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A fascinating look at what’s rattling around in your skull
Neuroscience For Dummies introduces you to the mind-boggling study of the human brain. It tracks to the content of a typical introductory neuroscience class at the college level —and it’s perfect for anyone curious about what makes us tick. New technologies and an explosion of research have completely transformed our understanding of memory, depression, the mind-body connection, learning, and genetics. This updated edition—still in classic, beginner-friendly Dummies style—covers the latest research advances and technologies in the field of neuroscience. Put some knowledge about the brain into your brain.
For students and general readers alike, Neuroscience For Dummies is a great way to understand what’s going on inside our heads.
Frank Amthor, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Over the course of 45 years, Dr. Amthor taught the majority of the neuroscience courses offered by the UAB Psychology Department, including perception, cognitive neuroscience, and behavioral neuroscience.
Introduction 1
Part 1: Introducing the Nervous System 5
Chapter 1: A Quick Trip through the Nervous System 7
Chapter 2: All about the Brain and Spinal Cord 23
Chapter 3: Understanding How Neurons Work 51
Part 2: Translating the Internal and External Worlds through Your Senses 69
Chapter 4: Feeling Your Way: The Skin Senses 71
Chapter 5: Looking at Vision 87
Chapter 6: Sounding Off: The Auditory System 109
Chapter 7: Odors and Taste 127
Part 3: Moving Right Along: Motor Systems 143
Chapter 8: Movement Basics 145
Chapter 9: Coordinating Things More: The Spinal Cord and Pathways 159
Chapter 10: Planning and Executing Actions 173
Chapter 11: Unconscious Actions with Big Implications 191
Part 4: Intelligence: The Thinking Brain and Consciousness 211
Chapter 12: Understanding Intelligence, Consciousness, and Emotions 213
Chapter 13: How the Brain Processes Thoughts 239
Chapter 14: The Executive Brain 259
Chapter 15: Learning and Memory 275
Chapter 16: Developing and Modifying Brain Circuits: Plasticity 299
Chapter 17: Neural Dysfunctions, Mental Illness, and Drugs That Affect the Brain 325
Part 5: The Part of Tens 339
Chapter 18: Ten (or So) Crucial Brain Structures 341
Chapter 19: Ten Tricks of Neurons That Make Them Do What They Do 349
Chapter 20: Ten Promising Treatments for the Future 357
Glossary 367
Index 383
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