Depending on your point of view the brain is an organ, a machine, a biological computer, or simply the most important component of the nervous system. How does it work as a whole? What are its major parts and how are they interconnected to generate thinking, feelings, and behavior? This book surveys 2,500 years of scientific thinking about these profoundly important questions from the perspective of fundamental architectural principles, and then proposes a new model for the basic plan of neural systems organization based on an explosion of structural data emerging from the neuroanatomy revolution of the 1970's. The importance of a balance between theoretical and experimental morphology is stressed throughout the book. Great advances in understanding the brain's basic plan have come especially from two traditional lines of biological thought-- evolution and embryology, because each begins with the simple and progresses to the more complex. Understanding the organization of brain circuits, which contain thousands of links or pathways, is much more difficult. It is argued here that a four-system network model can explain the structure-function organization of the brain. Possible relationships between neural networks and gene networks revealed by the human genome project are explored in the final chapter. The book is written in clear and sparkling prose, and it is profusely illustrated. It is designed to be read by anyone with an interest in the basic organization of the brain, from neuroscience to philosophy to computer science to molecular biology. It is suitable for use in neuroscience core courses because it presents basic principles of the structure of the nervous system in a systematic way.

Brain Architecture: Understanding the Basic Plan

Science & Math

Swanson, Larry W.

Biological Sciences

Oxford University Press

Depending on your point of view the brain is an organ, a machine, a biological computer, or simply the most important component of the nervous system. How does it work as a whole? What are its major parts and how are they interconnected to generate thinking, feelings, and behavior? This book surveys 2,500 years of scientific thinking about these profoundly important questions from the perspective of fundamental architectural principles, and then proposes a new model for the basic plan of neural systems organization based on an explosion of structural data emerging from the neuroanatomy revolution of the 1970's The importance of a balance between theoretical and experimental morphology is stressed throughout the book. Great advances in understanding the brain's basic plan brain have come especially from two traditional lines of biological thought- evolution and embryology, because each begins with the simple and progresses to the more complex. Understanding the organization of brain circuits, which contain thousands of links or pathways, is much more difficult. It is argued here that a four-system network model can explain the structure-function organization of the brain. Possible relationships between neural networks and gene networks revealed by the human genome project are explored in the final chapter. The book is written in clear and sparkling prose, and it is profusely illustrated. It is designed to be read by anyone with an interest in the basic organization of the brain, from neuroscience to philosophy to computer science to molecular biology. It is suitable for use in neuroscience core courses because it presents basic principles of the structure of the nervous system in a systematic way.

Politics & Social Sciences

Anthropology

Now in its second edition, Brain Architecture is the continued exploration of how the brain works. It summarizes traditional views about brain structure-function organization clearly and comprehensively and elaborates a new four system network model of nervous system organization. Thoroughly updated and refreshingly clear, this is a must-read for anyone interested in the science of how the brain works. Oxford Clinical Neuroscience is a comprehensive, cross-searchable collection of resources offering quick and easy access to eleven of Oxford University Press's prestigious neuroscience texts. Joining Oxford Medicine Online these resources offer students, specialists and clinical researchers the best quality content in an easy-to-access format.

Brain Architecture

The atlas is a set of photomicrographs of technically excellent sections of the brain of the laboratory rat. Each plate consists of matching cell and fiber stains labeled for neuronal groups and axonal tracts, respectively, with abbreviations directly on the appropriate structures and annotations explaining criteria, and other problems of nomenclature, for structures requiring commentary. Structures can be traced in photomicrographs in sagittal, horizontal, and transverse sections; the latter at 0.3 mm intervals, for both cell and fiber stains. The reasonable page size and sturdy binding renders the book suitable for use both at the laboratory bench and as a convenient reference. The text and tabular material provide guidance for the use of this atlas of the brain for stereotaxic placement of electrodes, or for destruction using cranial landmarks. The atlas will be useful to neuroscientists and psychologists who refer to the structure of the brain in their research and for students of brain anatomy in all biomedical fields.

Photographic Atlas of the Rat Brain: The Cell and Fiber Architecture Illustrated in Three Planes with Stereotaxic Coordinates

Kruger, Lawrence

Saporta, Samuel

Cambridge University Press

The atlas is a set of photomicrographs of technically excellent sections of the brain of the laboratory rat. Each plate consists of matching cell and fiber stains labeled for neuronal groups and axonal tracts, respectively, with abbreviations directly on the appropriate structures and annotations explaining criteria, and other problems of nomenclature, for structures requiring commentary. Structures can be traced in photomicrographs in sagittal, horizontal, and transverse sections; the latter at 0.3 mm intervals, for both cell and fiber stains. The reasonable page size and sturdy binding renders the book suitable for use both at the laboratory bench and as a convenient reference. The text and tabular material provide guidance for the use of this atlas of the brain for stereotaxic placement of electrodes, or for destruction using cranial landmarks. The atlas will be useful to neuroscientists and psychologists who refer to the structure of the brain in their research and for students of brain anatomy in all biomedical fields.

At the crossroads of art and science, Beautiful Brain presents Nobel Laureate Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s contributions to neuroscience through his groundbreaking artistic brain imagery. Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934) was the father of modern neuroscience and an exceptional artist. He devoted his life to the anatomy of the brain, the body’s most complex and mysterious organ. His superhuman feats of visualization, based on fanatically precise techniques and countless hours at the microscope, resulted in some of the most remarkable illustrations in the history of science. Beautiful Brain presents a selection of his exquisite drawings of brain cells, brain regions, and neural circuits with accessible descriptive commentary. These drawings are explored from multiple perspectives: Larry W. Swanson describes Cajal’s contributions to neuroscience; Lyndel King and Eric Himmel explore his artistic roots and achievement; Eric A. Newman provides commentary on the drawings; and Janet M. Dubinsky describes contemporary neuroscience imaging techniques. This book is the companion to a traveling exhibition opening at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis in February 2017, marking the first time that many of these works, which are housed at the Instituto Cajal in Madrid, have been seen outside of Spain. Beautiful Brain showcases Cajal’s contributions to neuroscience, explores his artistic roots and achievement, and looks at his work in relation to contemporary neuroscience imaging, appealing to general readers and professionals alike.

The Beautiful Brain: The Drawings of Santiago Ramon y Cajal

Arts & Photography

Newman, Éric

Araque, Alfonso

Dubinsky, Janet M.

History & Criticism

Abrams Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Swanson, Larry W.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Swanson, Larry W.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Swanson, Larry W.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Brain Architecture: Understanding the Basic Plan

Brain Architecture: Understanding the Basic Plan

Brain Architecture

Photographic Atlas of the Rat Brain: The Cell and Fiber Architecture Illustrated in Three Planes with Stereotaxic Coordinates

Photographic Atlas of the Rat Brain: The Cell and Fiber Architecture Illustrated in Three Planes with Stereotaxic Coordinates

The Beautiful Brain: The Drawings of Santiago Ramon y Cajal