Brain The Complete Mind How It Develops, How It Works, and How to Keep It Sharp Hardcover

354 Pages·124.89 MB·english

by  Sweeney M.S.

CON I EN IS
FOREWORD HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
VII . VIII
CHAPTER ONE 1
THE AMAZING BRAIN
KNOWING ITSELF NERVE CELLS ANATOMY
2 • 10 • 18
LOOKING INSIDE
24
CHAPTER TWO 32
TH E NERVOUS SYSTEM
IN HARMONY MESSENGERS DELICATE BALANCE
34 • 42 • 52
CHAPTER THREE 64
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
EVOLUTION A NEW BRAIN WAVES OF CHANGES
66 • 72 • 84
MATU RITY
92
CHAPTER FOUR 98
THE SENSES
PERCEPTION SIGHTS & SOUNDS SMELL & TASTE
100 • 106 • 116
TOU C H INTEG RATION
122 • 128
CHAPTER FIVE 134
MOTION
BRAIN IN ACTION SILENT RUNNING SHARED ROLES
136 • 146 • 152
MOTION SICKNESS
160
CHAPTER SIX 168
STATES OF MIND
DAILY ROUTINES AWARENESS BRAIN AT REST
170 • 178 • 186
ALTERED STATES 198
n
o
Z
--1
m
Z
CHAPTER SEVEN 204 --1
V>
THE FEELING BRAIN
EMOTIONS DARK EMOTIONS GOOD FEELINGS
206 • 214 • 220
IMPACTS OF LOSS
228
CHAPTER EIGHT 234
LEARNING eT MEMORY
LEARNING A MEMORY FORMS LANGUAGE
236 • 246 • 258
CHAPTER NINE 266
THE AGING BRAIN
MATURE MINDS BRAIN CHANGES LIVING LONGER
268 • 278 • 290
EPILOGUE 296
FUTURE OF THE BRAIN
NEW INTELLIGENCE SOCIAL SHIFTS BETTER BRAINS
298 • 302 • 306
BRAIN MEDICINE NEXT STEPS
310 • 314
GLOSSARY
318
INDEX
326
FURTHER READING
338
PHOTO C REDITS
340

o
BY RICHARD RESTAK, M.D. ;;:0
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BESTRIDING, Colossus-like, does require us to employ a kind But here's the most inspiring of
;;:0
both our inner and outer of double bookkeeping system. insights about the brain: We can
o
worlds, the brain is the On one hand we must study the enhance our brain's performance
essential conduit for everything we brain with the objectivity befitting by our own efforts. Thus learning
learn. Yet despite its pivotal impor any other area of inquiry. On the about the brain provides a wonder
tance, we've only recently begun other hand we have to remain alert ful mix of instruction, amazement,
exploring it. That's because the that our brain's ways of perceiving, and self improvement. As you gain
risks and side effects of available thinking, and acting may lead us knowledge, you're in a better posi
technology formerly precluded to incorrect conclusions. tion to improve its functioning
the study of the normal brain. For instance, when we sleep and thereby increase the quality of
As a result, we knew more about our conscious world temporar your life.
diseased and injured brains than ily ceases. Based on this nightly Which brings me to Brain, that
. . , .
properly functioning ones. expenence, It s temptlllg to assume rarest of treasures: an easily read
Now thanks to new and safer that our brain goes into a corre able book on a difficult and com
technologies we're able to visualize sponding temporary suspension plex subject that is understandable,
the healthy brain in color-coded of activity. But our brain doesn't encompassing, entertaining, and
three dimensional images. These shut down; it continues to consoli just plain fun to read. (And after
images have provoked widespread date and enhance the knowledge writing 20 books on the brain I
excitement and research. As a acquired during our waking hours. trust I can claim, without seeming
result, we've learned more about This insight awaited the develop immodest, that I recognize a good
the brain during the last 20 years ment of the electroencephalogram "brain book" when I read it.)
than the previous 500. Yet our (EEG) in the 1920s followed by the Michael Sweeney has done an
knowledge is still limited. demonstration, 10 years later, that admirable job here in fashioning a
Neuroscientists are feverishly EEG patterns change dramatically one-volume synthesis of an incred
pursuing the so far elusive goal over the course of a night's sleep. ible amount of information. For
of an overarching explanation of Throughout our lives, we're the reader new to the subject, Brain
how the brain works. At times the establishing pathways within the provides a valuable and rewarding
search is reminiscent of the child brain composed of millions of nerve introduction. And for those read
hood game of trying to jump on cells. As we mature these pathways ers who are already "hooked" on
one's own shadow: We're learning increase in complexity-a process the brain, they will find in this
about the brain via the perspective similar to the branching of a tree volume a marvelous compendium
provided by our brain. as it grows. Our cognitive abili of the current state of our knowl
While this self-referential aspect ties evolve as an accompaniment edge, as well as provocative sugges
of neuroscience doesn't present to this anatomical and functional tions about the future direction of
an insurmountable obstacle, it brain complexity. brain research.
Whirring cogs and spinning gears represent the flurry of activity driven and controlled by the brain.
OPPOSITE:
I IO W I 0 l S F I I II S BOO K
J
T
HE NINE chapters found OSUBSECTIONS: Divide a chapter into an injury or an illness occurs, various
in Brain: The Complete Mind segments on the major subjects treatments, and current research
are packed with riveting o DIAGRAMS: Show the Illner work- o FLOW CHARTS: Illustrate processes
information. Complementing the Illgs and anatomy of the brain, its and functions III an easy to under-
engaglllg narrative-which covers processes, and its functions stand format
the brain's anatomy, its myriad func o FAST FACTS: Present fascinating bits o CHAPTER GLOSSARIES: Define key
tions, and its interactions with the of information and figures terms found within each chapter
world-are hardworking reference o TABLES: Organize key information flj) BREAKTHROUGH SIDEBARS: Chronicle
elements that pepper every page with into a quickly understood format the amazing discoveries that deepen
facts and figures, amazing stories of o FACT BOXES: Feature entertaining our understanding of the brain
breakthrough developments and the explanations and interesting anecdotes fllSTAYING SHARP SIDEBARS: Document
plOneenng thinkers behind them, that you didn't know about the brain smart practices and strategic tactics
descriptions of ailments and mala o CROSS-REFERENCES: Make valuable for keeping the brain healthy
dies, and helpful strategies to keep- connections to related information f!l HISTORY SIDEBARS: Reveal the sto
ing the brain at its best. Each feature in areas throughout the book nes behind historical neurosCience
brings out the fascinating dimensions G WHAT CAN GO WRONG SIDEBARS: Dis beliefs and practices and the men and
of the human brain. cuss what happens to the brain when women who shaped them
SUBSECTION DIAGRAM FAST FACT TABLE FACT BOX
101', LOVE, cerebellum. Other areas of the those that contain rcceptors for
& HAPPINESS brain became deactivated by love. oxytocin and arginine va.\opre~in.
S(l("Cifically, and surprisingly, (he orAVP. m~
Falling in Love depres,ed brain regions have heen Oxytocin .,cem, to increase the m
associated with sadness, anxiety, general level of (rust people have
and other negative emotions. Low for each othcr. including strang Z
Gl
apparently not only makes you ers. That would explain why some
giddy but also smothers feelinss people make social decisions [hat
that might topple your dation. seem stupid when the chemicals
Maternal love may .hare some of wear off. Consider the impaired
the same neural circuits as roman- judgment found in a 2009 srudy PRAIRIE VOLES ore """N, brown otxIent>.
tic love. 11." ncuromodulator oxy- conductcd in Britain. Researchers Tlhhee yo "th,"e,r~ .f.o...-...li 1fIey, "re"fdu siefs O Mto pmoo.lnIno. ..O-dSi"e"~ "
tocin. released in the brain during gave men and women a whiff of Me>dow ",,"eo ore ""all, brown rodents o
female orgasm, also is released oxytocin and asked {hem to rate '00 They don'. form ~r """cis, ond they o
during childbirth and promotes the attl"'.Ictlveness of others. The rrlatepromi<cuoully o
mother_child bonding. Men aiM) experimental group rated strang Scienti<l< at Aorida St.te Uni""<1ity
Emotion. in the amygdala. Dec.,jon ao;d ,t .... togy fOt action. have their reward areas of the brain ers as more anractive than colltrol di",,,,,,,red thaI <Lff"r~nl levels of t"",
activated during orgasm, including groups did. "naesuorporrcn.o~dnu id(AtoV<Ps,) , ol,eydt octhine dtowdo ~'pin«rlCn~'
WHAT [S YOUR moti anThropologist, charts three kinds that keep two r«'ple together have towocd tho .. different matlOg hob ...
vation to experience of phYSiological and emotional been harder to find, but experi + THE CHEMICALS OF LOVE + When the ",'eMcile" induced tho
love and joy? You kinds of love: lust, attraction. and ments with animals have turned up "'f're"iOfl of AVP in the_tr.1p .illidurn
bmriegahtht ea.s Twhelel apshkY wSihoylo ygoicua ln eSeendS!aO aImttaiocnh mteon tp. rAolml oartoes et hteh rocuognhti nevuoa bnoeunrdoicnhge. m"Iichael sd tifhfaetr epnrto mdfOccle1 Sp aoirf HOrmOthnMe barnadin naenudr obtordayn sfmunitctetiorsn p wlahye inm Wpo~ rftaalml in p laomve in how 0co1" lthI<e' tpt~rod mtoi' -Cmuoonuo,g mamey.d ow voles, they
NAME DESCRIPTION
tions of ,arisfaction and warmth. tion of the spedes through mating biochemistry during stages of love
coupled wilh Ihc awarcness of and parenTal bonding. make sense when viewc<;j Ihrollgh E.trogen, Hormone$ respon$ible for the lexual drive. Te-ltOlterone in GENETIC TENDENCIES
how righl the emotion fcds. are According to Fishu. each type the lens of personal history" Who tMto;t~rone creas", in women when they're in lo"~, but dedinM in men. Today. most cultures limit people
their own reward. Joy. love. hap of love ha, it., own .pedal purpose hasn't felt the butterAies and rac Dopamine Neurotransmitter released in the brain's reward systems to one marital partner. Histori
Brings on a feeling of biisl
piness-they are what make life and chemistry, Lust sends people ing heartbeat of the early stages of cally, polygamy has b«n much
worth living. out into the world looking for a love, only to see those feelings be Norepinephrine Causes racing heart, flushed skin, With dopamine produces mol"C common, from the harems
elation, focused attention. higher energy states, and craving
mate. It's associated with the hor replaced with a calm confidence as of the Old Testament to the mul
LOVE mones estrogen and androgen. relationships develop? Serotonin Lowered levels of this neurotransmitter during stages of love tiple wives taken by some men in
Of all the positive, pleasurahle Attraction focuses that physical may contribute to feelings of obsession with anoth~r person the Mormon Church in the 19th
Slates, none has commanded so energy on one rem," instead of OxytOCin A ho",-,one that builds trust and helps form social oonds cenrury. It's that way in the animal
much attention from scientists. spreading il toO thin. Its link to kingdom tOO, with only 3 to 5 per
ani.,ts, and poets 3., lovc. In the the desire for emotional connec Arginine found in reward areas of the brain activated by romantic lov~ cem of mammals mating for life.
laboratory, love has gone under tions i, believed to he associated CHEMICAL ROMANCE Va50prMlin (AVP) in ooth sex~s and orgasm in m~n Children raised in cultures where
the microscope, to be dissecled with serotonin. Attachment keeps Brain scans of pcopk in love show Phenylethylamine Releases dopamine in the limbic system, causing pleasure. bonding occurs (in pairs or other
into categories and probed for Mom and Dad together for the activation in the caudate nudeus, (PEA) Occurs naturally in the br~m, but al", is fOWld in chocolate wise) become conditioned to their
o possible clockwork mechanisms, evolutionary advantage of having putamen. and insula. along with Sex pheromones Chemical me"engers pa,sed b~ween malel and females of environment; they sec relationships
Helen fisher. a Rmgers Universiry tWO parents. "Ihe neurotransmitters the anterior cingulate and the the .ame speciM to induce mating. around them as normal, whatever
CROSS REFERENCE
I
FLOWCHART GLOSSARY
o
:E
Memory Formation percent of their school classmate, --1
Im,,1 by their yearbook phOIOS .fter an
absence of35 years. Memory func o
tion, for facial recognition arc not ANTERIOR TEMf'ORALCORTDL T~ .. DYSGR ... PHt ....... "'"n,ng di"bihly NON ... SSOOI\.TlVE LEARNING. learn
perfectly integrated. however. ... ,,&Oon oftl-e temf'O"l e",I• • ,I""" he. .1 aflecton8 iUl indrvKlu.aI', abil~y 10 wm. .iungr .t hatoc<u"through rep.ated expo
evidenced by the all too Common memory.nd play<a~ey role., lac"" Tho< may al/ect both fi"" motor hand to. stomul", wilhout the rewlt of
ability 10 rewgnize someone but ,,",ogni"on.nd lden"fUlOon r;ontrol.nd id •• pro<e>srng either F'<",t,,,.. 0' .... g.llYe co~,",nces c
nol remember a name or how Ihat ANTEROGRADE AM NEStA. lo>, of DYSLEXI .... A .... r""'g dr"bil.ty of ""u OPERANT CONDITIONfNG. A p'o.: ...
for ettln tpheers ohnra iisn faamctiilviaart.e Twhrhc<e:n reygoiuo nrse oc f t.hned ..xbp~retyr . 1.0r x"eesa .lloeD m"e""mn"g,'. .Ir.a 0"1 "~" tut>at rpo'oJ.:o<g'<i." i,.I>"n';ggu"ag teh, alIe aimdifn>g"i <tso Idhieffoicbuillitl .y. .t oin a01c tbioenM i,v iroer .o.l iolrro<iendi nIgh rionu wgNhc :rh. . .a. avrodluon't ary $mo: V>
Stimuli work th,i, lWIymrough compl'" ",ural ci",uit< to ,""r m"",,'l oroblivion. ognize a face, First is the inferior "",bng, re.ding, and wn"ng ,"miro,hed through punl.h"",nt ~ m
occipital gyri, which lie at the hack ARCUATE fASCICUWS, A bundle 01 ELA80RATION. A memO!)' Imniqu. in P. .. PEZCIRCUIT.A ,y"em of in ..f Con -<
Using working memory, the brain adapted. Short-term memory of the brain whete visual process nOfVe f,b." <o"""Cl,ng Ilro<.', and W..- whICh new ",form""", " """''''ted WIth "",ted or ..... regton>. indudrng hrpfXXM"
interacts with the world in the allows the brain 10 track the prog ing occurs, lhis pair of s(rUClUres n,<'<e',..-"" tperr. .m.. IOsLtolS .Iy.. g Je. .med materrol, .idOlS on long tphua't. hpyarptioctihpo.ltea<min" "Iahnodr lc-tien,gmul a"t".g"y"r"uys. rr --1
here and now. More sophisticated ress of individual phrases and bring analyzes the bits and pieces Ihal ASSOCIATIVE lEARNING, A proce" in formaMn ...:1 emotional P""~~ng >
csioomn moufn micaetmioonr yr efqaUr lrbtSe yaonn ed> :pthana t oLrodnegr- (te0r sme ntmenecmeso rayn dc aplal,r agu. p..a pthhse, smhaakpee oufp ththee nfoascet:,. liinpsc,l uadnidn ge ytehse; awchtiiodn1l ewaimthO ill>E ,oon« .u."~ u btyn .c.." ""i.>'Olg.n EthNaGi RmAeMmo_ rAy fteorrmm aft,i.o-nth me apyI 1"y'a.iv<..1 o, 'n' ''" PROSOP ... GNOSIA. A cond"ron .1", 7Z ' I
of other animals. A speaker and a meaning of simple words as well as wrinkles; skin lOne; and other BROCA'S AREA. Reg,on in the Jelt Irontal f>"rtotip.hngn.u,on •. vkindouwoln . .a s" "fa.Nc. eb thon dr e..w....g i"n' 'w'~ ai< P;hO a"n"' ",n bdyi Z
listener need ~"'tensive short- and more abstract forms such as figures characteristics. Second is the right cO<l" ofthei>r.in r<'<pon~bIIo f'" mot"" EPISODIC MEMORY. A Iype of d.d. ...- hi.", hr f"iol futu,e. or to difterent .." Cl
long-term memory to communi of speech and metaphors; it suf· fusiform gyrus, which recognizes mo".."",nt< inthe production of.~ '",e memory that Cornr'" of stored .uto bet~I~,
ctphaatarett i(cthhureloynu ghohab vsjeey camtgsb.r oeleMsd. eItmlos ionargsys iwgmno urdtsost cfreeor.ueidlddi n abg be il lolp wou rtwa Olh itelr nap danitpaireorrna stiin.v set ewado rkosf otthefme s ppfaeocc. e.i.. .f.J i cAc onfdrdct eetxsh ,i arwrdc h isest roethr eemd ae. nm~tloeJrroiioews­r gClarHrogUu. paN.mI t(IooN ufaGnot. o 0T1,~" ".",. f Iom"rm'ehman1ioOqrouiznea oitinlot doni .v" o"di.nlIegr. EbiXoPgLr.lpChtTo oMl EreMmOemRYbr. >M"". ."."" o f. .p.e trh>O.tMaIr e RroEtrCieAv"U'g. M~,eomuosryl yp r'too«r'e<d't h",afto ornmV<.>t/ivoen< OJ
kmeeeapn itnrgacsk. aos fw tehlle aws othred ss yanntXd< t(hheairt PERSONAL CONNECTIONS innigze cdo mfapcea rdisnodn t bheet wstcocrneh tohues Te tttohga i oCfL bAeSI1SaI"C,oArLa lC toOoNinoDoIgT oInO .N..toIN"'"G •. A p rPe""i" '" cHoYnPsOERouTsHlyY 'M«EaSIJTefdC SYNDROME. A 0Rm1E .lmCeaOorrnGyeN dthI Ti"te lOm'0N. ". ~''e''t' noefv tahl p. .i-doecn<l,<r!,io"l, ,,,," o
pllt5 them together. One of the most important social provides identification. If the infe ousIy .... wol.t>mul'" ....-0. ... f>"rti<uiar condition in which an .,divtdLl.1I M< a
As communication expanded to functions of memory is the recog rior occipital gyri f~il 10 do Iheir r''POn .. Ihrough "peoted p.iring wilh. wpeno< .utobiog",pI1io.l "",mory SEMANTIC MEMORY. St",ed knowl o
include long speeche, and wriuen nition of faces. Most people can job, Ihe brain may miss important "rmulu,th"n.n""'II)-..,.oi<.~rt. IMPLICIT MEMORY, Memory recall.d edge of gene .. 11 0m ""ddat.
documents in hllman hislOry, both remember as many as 10,000, identifying informalion. Break CONF ... 8ULAnON .... d=rd. . rn whirn uncOn><IOUoIy dunng phyll<al ><'iv"y SEPARATION ANXIETY. Th d~tre ..
.hort- and long-term memory and can identify as many as 90 down of the right fusiform gyms an ",d",d",1 unmten""".1Iy labri<" .. lound .. """. young children.1 th A
oc<u" • .-..:es tolill gop. in hi. or her I(ORSAKOFF'S PSYCHOSIS. A form of departure of. p. ... nt or !he introduction
WHEN JILL PRICE, a.mool 10 have hyperthyme,tic syndrome, or a comp.>red wilh images 01 thou. . nds 01 DmteSmSOolCietA., TbIeVlEie >~-iUngG UthE_m A t op. ybceh < .>. t<'c"ur at. .fio"mr"nm. ei n~o r •w •" hoio<ftrhe. na n n." .."i.n-"d,m<edvei "d~""," 1,".~ ',' ·eaur. n.e.d. b> 10i<<e :mt0o1'u0 1rn- tVoISaU"O""SP'g. .."T .I AL MEMORY. A 'ype of
administrator in los "'nge 'superior memory" for one's own life "normal" brain., h.lve revealed ~ew!ral disord<o\ olt.n ondoctxl by !Ir. ... tht &I'Ien to con/.buI,,,on <led ...t r,. memory, .11""""g the rem.m
les. pi(!ures ju.t another day-say Price sa)'$ she view! the world throug~ reg""'! that are .... bstantially larger than " ch.raClenzM by arnne<i.> of ",II or brance of th. Ioc.otion of obj"'ts on .pace
August 19-,~e i, invaded by t~e a sensory splil <er..,n in which the piI,t av~rage, SpecificoHy, the caudate nuclei. perwn.ohty_ tMheE ObI" .,..r ln TtMEMt .P,OduRdA. L. tLhOeB h£op. fR>O.gCtMOYn' pouf, WERNICKE'SARrA. !lrain ..... Ioc.ot.d
'ighls. <mell,. ~und$. ~nd taste, and present are con.tantlycompeting for which are responsible for the formallon DYSCALCULIA .... I. .m mg ,""bdrty that .nd .mygdal •. This "ea ~ <"",.Itothe in lhe PO'lorio' region 01 Ihe I.mporal
of August 19th, from 10. 20, or 30 allenlioo. Since 2000, neur=ientis15 al ofhabn,. as wdlas a f>Ort of the lempO' ,,<h'''<lerized by ........e drffi<;t;lty on formalion• • Iorag".nd ""S'nitation lob.; ""Ix.n,ib/e f"" abilily 10 understand
years ago_ Price i< one of only loor Ihe Universily of Gllilorni.> at Irvine r.a.e rallobe that <tore, facts and figures, are undersUndiog m"h ofmemO!)' .nd produce rntelOgibk 'peed
p""pie in the United States known $twi<ed Price. Scans of hcr bra,n. when abnormally IMge ,n ntr bratn
WHAT CAN GO WRONG SIDEBAR
STAYING SHARP SIDEBAR HISTORY SIDEBAR
Much of it does SO withom need of STAYING SHARP to bond with their parents. It is THE ANCIENT BRAIN
any conscious conductor to direct responsible tor Shakespeare's plays, More than 4.000 years ago. Egyp »
the ongoing melody, YOUR WIN DOES not remaon 'U!>C, Mozart's music. and Einstein', tian priests considered the brain $:
The brain makes the lungs expand .... d there .re W"'f' to improve it< per malhematic~1 formulas. to be worthless. After a person's »
with the inrush of air, the heart forman<e. like the m<uel. . of yo"' body, death, the mOSt important organs N
pump blood. and ,he immune 'y' your bra01 gel> .Ironger ......... It'. g. ... n THE BRAIN AT WORK were ofl en removed and preserved. z
a workout Creativity. imagi ....l ion• •n d
tem fight off infection. It monitors other """hodo 01 cog~on impr""" Truly. the thoughts. feelings, and PrizcO above all waS the human Cl
pain ano pleasure. signals when when your b, ..... rmct< to ""w ~r<.p­ memories thaI arise in the human heart, which the priests believed
to cat and when 10 sleep, houses lions, p¥ti<ularly if you "t......+y try to brain arc what define Ihe species contained Ihe soul ~nd Ihe mind.
memories and thoughts. and InJn ""P"",n.:e the world", lresh~. Read :IS well :IS being what make each In preparing a body for mummi_
ufactures dre~ms and ideas. It pro and think. Soak up the orl at. mlM'Um person a unique member of the fication. they slithered ~ hooh-d
listeo to cornple>< mu.i<, ,nd Jel j<>Ur
cesses sounds and sights, smells and minde.<pl~ ,t! pattern.. Enjoying mU>ic human family. tool through the nose, removed
tastes. and feeling' ranging from ,tirnuiat. . many section. of the Onin .nd All of (he", marvels occur beyond the brain, discarded it, ~nd packed '"
the subtle to the sublime. pre",nts the opponunny/or<re.'rng new the resolution of the human eye. As the empty skull with eloth. Z
bra .. crcuilry Som<o ",;enlilic ....... arch, it labors, the brain does nOI expand The Greek philosopher Aristotle o
THE HUMAN ORGAN wt>i<hw. . ~,edin.bookby r*'Y' like the lungs or contract like a (384-322 B.C.) was of the ume "
Beyond the work the brdin docs "in"g"t oGpolnei"o"n" aLb SIeM mw,l l.luicg.gu .c.h. .. t.h..> Mt ~o"ennr-t lIIusele. It C1rties Out its work dec mind as the Egyptians, believing Tn. rumiflg of doc~ gt"n once provid.d 0 ~·mpl. . med"",i,oI metapnor for the broln z
automatically comes somNhing """"'<aU><':S •• hon-te-rmi""r""",.,the trochemic~lly at Ihe molecular level. the brain to be merely an elaborate Cl
far different than !IIere mechan .billy to """" >patr.1p roblelm Much of the process of observing series of channds designed to cool OUR UNDERSTANDING of how rf1"", to open or do5e <eruin 'aWes
ics. Our of the human brain arises the brain rest, on the anility 10 scan the nlood as it circulated Ihrough the brarn functIOnS oft~n OS and redirect vital fluids through tnt
consciousness-the unique ability knowing about the knowing. is its interior with sophisticated com out the body. Like the Egyptians, e.pre<sed in the language of metaphor_ brain', ventricles
of Homo s"pirm, "thinking man." p~rt of the definition, pllter.generatcd images requiring he considered the heart to be Ihe The dmice of metaphor ofte~ bu~ds With the dawn of the indw;tr. .1 r ev
to be ~ware of being ~Wdre. Con The eonseious brain chooses and the USe of x-r~ys. radioactive iso paramount organ of the mind and upon lhe dominant technology 01 olution. scienll,U turned 10 dodwork
sciousness, sometimes rdCrrcd to anS. It assembles words through topes, ano magnets. Small wonder, of thought, the day. me(hiUlics for metaphors. Philosopher
a. mind or possibly ... soul. is dit~ l~nguage dnd cornmunic~tes ide. ... th~n. that only recently h ... science Although science h .., since dis Rene Desurtes, the 17th-century Gilbert Ryle coined the pl>rase "ghost
ficult to define. A person in a deep It commands muscles to move, hccn able to examine the b ...~ in carded the idea of the heart as the philosopher, likened the brain to tnt in tnt machine; a bodiles, s.ub,unce
sb,p ora coma lacks ~n awareness. directing Ihe backhand "olley of in detail ano b.:gin (0 e>:plain its home of hllttlanity's essence, our animated statue. in Paris', Royal Gar· ~mehow throwing swit~, and mov
an alertness. that a waking person a tennis racket and the driving of workings. Relying on macroscopic language is replete with examples dens 01 Saint-Germa",. Desurtes pic ing axles and gear'$, on framing one 01
possesses. This heightened Slate a race car. It allows parents 10 rec- observation alone, r\:Search into the of Ihe ancient idea clinging to (he tured the mind as an engin~r who tm, popular theorie. about the mind
of knowing about the world. ~nd ognize their children. and children brain started extrcmely slowly. imagination. 'Ihis is especially truc
"I. ..
DDICTED MYSELF 10 the opening Willi, dreamed of nothing less than He examined the cerebellum, cerebral e.en if all but one artery were tied off_ guessed thM Ille initial blockage 01
of heaill: wrote Thomas w,n". the to "unlock the sec",t place, of man', hemi'pntres, m~dulla oblongata, and H~ got the idN from a human auto>,,}. one artery had caused the he.d·
lounder 01 neurology_ Wrlli, (1621- mrnd: He perlormed countless autop other distinct part<. He Iried 10 show The man had complained of headaches, ache,. and the enlargement 01 the
1675) found dtrKi examination of the sies during hI< practice as a doclor in how damage to parti<;ular areas of the but they went away and he lived for other had made them di. .p pear_
human brain $0 much mOre enlightening Oxford, England, He knew that th~ clas brain might correspond with ,ymptoms years. After the man', death, Wilh!'s Willi, and hi, experiments with a
than the cou,,,, of study that had domi sic de'oCnptions of th~ brain didn't match of diseases obs~I'\ied befor~ death aut0p'y revealed that one ",roud artery dog s<!l htm on a path any modem
nated medicine for 2,000 )",a", reading what he $,lW with hi' own e~., Thw;, he Willi, experiment~d on a dog to dem· had become dogged, while the ot~er <eientist would have recogniz~d
the worksof "'ristotle and Galen .sel about removing and di$$ecting brains. onstrate that blood reached Ihe brain had grown larger than normal. Wrllis obsel'\ie, hypothesize. and teSL
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