I've been able to purchase and read several books this past spring and summer.  I will be posting about several of them.  The first summer review is The Human Brain Book by Rita Carter (the subtitle is "An illustrated guide to its structure, function, and disorders).  The book makes for not just a great coffee table book (it's over sized), but also includes a DVD that has some additional features one can use in class. The publisher is D/K, the wonderful publishers whose books are among my favorites. Oh, how I wish I had a book like this when I began teaching psychology.  From a visual learner's point of view, this book hits the jackpot. It begins with a history of studying the brain, landmarks in neuroscience and photos of a series of brain scans.  You know all those pesky little questions that your students ask, but you're not sure of the answer because your neuroscience course was 20+ years ago and the images (I mean drawings) were in black and...

Image via Wikipedia “Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions and as a result, they get better answers.” – Anthony Robbins Why am I so stupid? Why I always meet the wrong guy? What’s wrong with me? Why I never learn? Why am I so poor? Those are some of the [...]

ScienceDaily (2010-04-11) — Stress can literally warp your brain, reshaping some brain structures that help cope with life’s pressures. In the short term, the stress response can be helpful — i.e., fight or flight — but over time it leads to a wear and tear that can cause disease in both the brain and other [...]

ScienceDaily (2010-03-15) — The brains of psychopaths appear to be wired to keep seeking a reward at any cost, new research finds. The research uncovers the role of the brain’s reward system in psychopathy and opens a new area of study for understanding what drives these individuals. Read full article here.

ScienceDaily (2010-02-23) — Neuroscientists have mapped the brain structures that affect general intelligence. The study adds new insight to a highly controversial question: what is intelligence, and how can we measure it? Read full article here.

ScienceDaily (2009-12-06) — Even the anticipation of sweets may cause our muscles to start taking up more blood sugar, say researchers. That message is delivered via neurons in the brain’s hypothalamus containing the chemical known as orexin and the sympathetic nervous system, the studies in mice and rats suggest. [...]