ENGLISH

Dark and Magical Places: The Neuroscience of Navigation

By Christopher Kemp

Book information

Publisher
W. W. Norton & Company
Year
2022
ISBN
9781324005391, 0444640321, 1742999458, 1561671662
Language
english
Format
EPUB
Filesize
1 MB (1549423 bytes)
Pages
255\0
Topic
Medicine Neurology
Time added
2022-02-07 14:51:42

Description

How the brain helps us to understand and navigate space—and why, sometimes, it doesn’t work the way it should. Inside our heads we carry around an infinite and endlessly unfolding map of the world. Navigation is one of the most ancient neural abilities we have—older than language. In Dark and Magical Places, Christopher Kemp embarks on a journey to discover the remarkable extent of what our minds can do. Fueled by his own spatial shortcomings, Kemp describes the brain regions that orient us in space and the specialized neurons that do it. Place cells. Grid cells. He examines how the brain plans routes, recognizes landmarks, and makes sure we leave a room through a door instead of trying to leave through a painting. From the secrets of supernavigators like the indigenous hunters of the Bolivian rainforest to the confusing environments inhabited by people with place blindness, Kemp charts the myriad ways in which we find our way and explains the cutting-edge neuroscience behind them. How did Neanderthals navigate? Why do even seasoned hikers stray from the trail? What spatial skills do we inherit from our parents? How can smartphones and our reliance on GPS devices impact our brains? In engaging, engrossing language, Kemp unravels the mysteries of navigating and links the brain’s complex functions to the effects that diseases like Alzheimer’s, types of amnesia, and traumatic brain injuries have on our perception of the world around us. A book for anyone who has ever felt compelled to venture off the beaten path, Dark and Magical Places is a stirring reminder of the beauty in losing yourself to your surroundings. And the beauty in understanding how our brains can guide us home. Contents Author’s Note Chapter 1Where Is Amanda Eller? Chapter 2Pink Seahorses Chapter 3In the Firing Fields Chapter 4The Perception of Doors Chapter 5The Obligate Symbolists Chapter 6Dead Reckoning Chapter 7Somewhere East of Timbuktu Chapter 8Your Brain, My Brain, His Brain, Her Brain Chapter 9The Future Chapter 10What Happened to Amanda Eller Appendix IWhat to Do If You’re Lost in the Wild Appendix IIHow to Become a Better Navigator Acknowledgments Notes Index

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