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 brain--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 attention--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.

Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniques--what various technologies can and cannot tell us--and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience.

This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakers--and many scientists as well--with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

Contents

• Foreword
• 1. The Promise of Neuroscience
  • Approaching The Brain From All Angles
  • What Makes This Science New?
  • The Dedication Of A Decade
  • Acknowledgements
• 2. Major Structures and Functions of the Brain
  • Ventricles
  • Brainstem
  • Thalamus And Hypothalamus
  • Pituitary And Pineal Glands
  • The "Little Brain" At The Back Of The Head
  • Reticular Network
  • The "Emotional Brain"
  • Hippocampus
  • Cerebral Cortex
  • Building Blocks Of The Brain
  • Chemical And Electrical Signals
• 3. Glimpses of the Living Brain
  • The Bright Images Of PET
  • Medical Images Of Emotion
  • The X-Ray Today
  • Creating Pictures From Magnetic Waves And Sound Waves
  • Rewarding Combinations
  • Acknowledgment
• 4. The Role of the Brain in Mental Illness
  • Manic-Depressive Illness
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • Panic Disorder
  • Alzheimer's Disease
  • Aids-Related Dementia
  • Disorders Of Mood And Mind
  • Schizophrenia
  • Acknowledgements
• 5. From Chemistry to Circuitry
  • Chemicals As Signals
  • Receptors Play An Active Part
  • The Brain's Own Painkillers
  • Focusing In On Receptor Sites
  • The Intriguing Role Of The Ion Channels
  • The Case Of The 5-Second Messenger Molecule
  • Acknowledgments
• 6. The Development and Shaping of the Brain
  • Studying the Brain in Development
  • Mass Production of Brain Cells
  • Migration To The Cerebral Cortex
  • The Formation Of Synapses And Regions
  • Cellular Competition
  • Exploring New Areas
  • Acknowledgment
• 7. From Perception to Attention
  • Pathways Of Information In The Visual System
  • Seeing The Patterns In Visual Signals
  • The Brain's System For Spatial Perception
  • Making Sense Of Movement
  • Attention: A Subject Worth Looking At
  • The Anatomy Of Attention
  • Neural Circuitry Of An Attention System
  • Developing Pathways In Infancy And Childhood
  • Pathology In The Attention System And Beyond
  • Acknowledgments
• 8. Learning, Recalling, and Thinking
  • A Molecular Account Of Long-Term Memory
  • The World In The Front Of The Brain
  • Neurotransmitters And The Information System
  • What Kind Of Computer Is This?
  • Assembling A Brain In The Laboratory
  • The Benefits Of An Artificial Brain
  • Acknowledgments
• 9. Sizing Up the Promise
  • Defining The Field Of Inquiry
  • Science Education And Science Advocacy
  • The Federal Government As Sponsor Of Research
  • Private Industry And Private Foundations
  • A Future Rich With Challenges
  • Acknowledgments
• Suggested Readings
• Acknowledgments
• Proclamation

This project was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health under contract number 278-90-0006(OD).

This publication is based on presentations at a July 1990 symposium organized by the Institute of Medicine and held in Washington, D.C., to initiate the Decade of the Brain.

The Institute of Medicine was chartered in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to enlist distinguished members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. In this, the Institute acts both under the Academy's 1863 congressional charter responsibility to be an adviser to the federal government and its own initiative in identifying issues of medical care, research, and education.