Human Brain a Guided Tour - Susan Greenfield

The human brain remains a tantalising mystery. But the last twenty years have seen astounding progress in brain research and now, more than ever before, we have the expertise to tackle this mystery. We also have the motivation – Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases are increasing, as are psychiatric illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Dependence on mood-modifying drugs is growing every year;

The Human Brain begins by exploring the roles of different regions of the brain. Switching approach, Susan Greenfield then examines how certain functions, such as movement and vision, are accommodated in the brain. She looks at how the basic building blocks of the brain, brain cells, communicate with each other and how such communication can be modified by drugs. She describes how a brain is made from a single fertilised egg; the fate of a brain is traced through life, as we see how it constantly changes as a result of experience, to provide the essence of a unique individual. Finally she explores what memory is, how it works and where it occurs in the brain.

Susan Greenfield gives us a brilliant guided tour of one of the final frontiers in understanding: the human brain.