The Spike
The Spike

Author: Mark Humphries

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2021-03-09

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 0691213518

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The story of a neural impulse and what it reveals about how our brains work We see the last cookie in the box and think, can I take that? We reach a hand out. In the 2.1 seconds that this impulse travels through our brain, billions of neurons communicate with one another, sending blips of voltage through our sensory and motor regions. Neuroscientists call these blips “spikes.” Spikes enable us to do everything: talk, eat, run, see, plan, and decide. In The Spike, Mark Humphries takes readers on the epic journey of a spike through a single, brief reaction. In vivid language, Humphries tells the story of what happens in our brain, what we know about spikes, and what we still have left to understand about them. Drawing on decades of research in neuroscience, Humphries explores how spikes are born, how they are transmitted, and how they lead us to action. He dives into previously unanswered mysteries: Why are most neurons silent? What causes neurons to fire spikes spontaneously, without input from other neurons or the outside world? Why do most spikes fail to reach any destination? Humphries presents a new vision of the brain, one where fundamental computations are carried out by spontaneous spikes that predict what will happen in the world, helping us to perceive, decide, and react quickly enough for our survival. Traversing neuroscience’s expansive terrain, The Spike follows a single electrical response to illuminate how our extraordinary brains work.

The Never-ceasing Search
The Never-ceasing Search

Author: Francis Otto Schmitt

Publisher: American Philosophical Society

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 426

ISBN-13: 9780871691880

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Frank Schmitt has for two thirds of a century been searching for -- and in many cases finding -- explanations of major biomedical importance. His is a very human story -- of a youth in high school doing experiments in a make-shift chemical laboratory in the attic of the family home; of a young university student who organized a students' science society and whose undergraduate research on cell structure was published in major professional journals; of a medical school student who wrote a thesis that attracted the attention of cardiologists for many years; of a devoted husband who, with his young wife, spent two postdoctoral years in Berkeley, London and Berlin and later made two trips around the world with her as he set up a worldwide network of neuroscientists. As a young scientist at Washington University, Schmitt investigated polarization optical and x-ray diffraction methods to discover the molecular structure of living tissues -- this, long before molecular biology was established as a scientific discipline. Schmitt was called to head biology at MIT in 1941. There he added electron microscopy to his ultrastructural repertoire and used much of it in wartime research. As an Institute Professor (MIT's highest rank), he became a leader in the founding and characterization of the fields of biophysic and neuroscience. Schmitt was also deeply committed to music, along with his wife, and had an interest in theology. Photos.

Raveling the Brain
Raveling the Brain

Author: Jordynn Jack

Publisher: Rhetoric and Materiality

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 9780814214039

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"Examines the role of the humanities, particularly rhetoric, in neuroscience, showing how the brain is enmeshed in the body, in culture, and in discourse. Uses examples of studies on sex and gender, political orientation, and affect to argue for a rhetoric-based approach to neuroscience"--

The Neurosciences
The Neurosciences

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1969

Total Pages: 1096

ISBN-13:

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Papers presented at the 1st- intensive study program organized by the Neurosciences Research Program.

Toward a Science of Consciousness II
Toward a Science of Consciousness II

Author: Stuart R. Hameroff

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 790

ISBN-13: 9780262082624

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This text originates from the second of two conferences discussing the concept of consciousness. In 15 sections, this book demonstrates the broad range of fields now focusing on consciousness.

So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist?
So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist?

Author: Ashley Juavinett

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2020-12-08

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 0231549156

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The pursuit to understand the human brain in all its intricacy is a fascinatingly complex challenge and neuroscience is one of the fastest-growing scientific fields worldwide. There is a wide range of career options open to those who wish to pursue a career in neuroscience, yet there are few resources that provide students with inside advice on how to go about it. So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? is a contemporary and engaging guide for aspiring neuroscientists of diverse backgrounds and interests. Fresh with the experience of having recently launched her own career, Ashley Juavinett provides a candid look at the field, offering practical guidance that explores everything from programming to personal stories. Juavinett begins with a look at the field and its history, exploring our evolving understanding of how the brain works. She then tackles the nitty-gritty: how to apply to a PhD program, the daily life of a graduate student, the art of finding mentors and collaborators, and what to expect when working in a lab. Finally, she introduces readers to diverse young scientists whose career paths illustrate what you can do with a neuroscience degree. For anyone intrigued by the brain or seeking advice on how to further their ambitions of studying it, So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? is a practical and timely overview of how to learn and thrive in this exciting field.

The Neurosciences: Paths of Discovery, I
The Neurosciences: Paths of Discovery, I

Author: F. WORDEN

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 627

ISBN-13: 1468468170

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To commemorate properly the 70th birthday of a man who, by his very nature, is too busy to pause for any kind of ceremonial event unless it has a concomitant functional output was a difficult problem for the Staff and Associates of the Neurosciences Research Program. Frank (F. O. S. ) has always dreaded the prospect that sometime it might be appropriate for his colleagues to present him a Fest schrift. In fact, "Fest me no Schriften" became his battle cry, expressing his feeling that the idea of testimonials clustered into a book was anathema. So the "break through" idea for the planners was to organize a symposium around the theme of discovery in neuroscience that would be valuable scientifically and, in its demon stration of interdisciplinary interaction, would support that emphasis in Frank's career. After much planning a program was developed, beginning with a birthday party the evening before, followed by the two-day symposium, and closing with the first F. O. Schmitt Lecture in Neuroscience. We hope that publication of the scientific proceedings in this volume will be of interest not only to the neuroscience community, but also to a broad general readership interested in discovery, under standing, and the creative processes in scientific work. An organizing committee, chaired by Fred Worden, collected advice and guidance leading to the selection of speakers whose scientific careers have played an important part in the recent history of modern neuroscience.