A noted psychiatrist offers an analysis of the basic structure and chemistry of the brain and explains how the workings of the brain affect human perception, emotion, personality, and behavior.

Concerns about memory and other thinking skills are common, particularly in middle age and beyond. Due to worries about declining brain health, some seek out dubious products or supplements purportedly designed to improve memory and other cognitive abilities. Fortunately, scientific research has uncovered a clear- cut set of evidence- based activities and lifestyle choices that are inexpensive or free and known to promote brain and cognitive functioning.John...

The sheer volume of information that the brain must process and respond to at every second of each day renders it one of the most remarkable systems of the human body. With illuminating diagrams and careful detail, this volume covers the amazing intricacies of this vital system as well as the effects of disease and damage.

The most ambitious and enlightening work to date from the bestselling author of A Natural History of the Senses, An Alchemy of Mind combines an artist's eye with a scientist's erudition to illuminate, as never before, the magic and mysteries of the human mind. Long treasured by literary readers for her uncommon ability to bridge the gap between art and science, celebrated scholar-artist Diane Ackerman returns with the book she was born to write. Her...