We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Find out more

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.

Print Price: $13.50

Format:
Paperback
152 pp.
19 halftones and line drawings, 111 mm x 174 mm

ISBN-13:
9780192853929

Publication date:
December 2005

Imprint: OUP UK


The Brain: A Very Short Introduction

Michael O'Shea

Series : Very Short Introductions

How does the brain work? How different is a human brain from other creatures' brains? Is the human brain still evolving?

In this fascinating book, Michael O'Shea provides a non-technical introduction to the main issues and findings in current brain research, and gives a sense of how neuroscience addresses questions about the relationship between the brain and the mind. Chapters tackle subjects such as brain processes, perception, memory, motor control and the causes of 'altered mental states'. A final section discusses possible future developments in neuroscience, touching on artificial intelligence, gene therapy, the importance of the Human Genome Project, drugs by design, and transplants.

Readership : Students of neuroscience and neurophysiology. General readers curious about the new developments in neuroscience and brain research; anyone interested in how the brain works, and in the relationships between the brain and thoughts, motor skills, memories, and perceptions.

1. Mind and brain: what's the problem?
2. Let's get physical
3. Sight, sound, and imagination
4. "Last week's potatoes!"
5. Perception to action
6. Altered states of mind
7. Where do we go from here?

There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.

Michael O'Shea is Director of the Sussex Centre for Neuroscience in Sussex. This is his first trade book.

There are no related titles available at this time.

Special Features

  • Short, clear discussion on the mechanical workings of the brain
  • Covers the details of brain science in an accessible way
  • Up to date coverage of developments of brain research
  • Suggests directions future research might take
  • Discusses many of the brain's actions that people wonder about, such as memories, perceptions, and motor control