Brave New Brain: Geist - Gehirn - Genom

by Nancy C. Andreasen, K. Schwarz (Translator), Martin Schwarz (Translator)

Nancy Andreasen, führende Neurowissenschaftlerin, Herausgeberin des angesehenen American Journal of Psychiatry und ausgezeichnet mit der National Medal of Science, zeigt uns in ihrem neuen Buch die Zusammenhänge zwischen Gehirn und Genom. Dank modernster Methoden und Entdeckungen in Neurowissenschaften und Molekularbiologie wissen Forscher mehr denn je über die Funktionen des Gehirns. Die Autorin beschreibt auf faszinierende und verständliche Weise, wie alles zusammenhängt - von Milliarden kleinster Neuronen im Thalamus bis hin zur moralischen Kontrollinstanz im präfrontalen Kortex. Sie erklärt die Entschlüsselung des Genoms, dessen 30000-40000 Gene fast alle in irgendeiner Form in unserem Gehirn aktiv sind. In fesselnden Geschichten beleuchtet sie aber auch, wie sich psychische Störungen entwickeln und welche Auswirkungen sie auf Patienten und Angehörige haben. Nancy Andreasen gelingt der Brückenschlag zwischen hochkomplexen Inhalten und spannender Lektüre.

Genres: Psychology, Science, Neuroscience, Nonfiction, Medical, Psychiatry, Brain

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Nancy C. Andreasen, M.D., Ph.D., is Andrew H. Woods Chair of Psychiatry at The University of Iowa College of Medicine. She is actively involved in neuroimaging research, which involves the use of structural MR imaging, functional MR, and positron emission tomography.
She has written a book on neuroimaging (Brain Imaging: Applications in Psychiatry), as well as more than 500 articles and seven books on other related topics. The primary emphasis of her research is on the development and application of novel neuroimaging tools, the study of normal cognition and emotion, and the study of major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, and schizotypal personality.

Reviews

[Lydia Pack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow- it took me a long time to read this book. The beginning is pretty slow, like, really slow. Also, of course a lot of the scientific discoveries and technology are pretty outdated now with this being published twenty years ago.

However, I still give it 3 stars because I feel like it combines two really interesting topics, and puts them into a new perspective I had never really thought about. If you’re into genetics or mental illness, or both like me, this is a great read for the nerd in you.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the information here is starting to date a bit, but still very interesting. If you're averse to the using a neurobiological model to determine the origins of mental disorders (and subsequent biochemical treatment i.e. drugs) you'd better read something else.

[Safa Kursun · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a medical student, I learned so much from this book, it is written technical but author describes everything from basic.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess I'm also on team "late to the party" when it comes to reading this book since it was published 21 years ago and science practically changes every day. Sadly for "the future", I found Jim's story in the beginning to still be relatable today. It was extremely informative and it was written in a very comprehensive tone that almost anyone can understand. Despite its age, it still seems to hold relevance. I'd love to see a new edition come out though!

[Anthony Cleveland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Dr. Andreasen's book, The Broken Brain (1984), years ago. This one (published in 2001) once again displays her brilliance as both a writer and Psychiatrist. While neuroscience has made some progress in this area since then, this work would still serve as a good place to start for those interested in the topic.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basic information on neurophysiology and mental illness.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the mark is missed in this book--but well written