Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for The Tell-Tale Brain by V. S. Ramachandran - Available

The Tell-Tale Brain

A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human

by V. S. Ramachandran
David Drummond
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
V. S. Ramachandran is at the forefront of his field—so much so that Richard Dawkins dubbed him the "Marco Polo of neuroscience." Now, in a major new work, Ramachandran sets his sights on the mystery of human uniqueness. Taking us to the frontiers of neurology, he reveals what baffling and extreme case studies can teach us about normal brain function and how it evolved. Synesthesia becomes a window into the brain mechanisms that make some of us more creative than others. And autism—for which Ramachandran opens a new direction for treatment—gives us a glimpse of the aspect of being human that we understand least: self-awareness.


Ramachandran tackles the most exciting and controversial topics in neurology with a storyteller's eye for compelling case studies and a researcher's flair for new approaches to age-old questions. Tracing the strange links between neurology and behavior, this book unveils a wealth of clues into the deepest mysteries of the human brain.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 25, 2011

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781452620640
      • File size: 375977 KB
      • Duration: 13:03:17

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In his introduction, Professor Ramachandran states that he wrote his book for general readers, but its concepts and vocabulary belie his claim. Listeners must be ready to absorb terms like "somatoparaphrenia," "synesthesia," and "echopraxia." The print version has lots of diagrams to explain neuroanatomy and mental mechanisms, but they were all sacrificed in the transition to audio, leaving listeners to imagine, for example, where the brain's primary somatosensory cortex might be. Narrator David Drummond has complete mastery of the neuroscience lexicon, never fluffing the pronunciation of a single complex structure or concept. He speaks American English, with occasional snippets of British. Drummond minimizes the author's dry humor: "The average human operates with a vocabulary of 10,000 words, except surfers." J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from February 21, 2011
      Ramachandran (A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness), director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at UCSD, explores why humans, who are "anatomically, neurologically and genetically, physiologically apes," are not "merely" apes. While animals can communicate with sound and gesture, and chimpanzees can even use words to express immediate needs, humans have developed the ability to speak in structurally complex sentences, and often speak in metaphor. Ramachandran speculates that, as we can map another’s actions and intuit their thoughts, we also map our own sensory apparatus, perceiving our surroundings—and perceiving ourselves perceiving our surroundings. We imagine the future and speculate about the past and seek to understand our place in the universe, laying the foundation for our the sense of free will; we not only envisage future actions, but are aware of their potential consequences and the responsibility for our choices. Richard Dawkins has called Ramachandran "the Marco Polo of neuroscience," and with good reason. He offers a fascinating explanation of cutting-edge-neurological research that deepens our understanding of the relationship between the perceptions of the mind and the workings of the brain.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading