false 26730 47475 0262532557 9780262532556 17 <![CDATA[The Man Who Tasted Shapes (Bradford Books)]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170347300m/47475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47475.The_Man_Who_Tasted_Shapes 3.84 110
Sharing a root with anesthesia ("no sensation"), synesthesia means "joined sensation," whereby a voice, for example, is not only heard but also seen, felt, or tasted. The trait is involuntary, hereditary, and fairly common. It stayed a scientific mystery for two centuries until Cytowic's original experiments led to a neurological explanation--and to a new concept of brain organization that accentuates emotion over reason.

That chicken dinner two decades ago led Cytowic to explore a deeper reality that, he argues, exists in everyone but is often just below the surface of awareness (which is why finding meaning in our lives can be elusive). In this medical detective adventure, Cytowic shows how synesthesia, far from being a mere curiosity, illuminates a wide swath of mental life and leads to a new view of what is means to be human--a view that turns upside down conventional ideas about reason, emotional knowledge, and self-understanding.

This 2003 edition features a new afterword.]]> 26730 3.83 149 22 678607 0262032961 9780262032964 1 <![CDATA[Synesthesia: A Union of the Senses - Second Edition]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177070614m/678607.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/678607.Synesthesia_A_Union_of_the_Senses_Second_Edition 3.73 15
In this classic text, Richard Cytowic quickly disposes of earlier criticisms that the phenomenon cannot be "real," demonstrating that it is indeed brain-based. Following a historical introduction, he lays out the phenomenology of synesthesia in detail and gives criteria for clinical diagnosis and an objective "test of genuineness." He reviews theories and experimental procedures to localize the plausible level of the neuraxis at which synesthesia operates. In a discussion of brain development and neural plasticity, he addresses the possible ubiquity of neonatal synesthesia, the construction of metaphor, and whether everyone is unconsciously synesthetic. In the closing chapters, Cytowic considers synesthetes’ personalities, the apparent frequency of the trait among artists, and the subjective and illusory nature of what we take to be objective reality, particularly in the visual realm.

The second edition has been extensively revised, reflecting the recent flood of interest in synesthesia and new knowledge of human brain function and development. More than two-thirds of the material is new.]]> 26730 3.83 149 22 4591996 0262012790 9780262012799 3 <![CDATA[Wednesday Is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4591996.Wednesday_Is_Indigo_Blue_Discovering_the_Brain_of_Synesthesia 4.00 11
In Wednesday Is Indigo Blue, pioneering researcher Richard Cytowic and distinguished neuroscientist David Eagleman explain the neuroscience and genetics behind synesthesia’s multisensory experiences. Because synesthesia contradicted existing theory, Cytowic spent twenty years persuading colleagues that it was a real—and important—brain phenomenon rather than a mere curiosity. Today scientists in fifteen countries are exploring synesthesia and how it is changing the traditional view of how the brain works.

Cytowic and Eagleman argue that perception is already multisensory, though for most of us its multiple dimensions exist beyond the reach of consciousness. Reality, they point out, is more subjective than most people realize. No mere curiosity, synesthesia is a window on the mind and brain, highlighting the amazing differences in the way people see the world.]]> 26730 3.83 149 22 2883386 3.94 341 159 678606 0262032317 9780262032315 0 <![CDATA[Neurological Side of Neuropsychology]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177070613m/678606.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/678606.Neurological_Side_of_Neuropsychology 5.00 1 The Neurological Side of Neuropsychology is a primer for neurology residents, graduate students, and established professionals from other fields who wish to enter behavioral neurology. It provides a clear and coherent introduction to contemporary neurological ideas, carefully contrasting the conventional hierarchical model of brain organization to the newer multiplex model that scientists from biological backgrounds currently use.

Instead of presenting laundry lists of arcane maladies along with a key of "where in the brain the responsible lesion is," or a compendium of tests for a given situation -- the received wisdom that students are required to memorize -- Cytowic gives students the historical and conceptual tools they need not only to get up to speed regarding present knowledge, but to go forward.]]> 26730 3.83 149 22 5217915 3540971475 9783540971474 0 <![CDATA[Nerve Block for Common Pain]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5217915.Nerve_Block_for_Common_Pain 0.0 0 most common pain syndromes that the average practitioner will encounter frequently. This option is highly effective, but often not used simply because oral analgesics and anti-inflammatories are more familiar methods. The clear writing style leads step-by-step to the appropriate nerve block procedure. The author also discusses succinctly practical psychological issues of pain, placebos, etc.]]> 26730 3.83 149 22 7098316 4794211279 9784794211279 0 <![CDATA[共感覚者の驚くべき日常―形を味わう人、色を聴く人]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7098316 0.0 0    本書は神経科医の著者が、共感覚者との偶然の出会いから研究を開始し、共感覚をきっかけに、脳のしくみや感覚認知、理性と情動の関係、ひいては医療のありかたにまで切り込んでいくさまを、ミステリー仕立てに描いた1冊である。

   共感覚者は、外見的にはまったく普通で、神経医学的な検査を行っても異常は見つからない。しかも、共感覚は本人以外には確認のしようがない感覚であるため、他人から変だと思われるのを嫌がって、自らそのことを告白する人は少ない。医学的な関心を持たれることもほとんどなく、その研究と実験はゼロからのスタートだった。

   著者は随所で、医療のあり方に対し、鋭い批判を繰り返している。現代医療の現場においては、患者側にも「機械にまちがいを立証されるのではないかという不安、何が正しいか何が現実かを自分自身より機械のほうが知っているという暗黙の思い込み」が浸透しているという。機械による検査に引っかからなければ、すべて患者の気のせいだと切り捨てるのではなく、主観的な体験も重視すべきだという主張には説得力がある。

 「共感覚は、実際は私たちがだれでももっている正常な脳機能なのだが、その働きが意識にのぼる人が一握りしかいない」というのが著者の仮説である。日々人の脳の中で起こっている情報処理の過程を通し、人間の心の正体について思いを巡らせることのできる1冊である。（朝倉真弓）

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