Neuroscience For Dummies

A fascinating look at what’s rattling around in your skull

Neuroscience For Dummies introduces you to the mind-boggling study of the human brain. It tracks to the content of a typical introductory neuroscience class at the college level —and it’s perfect for anyone curious about what makes us tick. New technologies and an explosion of research have completely transformed our understanding of memory, depression, the mind-body connection, learning, and genetics. This updated edition—still in classic, beginner-friendly Dummies style—covers the latest research advances and technologies in the field of neuroscience. Put some knowledge about the brain into your brain.

• Grasp the basic concepts and applications of neuroscience
• Understand the brain’s structure and function
• Explore how the brain impacts memory, learning, and emotions
• Discover how the brain is connected with other physical systems

For students and general readers alike, Neuroscience For Dummies is a great way to understand what’s going on inside our heads.

Introduction 1

Part 1: Introducing the Nervous System 5

Chapter 1: A Quick Trip through the Nervous System 7

Chapter 2: All about the Brain and Spinal Cord 23

Chapter 3: Understanding How Neurons Work 51

Part 2: Translating the Internal and External Worlds through Your Senses 69

Chapter 4: Feeling Your Way: The Skin Senses 71

Chapter 5: Looking at Vision 87

Chapter 6: Sounding Off: The Auditory System 109

Chapter 7: Odors and Taste 127

Part 3: Moving Right Along: Motor Systems 143

Chapter 8: Movement Basics 145

Chapter 9: Coordinating Things More: The Spinal Cord and Pathways 159

Chapter 10: Planning and Executing Actions 173

Chapter 11: Unconscious Actions with Big Implications 191

Part 4: Intelligence: The Thinking Brain and Consciousness 211

Chapter 12: Understanding Intelligence, Consciousness, and Emotions 213

Chapter 13: How the Brain Processes Thoughts 239

Chapter 14: The Executive Brain 259

Chapter 15: Learning and Memory 275

Chapter 16: Developing and Modifying Brain Circuits: Plasticity 299

Chapter 17: Neural Dysfunctions, Mental Illness, and Drugs That Affect the Brain 325

Part 5: The Part of Tens 339

Chapter 18: Ten (or So) Crucial Brain Structures 341

Chapter 19: Ten Tricks of Neurons That Make Them Do What They Do 349

Chapter 20: Ten Promising Treatments for the Future 357

Glossary 367

Index 383

Frank Amthor, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Over the course of 45 years, Dr. Amthor taught the majority of the neuroscience courses offered by the UAB Psychology Department, including perception, cognitive neuroscience, and behavioral neuroscience.

Learn the brain basics and the latest science

Neuroscience is a complex and endlessly fascinating field that connects the dots between the brain, body, and mind. Neuroscience For Dummies will get your synapses firing as you learn about the complex systems and structures that help you think, move, remember stuff (or not), and feel emotions. Discover how sensory input is processed, how motor systems are coordinated, and how that hunk of neurons gives rise to conscious thought. This accessible book is perfect for first-year neuroscience students and general readers alike.

Inside…

• All about the nervous system
• Conscious and unconscious acts
• How thoughts are processed
• Neural plasticity research
• Learning and memory
• Mental and neural illnesses
• Important brain structures
• Fun facts about the brain