In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind (Hardcover)

by Eric R. Kandel (Author)
Key Phrases: ionic hypothesis, neural analogs, slow synaptic potential, United States, Nobel Prize, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
When, as a medical student in the 1950s, Kandel said he wanted to locate the ego and id in the brain, his mentor told him he was overreaching, that the brain had to be studied "cell by cell." After his initial dismay, Kandel took on the challenge and in 2000 was awarded a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking research showing how memory is encoded in the brain's neuronal circuits. Kandel's journey into the brain spans five decades, beginning in the era of early research into the role of electrical currents flowing through neurons and ending in the age of genetic engineering. It took him from early studies of reflexes in the lowly squid to the founding of a bioengineering firm whose work could some day develop treatments for Alzheimer's and on to a rudimentary understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying mental illness. Kandel's life also took him on another journey: from Vienna, which his Jewish family fled after the Anschluss, to New York City and, decades later, on visits back to Vienna, where he boldly confronted Austria's unwillingness to look at its collusion in the Final Solution. For anyone considering a career in science, the early part of this intellectual autobiography presents a fascinating portrait of a scientist's formation: learning to trust his instincts on what research to pursue and how to pose a researchable question and formulate an experiment. Much of the science discussion is too dense for the average reader. But for anyone interested in the relationship between the mind and the brain, this is an important account of a creative and highly fruitful career. 50 b&w illus. (Mar.)
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From Scientific American
Kandel, who received the Nobel Prize in 2000, traces advances in understanding learning and memory. His own groundbreaking findings showed that learning produces changes in behavior by modifying the strength of connections between nerve cells. He conveys his immense grasp of the science beautifully, but it is his personal recollections that make the book especially compelling. He begins with his searing childhood memories of the German annexation of Austria and his family’s escape to the U.S. when he was nine. And he ends with a conference he organized in Vienna to examine the strange reluctance of Austria (unlike Germany) to acknowledge its role in the Holocaust. One comes away in awe of the scientific advances—and of a life well and fully lived.

Editors of Scientific American

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton; 1 edition (March 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393058638
• ISBN-13: 978-0393058635
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #255,116 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure candy for us science types, May 5, 2006

By	Aleksandar Totic (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"The search for memory" is the best book I've read this year. I've studied Artificial Intelligence in the early 90's, and love science, and a good story. For someone with this background, this book is pure candy.

Kandel's life is intertwined with his attempt to understand what makes us tick. He writes about the scars that Nazi occupation has left on a young Jewish boy in Vienna. These scars lead to a passionate quest for "why", why do people act as they do. Luckily for us, Kandel's attempt to answer this question leads him on a quest that has him surfing the perfect wave of the brain research his whole life. And in this book, we get to experience the wave with him.

For me, science books are often either too technical, or too mushy. This one manages to hit the golden middle ground. After reading it, I have a lot better understanding of the brain & memory in general, and some topics I was not really looking to understand: genetics & cell biology.

The book is well organized. Kandel's personal memories mix with science and keep things from being too dry. The discoveries he describes come alive with the personalities that made them. And when you forget the exact meaning of some technical term such as "modulating circuit", there is a great glossary appendix to refresh your memory.

And the topic of the book is so fascinating. Memory is at the core of who we are, why do remember our summer holiday from 1972 so well, and forget what we had for breakfast today. Science, that invites you to think those grand philosophical thoughts.

The book ends around 2004 with author applying his work to Alzeheimer's disease. From Kristalnacht to biotech in a lifetime, what a journey.

The only thing I wanted to ask Mr. Kandel was how do we manage to store so many memories. I understand how a single experience is stored, but what ties a sequence of experiences together?

Highly recommended for science types, and those who like to mix biology & philosophy.

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring look at the emergence of a new science, May 9, 2006

By	Vladimir Miskovic - See all my reviews

"In Search of Memory" deftly mixes auto-biography with history of neuroscience and selected summaries of the cellular bases of learning and memory. It traces the life of famed neuroscientist, Eric Kandel, beginning with his early childhood in Vienna, his expatriation following Nazi takeover, his prosperous scientific career in the States and ending with his invitation to Stockholm to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Kandel tells us how he switched interests early on in his life, from history to psychoanalysis (which continued to serve as a foundation for his future scientific endeavors) and finally, to the molecular bases of behavior. As a young medical student, entering a research laboratory for the first time, Kandel was initially disappointed that he could not immediately look for a neuroanatomical basis of Freud's structural psychic apparatus. Instead, Kandel began studying nervous systems in a piecemeal fashion - one cell at a time. Moving from mammalian to invertebrate specimens, Kandel finally settled on his model organism, Aplysia californica (a sea snail), in order to pursue his studies on the cellular foundations of learning and memory. This line of research would eventually lead Kandel to make groundbreaking discoveries in the field and decades later, to set up a biotechnology firm (`Memory Pharmaceuticals'), to explore ways of chemically improving memory in human subjects.

Throughout the book, Kandel offers the reader a unique and intimate look into how the emerging fields of molecular biology, neuroscience and psychology were coalescing and contributing to the emergence of a new science of mind. For anyone with interest and a background in this field, Kandel's book is a fascinating history lesson and an important source of inspiration. However, the book is also accessible to general, educated readers. The science is not likely to be too overwhelming for someone without a background and Kandel eases the reader into it gently.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book about biology of mind, November 15, 2006

By	Emil B "Emil" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This is an extraordinary book about neuroscience , physiology, molecular biology and neurobiology and also about people and history. I bought the book with the intention to satisfy my curiosity in the latest developments in the science of mind. I was ready to handle an experience of reading through dry, complex theories and do some hard work of extracting information that I can make sense with my limited knowledge. Surprisingly, the book has none of that; it is written so well, as if it is the transcript of an one on one conversation between friends, so captivating, so clear and so human. I could not let go of it, reading until small hours when reluctantly, I had to go to sleep so next day I could show up at work in a reasonable shape.

The book interweaves threads of science, personal life stories, career, friends, Jewish history, Nobel prize ceremony and biotechnology. The main story is about neuroscience, with emphasis on personal scientific work that culminated with Nobel prize award in 2000. The book can be divided in following sections: personal life, history of neuroscience and molecular biology, short term memory, long term memory, complex behavior and DNA, consciousness, mental illnesses, the experience of receiving Nobel prize, Austria and its relationship with Jewish community in the past and today and an insight analysis of trends in biotechnology from a business point of view.

The book is focused on the biology of short term and long term memory. Eric does an excellent job explaining the evolution of neuroscience up to the point when he started his career, so the reader has a good understanding of contemporary issues and of the formation of neurobiology. I liked a lot the fact that Eric Kandel kept the level of detail in balance and put the explanations in the perspective of human evolution. I loved how he classifies the mechanisms of learning as being either Kantian or Lockean: we are a combination of genetics and learned life experience. It is this philosophical approach that is constantly felt through the whole book that gave me a sense of direction and purpose of his work. His logic is very neutral (objective), in the sense that he refers to our mind as the result of an evolution based on laws of physics, chemistry and genetics. This is a stark contrast with the approach of psychoanalysts during most part of the 20th century that puts so much emphasis on personal interpretation based on patient confessions that transcends biological reality . This is another aspect of the book that astounded me: despite the fact that he is so methodical about deciphering the way the mind works using a reductionist approach, thus implying that mind is a complex and large collection of simple neuronal structures, he is so human when he talks about his family and friends. He talks a great deal in an emotional way (happy, sad or humorous) about his friends, mentors, colleagues and students. His emotions, infinitely more complex than any of Aplysia's rituals, in a way, are a reminder of the huge work that still needs to be done until we will understand how our neurons can create such sophisticated behavior.

The book talks in great detail about the structure and functions of neurons, with lots of details about how electrical and chemical signals work at the synaptic level. Eric Kandel did a great job describing the molecular and ionic hypothesis, signaling, protein manufacturing, genetics and their role in memory. However, I thought that it helped me a lot my prior understanding of how genes expression works, because the book does not provide much assistance in that area. This is especially important for readers who are more interested in aspects of long term memory and complex human behavior.

I found fascinating the section dedicated to consciousness. As usual, Eric takes the reader through the history of genetics and then spending more pages on the work of Francis Crick and Christof Koch and current developments.

Eric closes his book with a personal analysis of the current state of the science of mind, what is next and his sharing with the readers of how one should plan a career in general, based on his personal experience. Excellent book!