A Top 10 Science Book of Fall 2015 - Publishers Weekly
A star science journalist with Parkinson's reveals the inner workings of this perplexing disease Seven million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson's, and doctors, researchers, and patients continue to hunt for a cure. In Brain Storms, the award-winning journalist Jon Palfreman tells their story, a story that became his own when he was diagnosed with the debilitating illness. Palfreman chronicles how scientists have worked to crack the mystery of what was once called the shaking palsy, from the earliest clinical descriptions of tremors, gait freezing, and micrographia to the cutting edge of neuroscience, and charts the victories and setbacks of a massive international effort to best the disease. He takes us back to the late 1950s and the discovery of L-dopa. He delves into a number of other therapeutic approaches to this perplexing condition, from partial lobotomies and deep brain stimulation to neural grafting. And he shares inspiring stories of brave individuals living with Parkinson's, from a former professional ballet dancer who tricks her body to move freely again to a patient who cannot walk but astounds doctors when he is able to ride a bicycle with no trouble at all. With the baby boom generation beginning to retire and the population steadily aging, the race is on to discover a means to stop or reverse neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Brain Storms is the long-overdue, riveting, and deeply personal story of that race, and a passionate, insightful, and urgent look into the lives of those affected.

Brain Storms: The Race to Unlock the Mysteries of Parkinson's Disease

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Palfreman, Jon

Diseases & Physical Ailments

Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux

A star science journalist with Parkinson's reveals the inner workings of this perplexing disease
Seven million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson’s, and doctors, researchers, and patients continue to hunt for a cure. In Brain Storms, the award-winning journalist Jon Palfreman tells their story, a story that became his own when he was diagnosed with the debilitating illness.
 Palfreman chronicles how scientists have worked to crack the mystery of what was once called the shaking palsy, from the earliest clinical descriptions of tremors, gait freezing, and micrographia to the cutting edge of neuroscience, and charts the victories and setbacks of a massive international effort to best the disease. He takes us back to the late 1950s and the discovery of L-dopa. He delves into a number of other therapeutic approaches to this perplexing condition, from partial lobotomies and deep brain stimulation to neural grafting. And he shares inspiring stories of brave individuals living with Parkinson’s, from a former professional ballet dancer who tricks her body to move freely again to a patient who cannot walk but astounds doctors when he is able to ride a bicycle with no trouble at all.
With the baby boom generation beginning to retire and the population steadily aging, the race is on to discover a means to stop or reverse neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Brain Storms is the long-overdue, riveting, and deeply personal story of that race, and a passionate, insightful, and urgent look into the lives of those affected.

The Dream Machine is the story of the development of the computer and the remarkable people behind it. It is hard to interpret a revolution when you are in the midst of one, but this book is an attempt to do just that. The Dream Machine explores the computer age from the earliest attempts to represent numbers and mechanize calculation; from these modest beginnings emerged a dream of a general-purpose machine unlike anything the world had ever known before.

Dream Machine: Exploring the Computer Age

Computers & Technology

Swade, Doron

History & Culture

BBC Books

A star science journalist with Parkinson's reveals the inner workings of this perplexing disease
Seven million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson's—with sixty thousand new cases diagnosed each year in the US alone—and it remains an enigma, with doctors, researchers and patients hunting for a cure. In Brain Storms, award-winning journalist Jon Palfreman tells their story, a story that takes on urgency when he is diagnosed with the debilitating illness.
Palfreman chronicles how scientists have laboured to crack the mystery of what was once called “the shaking palsy,” from the earliest clinical descriptions to the cutting edge of molecular neuroscience. He charts the victories and setbacks of a massive international effort to best the disease, referred to as one of the best windows into the brain itself.
Brain Storms is also a profoundly personal investigation into Palfreman’s own struggles and those of others living with Parkinson’s. From a professional ballet dancer who “tricks” her body to move freely again, to a “frozen” patient who cannot walk but astounds doctors when he is able to ride a bicycle, Palfreman shines a light on the varied and ingenious ways patients cope with having their bodies steadily taken away from them.
The race is on to discover a means to stop or reverse neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Brain Storms is the long-overdue, riveting detective story of that race, and a passionate, insightful account into the lives of those affected.
PRAISE FOR THE CASE OF THE FROZEN ADDICTS
“I could not put it down.” —OLIVER SACKS
“It is as absorbing as a good mystery, as entertaining as an exciting novel, and as enlightening as a good biography.” —NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE

Brain Storms: My Fight Against Parkinson's and the Race to Unlock the Secrets of One of the Brain's Most Mysterious Diseases

Biographies & Memoirs

Memoirs

Collins

Stürme im Gehirn: Dem Rätsel Parkinson auf der Spur

Beltz GmbH, Julius

Hersenstormen: de ziekte van Parkinson en de raadselen van het brein (Dutch Edition)

Balans, Uitgeverij

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Books by Palfreman, Jon