We’re intimate with our brains. We could almost touch them, except for the skull and dura that protect them. We sense them at work, helping us think, feel, move, digest, breathe. But how exactly they’re doing any of this is mysterious to most of us. Some of us may see fMRI or PET images of our brains, but those are pictures, not fats and proneins, not glial cells or neurons. <\/p>\n
Enter neuroscientist<\/a> Eric H. Chudler’s Neuropedia, a mini-encyclopedia on all things brain. In 150 pages, illustrated by Kelly Chudler, this small book elucidates brain structures, functions, and conditions\u2014along with entries on neuroscience luminaries\u2014in clear, accessible prose. As Chudler writes, “I have tried to include entries that will stimulate your curiosity, help you become familiar with neurosciene, and motivate you to learn more about the brain.” The aim is to introduce lay readers to crucial concepts with both accuracy and a healthy dash of fun.<\/p>\n Of course, it’s no comprehensive account. As Chudler writes, “My intention is to open a window to the process of discovery that occurs in research laboratories every day.” <\/p>\n The book’s illustrations range from the instructive to the fanciful, inviting readers to combine curiosity and the wonder we may feel when contemplating those elusive three pounds of flesh that do so much to animate us\u2014and to enable us to live and function in the world. <\/p>\n Explaining the Corpus Callosum and Redundancy in the Brain <\/p>\n For example, Chudler describes the corpus callosum as a “large collection of axons that connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain.” It contains about 200 million axons “crossing from side to side to help coordinate sensory processes and higher cognitive functions of the brain.” Observations about anatomy like this one can quickly turn philosophical. About 1 in 4,000 people are born without a corpus callosum, some of them experiencing no symptoms at all while others experience difficulties with vision, language, or motor coordination. This leads to an explanation of redundancy in the brain. If a person whose brain lacks what Chudler calls this “neural superhighway”\u2014without symptoms\u2014there must be other, generally redundant pathways performing similar functions. <\/p>\n This is the case with many brain structures, and the reason people with brain damage are able to restore lost functions. Other areas and structures adapt to perform the functions of damaged ones. The philosophical question arises: What is the relationship between physiology and experience? Neuroscience is beginning to hazard some answers, and they inevitably lead to yet more philosophical questions.<\/p>\n That’s where a site like the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy<\/a> comes in handy. In an entry on Split Brains, it explains that corpus collostomies\u2014generally conducted to treat symptoms of severe seiziure disorders\u2014can result in a splitting of consciousness without the patient realizing it. For example, “imagine presenting the word \u201cTAXABLE\u201d on a screen in front of a split-brain patient” so that “TAX” appears only to the left visual field and \u201cABLE\u201d only to the right. “When asked to verbalize what word is being shown, the verbal response, typically controlled by the left hemisphere, will be ‘ABLE.’ However, if the patient is instructed to write down what they see using their left hand, which is predominantly controlled by the right hemisphere, they typically write ‘TAX.’\u201d What, then, are the implications for the identity<\/a> of a person whose consciousness is split in this way? <\/p>\n Comparing Neuropedia and Online Educational Resources <\/p>\n Neuropedia will provide the basics, and curious readers may follow up on questions both neurological and philosophical, using a site like Stanford’s or Neuropedia.net<\/a>, which describes itself as “an open-access, educational platform designed to provide scientific content through a structured curriculum.” Sites like this can be overwhelming, with their wealth of information on disparate topics. The analog nature of Chudler’s book makes for a very different kind of experience. The information it provides is contained, quite literally, between its covers. It may spark curiosity and offer brief explanations. If a reader wants to learn more, it can help focus an internet search. Nonetheless, the book’s lively prose and elegant illustrations make for an analog experience all its own, an antidote to the overwhelm of endless clicks through the vast and often unreliable internet. This is a book that invites readers to focus and reflect rather than click and scroll. <\/p>\n With rapid advances in neuroscience reported in the news and finding their way into an array of movies<\/a> and TV<\/a> shows, we’re increasingly surrounded by the language of neuroscience. But what does it all mean? Chudler’s spare compendium is a useful guide to that language\u2014and will almost certainly be more accurate and lead to greater understanding than most pop culture representations of the brain. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We’re intimate with our brains. 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