Customer Reviews

The Brain: A Very Short Introduction

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the best books in the VSI series, and I've read well over thirty by now. It gives a very good introduction to the basic neuroanatomy of the brain, and explains many important brain functions. The book is intended for laypeople, but even those (like me) who are familiar with the subject can benefit from reading it. Oftentimes neuroscience textbook overwhelm with details, and it is sometimes hard to see the forest from the trees. This book provides a good bird's eye perspective on the field, and its many references and recommended books make it a valuable reference. Very importantly, the book is up to date in some of the more recent discoveries, including some current controversies like grandma neuron, the idea that the brain has a neuron devoted just for recognizing each family member.

A good, well written and well organized book. I highly recommend it.

O'Shea's book provides a very broad overview of the structure and function of the most complex object known to Man. The biochemical and physical interactions of neurons, the formation of memory, brain-machine interaction, and a range of other topics, are all touched upon in a readable and informative manner, pitched at the level of an intelligent beginner, and requiring just an elementary grasp of physics and chemistry. The book has one significant shortcoming: Most of the illustrations are copied from other publications, and are a poor match with the text. For example, on page 45 there is a diagram illustrating avoidance behavior in unicellular animals, a simple concept not requiring a diagram, let alone one that occupies almost an entire page and contains labels that are not referenced in the text. Yet when we come to the discussion of the large-scale structure of the human brain, in Chapter 4, which cries out for a detailed diagram, there is none. I was reduced to finding one online, to refer to as I read the text. I agonized long and hard about whether to deduct a star from the rating, because I do recommend this book, but in the end I decided I had to. I hope OUP reissue it with more relevant illustrations.

Another Very Short Introduction published by Oxford, The Brain describes in more than enough detail to satisfy any college course the functions, mechanisms and probable evolutionary development of the brain. It does not go into molecular descriptions, but stops at statements like "potassium ion gate." Also, the text identifies want isn't known; such as the purpose of the glial cells that surround neurons.

The text is straightforward and clear; although the topic is nearly overwhelming. The first major item that surprised me was that the neurons of the brain are basically the same for all species. Humans just have a whole bunch of them, given the size of the human body.

In short, this book delivers its title. 'nuff said.

In this book readers will discover basic information about the most pertinent questions about the brain any educated person might ask. They include, 1) how does the brain function? 2) What makes it 'go'? 3) How has the history of neurology unfolded? What were the most important break throughs and what incorrect theories held the field back? 4) What neurology and computers and the use of the brain in conjunction with man made machines? Finally, matters of functional problems of teh brain are addressed and the latest in research and breakthroughs are noted. A generous reading list for each chapter is provided at the end of the book making this little book exactly what the title says: a very short, but nonetheless comprehensive introduction.

I had this and two other books sent to my favorie Uncle as a gift. He had requested the other two books this one was a surprise. He was so thrilled with this book that he read it first and enjoyed the whole book very much.

This book, part of the Very Short Introduction Series (Oxford University Press), surprised me by its comprehensiveness despite its 144 pages. It is also remarkably up to dated and reads smooth and accessibly. The book is organized along 8 chapters presenting, a logic sequence, the main aspects of the brain.

The first important fact to take into account about this book is that it is about the brain, not the mind or even the relationship brain and mind. So, it focuses on descriptions of the brain structure and sensory aspects, not on mind-related issues such as behavior, consciousness, and personality. The book starts by describing what is happening as one reads the lines of a text, and introduces them main aspects of brain research in the process. The second chapter provides a very interesting historical review, with emphasis on the Golgi/Cajal findings (i.e. reticular against network models). Chapter 3 is dedicated to brain signalling, covering in an engaging, comprehensive and yet accessible way the basic theory of neuronal transmission. Evolution and development are covered in Chapter 4, and sensation, perception and action in Chapter 5. The grandmother/sparse coding of information in the brain is treated with great clarity and insight. Chapter 6 covers the all important aspect of memory, identifying and characterizing the several types of memories and how and where they take place. The explanation of Kandel's seminal findings is very accessible and illustrates the impressive didactic abilities of the author. Chapter 7, which covers how the brain can be enhanced and repaired, proved to be remarkably up to dated and interestingly written. Chapter 8 concludes the book.

All in all, I found a pleasure reading this book because of its clarity, objectivity, and engaging style. The author manages to provide a surprisingly up to dated and comprehensive account of the state of the art in brain research despite its 144 pages. The sequence of the presentation is logical, the writing is effective and never boring, and the case-examples are very well-chosen. Suggestions for further reading are also to be found as an appendix. All in all, a highly recommended no-nonsense book that is a must for those interesting to get quickly acquainted with this most surprising and complex structures that is the human brain.

I was somewhat disappointed by this book and did not think it was as good as most of the other volumes in the series. Most OUP "Very Short Intro" books go far beyond merely introductory material, but this book does not. It is truly written for the layman and not for anyone with a biological background. The best chapter was on memory; the parts on machine/brain interactions were also interesting. Overall, though, I got little from this book that I did not already know. If you have taken any neuroanatomy or neurophysiology classes (or even a good basic biology course), you will not get much out of this volume. However, If you know absolutely nothing about the brain, this is a reasonable introduction.

The vocabulary used in this book is quite friendly to the readers, who don't practice relevant subjects. People could imagine easily that the brain must be a complex organ without reading the book, but the book helps give a detailed view of how incredibly delicate the organ can be. I think everybody with a functioning brain, no matter how high or low an IQ is produced by it, should feel proud of owning the most complex unit on the earth.

Amazon shows that Very Short Introduction is a series of books, which I would like to try more of them later. I think it's a smart idea to publish such tiny and thin books, which are highly portable, and I am curious if the series has made good money, since it could be packaged as light-weighted reading stuff.