Synopses & Reviews
The era of the New Brain is upon us. Once a mysterious, hidden organ locked within our skulls, modern brain science now provides us with insights about the brain that only a few decades ago would have been considered the stuff of science fiction. We can now study the brain in "real time," witnessing how it functions while taking a test, practicing a craft, experiencing an emotion, or making a decision. Brain tests can even indicate when we're telling the truth or when we're lying.
Dr. Richard Restak reports from the frontiers of modern brain science and asks the relevant questions such as, is Attention Deficit Disorder the brain syndrome of the future? Is it a "normal" response to the modern world's demand to attend to several things at once? What happens in our brains when the image replaces language as the primary means of communication? How does exposure to violent imagery affect our brains? Are we capable of "genius" and training our brains to perform at a superior level?
The New Brain is the story of technology and biology converging to influence the evolution of the human brain. Dramatic advances are now possible, as well as the potential for misuse and abuse.
Dr. Restak, author of more than 15 books on the brain, leads you through the latest research and the expanding field of cognitive science, explains its implications, and even offers practical advice such as how to:
* Understand and mitigate the affects of media images and technology on our thoughts and emotions
* Estimate the effects of stress on our brain function and how to predict who is at greatest risk for harm
* Develop the habits that result in peak brain performance
No longer science fiction or fantasy, The New Brain recounts what our brains are capable of-- today.
Review
The wise, witty, and ethical Dr. Restak has given us . . . a book vital to understanding our own role in influencing our ongoing evolution as a species. He guides us gently and humbly through synaptic connections we did not know we had, thus igniting us to insatiable curiosity about our potentials. Wilton S. Dillon, Ph.D., senior scholar emeritus, Smithsonian Institution
Review
This is a book to read and savour... because it makes us think deeply about who we are and why we act the way we do. Edmonton Journal (Canada)
Synopsis
A top expert on brain function explains, in layman's ferms, how our brains are struggling to keep up with the world we've created The human brain is undergoing a major evolutionary transformation. Preeminent brain expert and bestselling author Richard Restak, M.D., takes us into the fascinating world of the brain and shows us how cell phones, laptops, violence on TV, MTV, and the Internet have actually sped up an evolution of the human brain that indeed may be irrevocable. Offering scientific proof drawn from the most recent findings, he shows how the world we live in today has affected our ability to focus, concentrate, inhibit impulsive actions, and take "longer views" of the future. Dr. Restak suggests that the current epidemic of attention deficit disorder in children and adults is, in fact, our brain's response as it changes the way it functions and organizes information. He posits that while some changes may suggest a temporary condition in response to the multitasking demands of daily life, those aspects we now label as dysfunctional (short attention spans, personality fragmentation, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness) may become the norm.
Synopsis
HOW THE MODERN AGE IS REWIRING YOUR MIND
"The wise, witty, and ethical Dr. Restak has given us ... a book vital to understanding our own role in influencing our ongoing evolution as a species. He guides us gently and humbly through synaptic connections we did not know we had, thus igniting us to insatiable curiosity about our potentials."
--Wilton S. Dillon, Ph.D., Senior Scholar Emeritus, Smithsonian Institution
The Era of the New Brain ...
... IS HERE
Genetic mapping, imaging technology, and psychopharmacology have converged to give us an unprecedented understanding of how the brain works and how we can affect its operation. But what does this mean? Already our brains are working differently than they did just one hundred years ago, as we respond to the barrage of media images, violent and provocative, and attend to the demands of the modern world. "Cosmetic" drugs that work in the brain to prevent us from feeling drowsy, depressed, anxious, or fearful, or that enhance concentration and memory are already available. Dramatic treatments to repair damage in the brain are becoming common.
In The New Brain, Dr. Richard Restak guides you through the frontiers of modern brain science and offers cautionary but also optimistic thoughts on the direction of this work. He says that in the era of the New Brain it will be necessary to tread carefully, lest we imprison ourselves in concepts that diminish, rather than enhance, our freedom.
Synopsis
H0w thE M0dErn AgE 1s REw1r1ng Y0ur M1nd
"The wise, witty, and ethical Dr. Restak has given us . . . a book vital to understanding our own role in influencing our ongoing evolution as a species. He guides us gently and humbly through synaptic connections we did not know we had, thus igniting us to insatiable curiosity about our potentials." --Wilton S. Dillon, Ph.D. , Senior Scholar Emeritus, Smithsonian Institution
The Era of the New Brain...
...Is Here
Genetic mapping, imaging technology, and psychopharmacology have converged to give us an unprecedented understanding of how the brain works and how we can affect its operation. But what does this mean? Already our brains are working differently than they did just one hundred years ago, as we respond to the barrage of media images, violent and provocative, and attend to the demands of the modern world. "Cosmetic" drugs that work in the brain to prevent us from feeling drowsy, depressed, anxious, or fearful, or that enhance concentration and memory are already available. Dramatic treatments to repair damage in the brain are becoming common.
In The New Brain, Dr. Richard Restak guides you through the frontiers of modern brain science and offers cautionary but also optimistic thoughts on the direction of this work. He says that in the era of the New Brain it will be necessary to tread carefully, lest we imprison ourselves in concepts that diminish, rather than enhance, our freedom.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 213-215) and index.
Synopsis
The era of the New Brain is upon us. Once a mysterious, hidden organ locked within our skulls, modern brain science now provides us with insights about the brain that only a few decades ago would have been considered the stuff of science fiction. We can now study the brain in real time, witnessing how it functions while taking a test, practicing a craft, experiencing an emotion, or making a decision. Brain tests can even indicate when we're telling the truth or when we're lying.
Dr. Richard Restak reports from the frontiers of modern brain science and asks the relevant questions such as, is Attention Deficit Disorder the brain syndrome of the future? Is it a normal response to the modern world's demand to attend to several things at once? What happens in our brains when the image replaces language as the primary means of communication? How does exposure to violent imagery affect our brains? Are we capable of genius and training our brains to perform at a superior level?
The New Brain is the story of technology and biology converging to influence the evolution of the human brain. Dramatic advances are now possible, as well as the potential for misuse and abuse.
Dr. Restak, author of more than 15 books on the brain, leads you through the latest research and the expanding field of cognitive science, explains its implications, and even offers practical advice such as how to:
* Understand and mitigate the affects of media images and technology on our thoughts and emotions
* Estimate the effects of stress on our brain function and how to predict who is at greatest risk for harm
* Develop the habits that result in peak brain performance
No longer science fiction or fantasy, The New Brain recounts what our brains are capable of-- today.
Synopsis
Now Available in Paperback!
The era of the New Brain is upon us! Already our brains are working differently than they did just one hundred years ago. Drugs are already available that work in the brain to prevent us from feeling drowsy, depressed, anxious, or fearful, or that enhance concentration and memory. Dramatic treatments to repair damage in the brain are becoming common. In The New Brain, neurologist, neuropsychiatrist, and bestselling author Dr. Richard Restak tells how technology and biology are converging to influence the evolution of the human brain.
Dr. Restak describes the dramatic advances that now are possible, as well as the potential for misuse and abuse, examining such questions as: Is Attention Deficit Disorder a "normal" response to the modern world's demand that we attend to several things at once? What happens in our brains when images replace language as the primary means of communication? How does exposure to violent imagery affect our brains? Are we all capable of training our brains to perform at a superior level?
About the Author
Dr. Richard Restak, a neurologist and neuropsychiatrist, is clinical professor of neurology at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He has written the companion books to several PBS specials on brain function, including
The Secret Life of the Brain. His last book,
Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot: Unleashing Your Brain's Potential, was a bestseller. An engaging science commentator, Restak has appeared on NPR's
Morning Edition,
All Things Considered, the
Today Show,
Good Morning America, and the Discovery Channel. He lives and practices in Washington, D.C.
Table of Contents
Brain plasticity: your brain changes every day -- Genius and superior performance: Are we all capable? -- Attention deficit: the brain syndrome of our era -- More images than ever: Is it destabilizing our brains? -- The happy brain: the joy and music in you -- Modern imaging techniques: windows on the brain -- Cosmetic psychopharmacology -- Healing the diseased brain: new attempts at brain repair -- The new brain.