The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind [Paperback]

Elkhonon Goldberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 5, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0195156307 | ISBN-13: 978-0195156300

The Executive Brain is the first book to explore in popular scientific terms one of the most important and rapidly evolving topics in contemporary neuropsychology, the most "human" and recently evolved region of the brain--the frontal lobes. Crucial for all high-order functioning, it is only in humans that the frontal lobes are so highly developed. They hold the key to our judgment, our social and ethical behavior, our imagination, indeed, to our "soul." The author shows how the frontal lobes enable us to engage in complex mental processes, how vulnerable they are to injury, and how devastating the effects of damage often are, leading to chaotic, disorganized, asocial, and even criminal behavior.

Made up of fascinating case histories and anecdotes, Goldberg's book offers a panorama of state-of-the-art ideas and advances in cognitive neuroscience. It is also an intellectual memoir, filled with vignettes about the author's early training with the great Russian neuropsychologist A.R. Luria, Goldberg's escape from the Soviet Union, and his later interactions with patients and professionals around the world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An intriguing exploration of the most challenging topic in cognitive neuroscience, the executive function of the prefrontal cortex."--American Scientist

"It is only now...that we are beginning to get the full measure of complexity [of the living body], to see how nature and culture interact, and how brain and mind produce each other. There are a handful, a small handful, of remarkable books which address these central problems with great force--those of Gerald Edelman and Antonio Damasio at once come to mind--and to this select number, Elkhonon Goldberg's book The Executive Brain should surely be added."--Oliver Sacks, The New York Review of Books

"A masterful review of Elkhonon Goldberg's decades-long investigation of the frontal lobes, weaving his personal and professional experiences into the account."--Allan F. Mirsky, Ph.D., Section Chief, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH

About the Author

Elkhonon Goldberg, Ph.D. divides his time between the clinical practice of neuropsychology, research in cognitive neuroscience, and teaching worldwide. He is a Clinical Professor of Neurology at New York University School of Medicine and Director of the Institute of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Performance. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 251 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195156307
• ISBN-13: 978-0195156300
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 84 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars In appreciation of the frontal lobes May 1, 2001

By Margo True

Format:Hardcover

Most of us wander through our days without any conscious thought about the very organ that's directing our routine. But anyone who reads Dr. Goldberg's compelling, lively account of the brain's frontal lobes will come away with a newfound appreciation for their own gray matter. As Goldberg tells it, not only do the frontal lobes help us prioritize tasks and give us our awareness of ourselves and others, they also play a crucial role in creativity and talent, and are the reason they're as civilized as we are. (Next time I see someone toss their trash on the street, I'll think, Weak Frontal Lobes!) Although the book was written with both a general and a scientifically adept readership in mind, it's never so technical that the layperson can't follow the discussion. I found this book stimulating, witty, and illuminating.

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Executive Treat! March 18, 2001

By "lewybodies"

Format:Hardcover

This book explores not just the frontal lobes but the brain from every angle.....from how we engage in complex mental operations to our social behavior. It's full of the latest discoveries in neuroscience and provides clinical vignettes to illustrate the author's vast experience with patients worldwide. The chapter on Social Maturity, Morality, Law, and the Frontal Lobes is exceptionally well-done and provides a keen insight into the behavior that has captured national headlines in recent times. This book should be required reading for all students of social science. Highly readable for every type of audience. The reader learns something new on each page. Very hard to put down....an excellent read!

70 of 78 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Selected Memoirs of a Neuropsychologist February 24, 2006

By Rick

Format:Paperback

Sorry, but I found the book disappointing. The author notes in the first few pages the book is "an idiosyncratic account of my own understanding of several central issues of cognitive neuroscience and of the personal context that let me to write about it" and that's an understatement. Highly personal and very idiosyncratic are the watchwords. If you are looking to gain an understanding of the frontal lobes and executive functions you will find this book comes up short. Zero attempt is made to provide even highlights of the most necessary topics, or even a cursory and minimally sufficient survey of well-accepted research in this area. At best you have a few good points raised. Even those however are difficult to distinguish from personal bias and preference.

Chapter one is a sales pitch for the rest of the book with virtually no information presented. Chapter two is an odd account of the author's career, again with no information presented. The end few chapters are likewise completely tangential. Having excised the filler, what's left is very thin. References are likewise scant and the index is an embarrassment.

The coup de grace however was the patently offensive entire chapter advertising the author's private clinical services. Aimed at attracting aging but otherwise high functioning, bright people, who presumably make clinical work more palatable, the service offered is to rejuvenate or improve aging mental horsepower. I hope the idiosyncratic and highly personal techniques employed in clinical practice are more effective than the content delivered in this book. None of the cognitive techniques are actually discussed, even superficially. One can only hope they carry the same warnings as the herbal supplements - "these treatments have not been tested, and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." Likewise perhaps the title of the book could be changed to "Selected Memoirs of a Neuropsychologist."