How Much Brain Do We Really Need

Author : Jennifer Barnett
Publisher : Robinson
ISBN 13 : 9781472147134
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Rethinking the Brain written by Jennifer Barnett and published by Robinson. This book was released on 2023-05-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Your brain is shrinking. Does it matter? Rethinking the Brain challenges us to explore how much brain we really need. Rather than just concentrating on the many wonderful things it can do, this entertaining insight into the complexities and contradictions of the human brain asks whether in fact we can live satisfactorily without some of it. The bad news is that our brains start to shrink from our mid-thirties. But the good news is that we still seem to generally muddle along and our brain is able to adapt in extraordinary ways when things go wrong. Alexis Willett and Jennifer Barnett shed light on what the human brain can do - in both optimal and suboptimal conditions - and consider what it can manage without. Through fascinating facts and figures, case studies and hypothetical scenarios, expert interviews and scientific principles, they take us on a journey from the ancient mists of time to the far reaches of the future, via different species and lands. Is brain training the key to healthy ageing? Do women really experience 'baby brain'? Is our brain at its evolutionary peak or do we have an even more brilliant future to look forward to? We discover the answers to these questions and more. Alexis Willett, PhD is a science communicator and specialist in biomedical science who spends much of her time turning cutting-edge research and health policy jargon into something meaningful for patients, doctors, policy makers and the public. Jennifer Barnett, PhD is a neuroscientist, psychologist and author working at the intersection of academic and industrial research into brain health and mental illness; designing new technologies to help detect, diagnose and treat brain disorders.

Author : National Academy of Sciences
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309045290
Total Pages : 195 pages
Book Rating : 4.92/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Discovering the Brain written by National Academy of Sciences and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1992-01-01 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

Author : Jennifer Barnett
Publisher : Robinson
ISBN 13 : 9781472138965
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.61/5 ( download)

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Download or read book How Much Brain Do We Really Need? written by Jennifer Barnett and published by Robinson. This book was released on 2021-01-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People are endlessly fascinated with the brain and the mind - whether to seek greater understanding about themselves or those around them or to just marvel at the brain's intricacy and the many secrets it still seems to hold. This book takes a global view of the brain and its history and future, challenging us to think differently about the brain by focusing on one key question - How Much Brain Do We Really Need? The human brain is five times larger than would be expected for our body size. To allow for such a large brain, human babies must be born earlier than other species; defenceless and unable to feed themselves or even move out of harm's way. What evolutionary advantage does all this extra brain bring? Contrary to the popular myth, we do use more than ten percent of our brains, but even modern neuroscience cannot accurately tell us how much of our brain we use at any one time, or ever. Surprisingly large amounts of brain can be lost or damaged without losing functions like language, thinking, and emotions which seem to be the core of the human experience. Does this mean we don't really need all of our brain? The brain is the most complex system we know, a piece of hardware that trebles in size over the first year of birth and then constantly reshapes and reprograms at the microscopic level in response to every new life experience. Some experiences, like education, result in more neurons and a larger brain. With others, like drinking alcohol, heading a football, and in normal aging, cells die and cannot be replaced. People with larger brains function better on average, and they live longer. There is great variation within our species: men's brains are around 10% bigger than women's and people whose ancestors developed in colder climates tend to have a larger, rounder head and brain, in order to better conserve heat. The impact of these differences in 'hardware' is mitigated by differences in 'software': peak brain function depends not only on the size of the brain, but on how efficiently it is used. This book tackles many topical issues, such as whether brain training is the key to healthy ageing and whether new mums really experience the 'baby brain'. The authors examine evidence from evolution, development across the human lifespan, and medical reports of the effects of brain injuries, abnormal development, and degenerative diseases. They explore what normal variation in brain size and structure between the sexes, and within populations, means for the relationship between brain biology and intelligence and other cognitive functions. They also look to the future and ponder what the upper limit of human brain function might be, given optimal nutrition, education, medical care, and the ability to potentially replace or re-engineer faulty or aging brain cells.

Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309131979
Total Pages : 384 pages
Book Rating : 4.71/5 ( download)

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Download or read book How People Learn written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2000-08-11 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methods--to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.

Author : Matthew D. Lieberman
Publisher : Crown
ISBN 13 : 0307889114
Total Pages : 442 pages
Book Rating : 4.19/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Social written by Matthew D. Lieberman and published by Crown. This book was released on 2013-10-08 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We are profoundly social creatures--more than we know. In Social, renowned psychologist Matthew Lieberman explores groundbreaking research in social neuroscience revealing that our need to connect with other people is even more fundamental, more basic, than our need for food or shelter. Because of this, our brain uses its spare time to learn about the social world--other people and our relation to them. It is believed that we must commit 10,000 hours to master a skill. According to Lieberman, each of us has spent 10,000 hours learning to make sense of people and groups by the time we are ten. Social argues that our need to reach out to and connect with others is a primary driver behind our behavior. We believe that pain and pleasure alone guide our actions. Yet, new research using fMRI--including a great deal of original research conducted by Lieberman and his UCLA lab--shows that our brains react to social pain and pleasure in much the same way as they do to physical pain and pleasure. Fortunately, the brain has evolved sophisticated mechanisms for securing our place in the social world. We have a unique ability to read other people’s minds, to figure out their hopes, fears, and motivations, allowing us to effectively coordinate our lives with one another. And our most private sense of who we are is intimately linked to the important people and groups in our lives. This wiring often leads us to restrain our selfish impulses for the greater good. These mechanisms lead to behavior that might seem irrational, but is really just the result of our deep social wiring and necessary for our success as a species. Based on the latest cutting edge research, the findings in Social have important real-world implications. Our schools and businesses, for example, attempt to minimalize social distractions. But this is exactly the wrong thing to do to encourage engagement and learning, and literally shuts down the social brain, leaving powerful neuro-cognitive resources untapped. The insights revealed in this pioneering book suggest ways to improve learning in schools, make the workplace more productive, and improve our overall well-being.

Author : Michael J. Gelb
Publisher : New World Library
ISBN 13 : 1608680746
Total Pages : 250 pages
Book Rating : 4.40/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Brain Power written by Michael J. Gelb and published by New World Library. This book was released on 2011-12-26 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Virtually everyone fears mental deterioration as they age. But in the past thirty years neuroscientists have discovered that the brain is actually designed to improve throughout life. How can you encourage this improvement?Brain Power shares practical, state-of-the-evidence answers in this inspiring, fun-to-read plan for action. The authors have interviewed physicians, gerontologists, and neuroscientists; studied the habits of men and women who epitomize healthy aging; and applied what they describe in their own lives. The resulting guidance; along with the accompanying downloadable Brain Sync audio program; can help you activate unused brain areas, tone mental muscles, and enliven every faculty.

Author : William James
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 48 pages
Book Rating : 4.08/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Energies of Men written by William James and published by . This book was released on 1907 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309069882
Total Pages : 610 pages
Book Rating : 4.85/5 ( download)

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Download or read book From Neurons to Neighborhoods written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2000-11-13 with total page 610 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

Author : Christian Jarrett
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118312716
Total Pages : 370 pages
Book Rating : 4.11/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Great Myths of the Brain written by Christian Jarrett and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014-11-17 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Great Myths of the Brain introduces readers to the field of neuroscience by examining popular myths about the human brain. Explores commonly-held myths of the brain through the lens of scientific research, backing up claims with studies and other evidence from the literature Looks at enduring myths such as “Do we only use 10% of our brain?”, “Pregnant women lose their mind”, “Right-brained people are more creative” and many more. Delves into myths relating to specific brain disorders, including epilepsy, autism, dementia, and others Written engagingly and accessibly for students and lay readers alike, providing a unique introduction to the study of the brain Teaches readers how to spot neuro hype and neuro-nonsense claims in the media

Author : Institute of Medicine
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309120926
Total Pages : 90 pages
Book Rating : 4.20/5 ( download)

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Download or read book From Molecules to Minds written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2008-12-07 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Neuroscience has made phenomenal advances over the past 50 years and the pace of discovery continues to accelerate. On June 25, 2008, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders hosted more than 70 of the leading neuroscientists in the world, for a workshop titled "From Molecules to Minds: Challenges for the 21st Century." The objective of the workshop was to explore a set of common goals or "Grand Challenges" posed by participants that could inspire and rally both the scientific community and the public to consider the possibilities for neuroscience in the 21st century. The progress of the past in combination with new tools and techniques, such as neuroimaging and molecular biology, has positioned neuroscience on the cusp of even greater transformational progress in our understanding of the brain and how its inner workings result in mental activity. This workshop summary highlights the important issues and challenges facing the field of neuroscience as presented to those in attendance at the workshop, as well as the subsequent discussion that resulted. As a result, three overarching Grand Challenges emerged: How does the brain work and produce mental activity? How does physical activity in the brain give rise to thought, emotion, and behavior? How does the interplay of biology and experience shape our brains and make us who we are today? How do we keep our brains healthy? How do we protect, restore, or enhance the functioning of our brains as we age?