The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tell Us about Ourselves

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Eric R. Kandel, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his foundational research into memory storage in the brain, is one of the pioneers of modern brain science. His work continues to shape our understanding of how learning and memory work and to break down age-old barriers between the sciences and the arts. In his seminal new book, The Disordered Mind, Kandel confronts one of the most difficult questions we face: How does our mind, our individual sense of self, emerge from the physical matter of the brain? The brain’s 86 billion neurons communicate with one another through very precise connections. But sometimes those connections are disrupted. The brain processes that give rise to our mind can become disordered, resulting in diseases such as autism, depression, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder. While these disruptions bring great suffering, they can also reveal the mysteries of how the brain produces our most fundamental experiences and capabilities—the very nature of what it means to be human. Studies of autism illuminate the neurological foundations of our social instincts; research into depression offers important insights on emotions and the integrity of the self; and paradigm-shifting work on addiction has led to a new understanding of the relationship between pleasure and willpower. By studying disruptions to typical brain functioning and exploring their potential treatments, we will deepen our understanding of thought, feeling, behavior, memory, and creativity. Only then can we grapple with the big question of how billions of neurons generate consciousness itself. Title Page Copyright Notice Dedication Epigraph Introduction 1. What Brain Disorders Can Tell Us About Ourselves 2. Our Intensely Social Nature: The Autism Spectrum 3. Emotions and the Integrity of the Self: Depression and Bipolar Disorder 4. The Ability to Think and to Make and Carry Out Decisions: Schizophrenia 5. Memory, the Storehouse of the Self: Dementia 6. Our Innate Creativity: Brain Disorders and Art 7. Movement: Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Diseases 8. The Interplay of Conscious and Unconscious Emotion: Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress, and Faulty Decision Making 9. The Pleasure Principle and Freedom of Choice: Addictions 10. Sexual Differentiation of the Brain and Gender Identity 11. Consciousness: The Great Remaining Mystery of the Brain Conclusion: Coming Full Circle Notes Notes: Introduction Notes 1 Notes 2 Notes 3 Notes 4 Notes 5 Notes 6 Notes 7 Notes 8 Notes 9 Notes 10 Notes 11 Acknowledgments Index Permissions Acknowledgments Illustration Credits Also by Eric R. Kandel A Note About the Author Newsletter Sign-up Copyright