The Brain

The brain's cells are wired together with 100 trillion connections. That makes each and every human brain a contender as the most complex system in the universe, a system that endows us with an intellect that far outstrips that of any other creature.

However, there is one difficult question remaining: Are we intelligent enough to understand our own brains? Follow the journey as history's greatest brains, such as Avicenna, Thomas Willis, Charles Darwin, and Paul Broca, try to figure it out by linking the structure of the brain to its functions.

How does the brain control the body, how does it make sense of our surroundings, and allow us to understand, empathise with, and love other people (and their brains)? And how does it create that most mysterious feature of the universe—consciousness?

The Brain contains 100 chronological articles that tell the story of neuroscience from the dawn of history to the present day. Authoritative text, exciting imagery, and helpful diagrams accompany each of the steps along the way. Biographies of great neuroscientists and a functional map of the brain boost the contents for all readers.

A simple guide to neuroscience draws together current understanding to set out the basics of the field. The Brain also contains a 24-page removable foldout concertina neatly housed at the back of the book. This fold-out concertina includes a 12-page Timeline History of the brain and a 12-page Guide to the nervous system.