The Scientific American Brave New Brain: How Neuroscience, Brain-Machine Interfaces, Neuroimaging, Psychopharmacology, Epigenetics, the Internet, and Our ... and Enhancing the Future of Mental Power

211 Pages·2010·4.32 MB·English

by  Judith Horstman

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

The
BRAVE NEW
BRAIN
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Brave New Brain
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Copyright © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and Scientifi c American. All rights reserved.
Published by Jossey-Bass
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Horstman, Judith.
The Scientific American brave new brain / Judith Horstman. – 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-37624-9 (cloth)
1. Brain. 2. Brain–Metabolism. 3. Brain–Physiology. 4. Neurophysiology.
I. Scientific American. II. Title.
QP376.H755 2010
612.8'2–dc22
2009048405
Printed in the United States of America
FIRST EDITION
HB Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments xi
Preface xiii
Introduction 1
1 Your Changeable Brain: Neurogenesis, Neuroplasticity,
and Epigenetics 7
Th e Birth of Brain Cells: Neurogenesis 10
Changes in Your Brain: Neuroplasticity 11
Changes in Your Genes: Epigenetics 13
Keeping Your New Brain Cells 14
No Pain, No Gain 16
Brain Training Programs: Help or Hype? 17
What’s Next? And What About My Brain? 19
2 Boosting Your Brain Power 21
Th e Brave New Pharmacy 22
Juicing the Brain: Th e “Smart Drugs” 24
Th e Caveats: Are Th ese Really “Smart Pills”—and Are
Th ey Safe? 26
Six Drug-Free Ways to Boost Your Brain 29
Boosting Your Brain with Meditation 31
Meditation Means Changing Your Brain 33
What’s Next? And What About My Brain? 35
v
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vi Contents
3 Manipulating Your Memory 37
Memories Are Made of Th is—We Hope 38
How Memory Works—the Short Version 39
Alzheimer’s Disease: Th e Memory Epidemic 41
What We Know Now About Dementia 43
Marijuana to Ward Off Alzheimer’s? Wow.
Like, Cool. 44
Making Memories Stick Around 45
Erasing Bad Memories: A Morning-Aft er Pill
for the Brain 48
Th e Toll of Mental Illness—and Anxiety 50
What’s Next? And What About My Brain? 52
4 Digital You: What the Digital Explosion Is Doing
to Your iBrain 55
Are You Born Digital—or a Digital Immigrant? 56
Th e Brains of Digital Natives 57
Th e Bad, the Good, and the Unknown Eff ects of
Technology 59
Th e Future Is Closer Th an You Th ink 61
Uses of the Digital You 63
What About My Body? Balancing the iBrain and Your
Sensory Self 64
Beyond Digital: Th e Serious Need for Play 66
What’s Next? And What About My Brain? 67
5 Looking Inside Your Brain: The Magic of
Neuroimaging 71
Smile, Say Cheese? Not Exactly: How an MRI Works 74
Picture Th is: Psychopath, Pedophile, Autistic Toddler 76
Scanning the Other Half of Your Brain: Why White
Matter Matters 77
Th e Limits of Brain Scans 79
Th e Five Flaws of Brain Scans 80
What’s Next? And What About My Brain? 83
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CONTENTS vii
6 Rewiring the Brain Electric 87
Th e Electrical Revolution: A History of Hot-Wiring
Your Head 88
Th e Current Brain Research: Magnets to
Implants 90
Discovering Depression’s Sweet Spot 95
Could Implants Help Alzheimer’s Patients? 96
What’s Next? And What About My Brain? 97
7 Your Bionic Brain: The Merging of Brain
with Machines 101
Spare Parts 102
Bionic Brain Research Today 104
Th e Britannica in Your Brain—and More 106
Artifi cial Retinas: Giving Sight to the Blind 107
An Artifi cial Hippocampus? 108
Putting Th oughts into Action 110
How and Why Your Brain Is Better Th an a
Computer—for Now 112
What’s Next? And What About My Brain? 114
8 The Possible Dreams: Stem Cells, Gene Therapy, and
Nanotechnology 117
Th e Future of Stem Cells 120
Retinal Stem Cells from Adults Show Promise 122
Th e Promise of Gene Th erapy 123
Nanomedicine 125
What’s Next? And What About My Brain? 127
9 Neuroethics: Facing the Dark Side 129
Stem Cells: Still Fighting Aft er All Th ese Years 132
Liar, Liar: Can Brain Scans Reveal the Truth? 133
Responsibility: My Sick Brain Made Me Do It (Th e Devil
Made Me Do It?) 134
Privacy, Bias, and Self-Incrimination 136
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viii Contents
Psychotreatment: Should We Force Psychopharmacological
Th erapies? 137
Mental Doping on the Rise: Th ey Jail Athletes,
Don’t Th ey? 137
Issues Yet to Come: A Future of Busy Lawyers 138
10 The Past Is Prologue: To the Future 141
Sources 143
Illustration Credits 153
Glossary 155
About the Author 161
Index 163
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