Discovering the Brain

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Discovering the Brain Copyright Foreword Contents 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 Index