything from learning and memory to neurological regeneration after injury to brain cancer. I had already been leaning towards the study of glial cells in my career and this book cinched the deal. A must read for anyone interested in neuroscience.

[Skip (David) Everling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neurons aren't the only important thing in the brain! That's the thrust of this book, which in large part is an explication of glial cells, their role in diverse mental and bodily processes via interaction with the neuronal network, and a case for their under-appreciation in neuroscience.

While I am persuaded by the author's case and I find the new implications intriguing, the book itself is sometimes topically technical to the point of dryness (unless you're the targeted demographic, i.e. practitioners or patients, which I'm sure is intentional). As such the writing was underwhelming as a whole despite the thrilling scientific implications within. I would have liked it if Fields had spent more time on implication of the discoveries, but I can sympathize with the concern that too much speculation beyond the new science could have undermined his overall case.

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much needed expose and addition to the 'neuron doctrine' regarding how our brain functions. Fascinating, informative and entertaining at the same time, R Douglas Fields covers very technical neuroscience research with the flair of a poet. While I was reading, my right hemisphere could not help but conjure up and create wonderful images of how our microscopic neuron/glial and electrochemical world were interacting with each other!The author's use of metaphors certainly helped this process, thus contributing to the readers' learning.
Given that glial cells make up more than 70% of our brain, it is high time this 'substance' is given more time and funding for research, especially also given the early promising results pertaining to the relief of suffering due to several disorders ranging from spinal cord paralysis, brain cancer and even psychiatric syndromes.

[Darnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid book, fascinating subject, not always as clear and concise as I'd like.

[Madison Bohrmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to read a rom com now

[Callie R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and understandable piece on a very exciting and revolutionary new branch of brain science.

[Linda Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time well invested in understanding how I'm understanding. Neuroscientists are focused on this other brain - white matter, glia, oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, myelinating, axons. This is not the neural brain: this is Brain Central. The neuron brain works by firing electricity across synapses really fast. That's all it does. Glia and its minions work more slowly to build the brain of a fetus (including supervising myelin sheathing beginning at the cerebral cortex at birth, wrapping toward the frontal lobe over 20 years), direct connections of axons to wire the nervous system, repair it when injured, sense impulses, hear synapses speaking, control the signals neurons use, provide the energy source, and substrates for neurotransmitters to neurons, group large areas of synapses and neurons in functional groups, integrate/propogate information received through their private network, release neurotoxic or neuroprotective factors, plug/unplug synapses, move around freely, insulate neuronal lines, talk to the vascular and immune systems, control the speed of impulse traffic through insulated neuronal lines of communication.

And we didn't know this Other Brain existed until just a few fistfuls of years ago. It's a lot like having a construction supervisor, supply chain expert, logistics VP, therapist, repair crew, nanny and Mom all working in that little spongy stuff in your skull.

And an MRI of the white matter at an early age, can reveal IQ. And, an enriched and stimulating environment early in life makes you smarter. And, if you studied a discipline like music or sports early in life, your other higher brain functions benefit as well. Practice, practice, practice!

[MJ James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Other Brain focuses on the mostly ignored part of the brain - glial cells or white matter. Even in my course work I mostly just learned that glial cells were responsible for cleaning up and myelination. Although new evidence is showing that these underrepresented cells are responsible for so much more and we are just now discovering how much.

Fields takes a comprehensive look into the field of glial cells including his own research. The information presented is pretty cutting edge, which is even more exceptional since it is a book. The writing is engaging and the book is well laid out.

However I would have liked more science. A lot of the information presented was still fairly basic and a lot of the new research was not very in depth. I really picked up this book because it claimed to talk about the neurological discoveries into schizophrenia - a topic that is of particular interest to me. Yet nothing presented was really new or even contained much depth. A lot of the research is still preliminary and the implications are not well known. This is fascinating in and of itself, I wish the book did not make claims beyond that.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't an easy book to find; I had to get it through an inter-library loan at my local library, but it was worth the effort it took to obtain it & read it. It's dense with information about how scientist are increasing their understanding of how our brains work by studying the glia cells, which I really didn't know much about about.

Preliminary research shows that the glial cells are related to mental illness and Alzheimer's Disease, and Fields summarizes the research in these areas.

He also addresses the research being done to understand why spinal cord injuries can't be healed, and this problem too relates back to the glial cells.

The glia cells continue to divide, unlike the neurons in our brains, some of which last until we die, but all of our neurons were there at birth. So the cells that became the cancer that John McCain was just diagnosed with and which killed Ted Kennedy were glioblastoma.

Not an easy read, but definitely worthwhile. If I ever find the ebook on sale, I'd buy a copy just to have the information.

[Gaurav Chhaparwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a non Neuro scientist, it is extremely difficult to know whether all the research backed statements that the book makes about the role of brain cells known as glia while neurons take most of the credit, are correct. The author makes really far reaching statements intending to overthrow the dominance of neurons as the most important part of the brain. As a result, the book often sounds like a sales pitch or funds grant request for glia.

On other aspects, the book fares fairly well like being able to explain advanced scientific research in the field of neuroscience, Neuro degenerative disorders, cognitive functions etc with ease in a language a layman could possibly understand.

If all the research mentioned and interpretations are true, however, this book would then revolutionize our understanding of brain and its mechanisms. Unfortunately, at the moment, only real experts may be able to tell.

[Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most readable and most informative non-fiction books I've read in a long time, especially on a topic as complex as the human brain. Imagine you're an explorer who just discovered a new continent no one was aware of. You don't know all that's there, but you know that this is going to change everything. This book is pioneering explanation of new discoveries in how our brains work that suggests vast areas for exploration and huge potential for treating mental and physical ailments that have plagued humanity for millennium - from addiction to paralysis to schizophrenia. It turns out, our glial cells, the ones neuroscientists have all but ignored, may be the key to many questions.

If you are at all interested in understanding what makes our brains work, or what makes for disease and cures, read this book. You won't be sorry.

[Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Even though this is not a reading book, it isn't boring. It has small "stories" that go into the main points of the book,helps you see how everything is connected, and makes you feel like someone is actually talking to you (instead of just hearing a dry lecture of facts). Some of the language is a bit complicated, but not usually. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to know about the brain, or if they are just curious. The book gives you get an in depth look a different type of cell and how it works, gila. I didn't even know that those sort of cells even existed! My science teachers never talked about these increasingly importan cells, and through out history, these cells have not had nearly as much attention as a neurons.

After reading this, I think I left more knowledgeable about how the brain works and about the world too!

[Dave Armishaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Understandably, this book will never have wide appeal but that does not prevent it from being extremely important. Our understanding of brain and mind is changing at a rapid pace as is our ability to probe and measure. I'm interested in the rapid paths that facilitate thoughts that race between hemispheres and higher order mind functions. Douglas focuses on glial cells, the brain's white matter that has been erroneously thought to speed traffic on neuronal circuits as does insulation on electric wiring circuits. He further predicts that these myelinated neurons not only are vital for neurological good function and heath, but could have further functions we don't yet fully understand. For me , it forms a significant step in understanding my personal racing thoughts and point toward resolving memory function and retrieval.

[Collins Meek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been helping kids overcome learning problems for more than 30 years, teaching them that we are all smarter than we think we are. Dr. Fields tells us why we are smarter than we think. I had no idea that the "white matter" (the glial-cell brain) comprises 85% of the brain.

We have been referencing only 15% all along (the neuronal-cell brain) and now we have the good news that we have more brain horsepower than we ever thought possible. Thank you, Dr. Fields!

I am grateful that you have written about your astounding research findings in ordinary language and with incredible creativity, so that the everyday reader has no trouble following the details of your amazing discoveries.

- Doc Meek, May 10, 2010, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caution: it's best to have a solid grasp of brain anatomy before tackling this book.

At first, every time I didn't understand something, I would back up and review. If I had kept up with that, I never would have made it through the book though. I still learned some things about how the brain works, and this exciting new area of research that seems to hold a lot of hope for people with some terrible afflictions. I think I will need to come back and review the whole thing after I know a bit more about biology and chemistry.

[vdm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fields does a great job of balance, here: he describes a potentially dry topic with smooth prose that gets you invested in the scientists' work and keeps you interested in the topic (the brain's 'support cells' - glia, which were a vastly underrepresented subject at the time of this publication... still are, really). Yet he doesn't stray into glorification or overrepresentation - all the science is dead-on and carefully described. As a scientist, you can only hope to be this succinct and effective with describing your work on a layman's level. Great book!

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although this book was well-written, it lacked those fascinating science facts that make popular science books so enjoyable. I put the book down after 150 pages. Although whether something is interesting is a purely subjective determination, I feel like this book crossed into objectively boring territory. I have slogged through many much more poorly written science books (and books that read like a list of research studies) when the science was compelling.

[Sueper · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audible version of this book is slightly overdramatic, which does not help to dampen some of the dramatic writing style. That aside, I love this book, and look forward to listening again. Anyone interested in brain function and cognition, should listen/read to understand that the neurocentric theories of the brain are missing the key elements that may provide the greatest insight into the role of environment on intelligence and brain health.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book for anyone wanting to learn about the latest science concerning the brain. It is technical, yet the writing is good. For anyone interested in brain biology, it is an excellent read. There is much encouraging hope for possible cures in the next 10-20 years as the biology is becoming more and more identified.

[Nancy Lockett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may actually be a five if I understood it. :)
Best line:
"Vital clues were overlooked o dismissed because, as in every mystery story, they were hidden in the blind spot of preconceived ideas."
Substitute "ideas" for "clues" and apply to human nature, especially bureaucratic human nature.
This book gave a new word which I must now try to insert into my conversation: "glia".

[JJ W · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book presents great cutting edge science, but I just wanted the basic story and I got lost in all the names of nerves and found the author's gleeful tales of scientific discovery a little bit tiring. If I were a neuroscientist, I wouldn't read this book because I already know it. But it's just a bit much for the layman and I had to turn to other more useful reads.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like the subtitle of this book is a bit misleading. There are bits and pieces about different neurological disorders, but for the most part, this feels like a medical textbook dressed up a little bit with personal stories. I did thoroughly enjoy it and I learned a lot, but I was looking for more information on dementia and didn't really get much of it in this book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unforgettable reading, one of the best neuroscience books I've ever read.

Since I started studying Neuroscience, glial cells have been a thing that captivates me. I didn't know this book was about them when I started reading it. Therefore, when I discovered that, I couldn't help but love it, and though, I felt some parts were repetitive I pretty much enjoyed it the whole time.