Drawing on strange and thought-provoking case studies, an eminent neurologist offers unprecedented insight into the evolution of the uniquely human brain.
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Writing for general readers in a conversational style, with a sense of humor, neuroscientist Amachandran uses dramatic and unusual case studies from his own patients to reflect on age-old questions such as the sources of creativity and the evolution of language. An introduction offers a quick primer on basic brain anatomy while subsequent chapters highlight areas such as sensory processing, our sensitivity to beauty, and the nature of self-awareness. A set of three chapters offers a special focus on the role of mirror neurons, which are brain cells that fire both when we perform a specific action and when we watch someone else perform that same action, and their role in the development of language, empathy, and the transmission of culture. Amachandran directs the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California-San Diego. His previous book, Phantoms in the Brain, formed the basis for a PBS special. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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