It’s no secret that the human brain is a marvellous thing. From the movements you rely on every day to the emotions you express, the dreams that feel real and the thoughts that whizz through your mind, the brain controls it all. Centuries of study have yielded many answers to its countless mysteries. We know about the synapses and neurons that make up the brain, and leading surgeons can now map someone’s brain and perform once impossible operations. But there is still so much that we don’t understand.What does it really mean to be conscious? Why do we have cognitive biases when the facts contradict us? And why are some people psychopaths who see the world in a totally different way? In this book you’ll explore some of the answers to these questions, chart the life of a pioneering neurosurgeon and relive some of the most bizarre experiments ever conducted in the endless quest to understand the brain.
Welcome to HOW IT WORKS INSIDE YOUR BRAIN
How It Works: Inside Your Brain - 6th Ed
The human BRAIN • Described as the most complex thing in the universe, our brains are truly astonishing
Brain development • From a single cell to an incredibly intricate network in just nine months
Inside your brain • Delve into the make up of the human brain and discover what its major parts do
Functions of the cerebral cortex • The cerebral cortex is the wrinkling part that shows up when you see pictures of the brain
Left or right brained? • Actually, you’re neither. Discover the truth behind the way we think
Brain cells • Find out what’s really going on inside your head
The blood-brain barrier • This biological wall keeps your brain safe and secure
Brilliant brain • This psychedelic photo is a colourful cross-section image of a human brain.
Pituitary gland up close • What does this hormone factory do and why couldn’t we live without it?
Self-cleaning brains • We have a built-in system to clear toxic waste from between our brain cells
THE SCIENCE OF EMOTIONS • How our ancient brains evolved the perfect way to keep us safe by controlling the chemicals in our minds to moderate our behaviour
The chemistry of emotions
The anatomy of emotions • Different areas of your brain and body are stimulated by different emotions
Emotions as sensations
How many emotions do we have?
Memory and retaining information • We take it for granted, but how do we retain and utilise information from our environment?
THE POWER OF IMAGINATION • The human brain has the unique ability to take what it knows and dream up something new
Can animals imagine? • Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, but they don’t seem to have the same powers of imagination as we do
HOW THE BRAIN SEES • Eyes are often likened to windows, but their role in our perception of the world is a little more complex
Sending signals • Working together, the eyes and brain build up images of our surroundings
Never forget a face • We have facial recognition to thank for our wide social circles
Technicolour mind • This stunning explosion of colour depicts the results of a full brain tracking.
Anticipatory timing • The process that allows your brain to predict the future
The science of making decisions • To do, or not to do?
FIGHT OR FLIGHT • The brain’s ancient threat-detection system gets us out of danger at lightning speed, but at what cost?
WHAT IS CONSCIOUSNESS? • To consider this question, you must be conscious – it’s an Inception-level concept that has preoccupied scientists and philosophers for millennia
Scientists’ thoughts • How research is revealing the secrets of sentience
The importance...