The Changing Brain

In The Changing Brain Ira Black tells the fascinating story of modern neuroscience. A rich multifaceted tale spanning a century and taking place on multiple continents it moves from Fascist Italy with the discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF) by a young scientist working secretly in a makeshift laboratory in her bedroom to current experiments in which transplanted laboratory-grown cells lead to recovery and function in damaged brain regions. In the mid 1990s a revolutionary new conception of the brain emerged--instead of the traditional view that the brain''s role in perception memory learning and emotions was based on a static non-renewable network of brain cells and connections research revealed that the human brain is an ever-changing fantastically complex system that is continually being shaped and reshaped by a subtle interplay of genetic clues and life experiences.To bridge the gap between abstract concepts and real-world experience Dr. Black draws upon his expertise as a clinical neurologist to provide a dramatic account--the fictionalized story of a successful investment banker named Enoch Wallace and his battle with Alzheimer''s disease--that vividly illuminates the narrative. From his first fleeting memory lapses to his final descent into dementia each step in Wallace''s decline becomes a window into another aspect of brain function and the latest groundbreaking research in neuroscience.