It’s no secret that the human brain is a marvellous thing. From the movements you rely on every day to the emotions you express, the dreams that feel real and the thoughts that whizz through your mind, the brain controls it all. Centuries of study have yielded many answers to its countless mysteries. We know about the synapses and neurons that make up the brain, and leading surgeons can now map someone’s brain and perform once impossible operations. But there is still so much that we don’t understand. What does it really mean to be conscious? Why do we have cognitive biases when the facts contradict us? And why are some people psychopaths who see the world in a totally different way? In this book you’ll explore some of the answers to these questions, chart the life of a pioneering neurosurgeon and relive some of the most bizarre experiments ever conducted in the endless quest to understand the brain.
Welcome to HOW IT WORKS INSIDE YOUR BRAIN
How It Works: Inside Your Brain
The human BRAIN • Described as the most complex thing in the universe, our brains are truly astonishing
Brain development • From a single cell to an incredibly intricate network in just nine months
Inside your brain • Delve into the make up of the human brain and discover what its major parts do
Left or right brained? • Actually, you’re neither. Discover the truth behind the way we think
Brain cells • Find out what’s really going on inside your head
The blood-brain barrier • This biological wall keeps your brain safe and secure
Brilliant brain • This psychedelic photo is a colourful cross-section image of a human brain.
Pituitary gland up close • What does this hormone factory do and why couldn’t we live without it?
Self-cleaning brains • We have a built-in system to clear toxic waste from between our brain cells
THE SCIENCE OF EMOTIONS • How our ancient brains evolved the perfect way to keep us safe by controlling the chemicals in our minds to moderate our behaviour
Memory and retaining information • We take it for granted, but how do we retain and utilise information from our environment?
THE POWER OF IMAGINATION • The human brain has the unique ability to take what it knows and dream up something new
HOW THE BRAIN SEES • Eyes are often likened to windows, but their role in our perception of the world is a little more complex
Never forget a face • We have facial recognition to thank for our wide social circles
Technicolour mind • This stunning explosion of colour depicts the results of a full brain tracking.
Anticipatory timing • The process that allows your brain to predict the future
The science of making decisions • To do, or not to do?
FIGHT OR FLIGHT • The brain’s ancient threat-detection system gets us out of danger at lightning speed, but at what cost?
WHAT IS CONSCIOUSNESS? • To consider this question, you must be conscious – it’s an Inception-level concept that has preoccupied scientists and philosophers for millennia
Scientists’ thoughts • How research is revealing the secrets of sentience
The importance of understanding consciousness • Knowledge is power, and consciousness is no exception. Discovering more about consciousness would benefit a lot of people
Artificial consciousness • We make machines that can walk or talk like us… but could they ever think like us?
Dissecting our dreams • Far from resting, our brains are working hard while we sleep
Hidden damage • This sagittal MRI scan of a brain reveals a hypophyseal atrophy (tissue wastage in a network of blood vessels located at the base of the brain.
Your brain on music • What happens inside your...