Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #448372 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
"...a welcome addition to the libraries of students and anyone interested in the basic organization of the brain." -- Nature Neuroscience

"…could serve as a general introduction for the undergraduate and a means to widen one's horizon for the experienced researcher." -- Jan Voogd in Science

Review

"Brain architecture reeks of complicated neuroanatomy, an obtuse nomenclature, and little function; but Brain Architecture is different. To provide readers with an elementary knowledge of the nervous system, Larry Swanson combines a historical and a broad, comparative biological approach." --Science

About the Author
Larry W. Swanson is at University of Southern California.

Customer Reviews

A Short, Good Book on Brain Structure
I bought this book to refresh and update what I know about brain structure so I could better understand current neuroscience findings. Overall, I am happy with the outcome.

Swanson is a recognized authority on neural structures. He writes clearly and communicates a palpable excitement as he describes fundamental insights into brain organization and function. I particularly liked the way he presents the key historic developments that led to current views. Swanson also has the expert's appreciation of where theories are solid and where contemporary understanding is seriously lacking. In fact, one important message of the book is that the field still has only a tenuous grasp of many structural details about the brain, not to mention major uncertainties about connections between structure and function.

I did not give the book the highest rating for two reasons. First, the material on the cognitive system omitted discussion of areas that are important in contemporary memory research such as the amygdala, the rhinal cortex, and the cingulate gyrus. Swanson uses different terminology to describe these and other areas, believing that the traditional terms are unnecessary and should be abandoned. While improved classification schemes are to be applauded, contemporary researchers continue to use the traditional terms. I would have liked more help to bridge the terminology disconnect.

My second complaint is that a number of terms he does use are undefined both in the text and in the skimpy glossary. This material is hard enough when you have all the definitions and descriptions.

But I want to end a positive note. The book is well written, short, focused, engaging, and helpful in understanding brain structure. Maybe that's as good as it gets for a work on neuroanatomy written for non specialists.

A brilliant book for serious neuroscientists
I found this book to be stimulating, informing, and very readable. Larry shows his mastery of brain organisation by distilling reams of detail into instructive paragraphs. This is one of the most interesting neuroscience books I have read. It is a must buy for graduate students in mammalian neuroscience. Congratualtions Larry!

An extremely recommendable book for neuroscientists
As in Larry Swanson's writing is usual, he wrote an amazing book, where you will find in 200s pages an overview of the neuroanatomical knowledge that it is available nowadays. Besides, he offers an outstanding revision of the neural systems that are present from unicellular organisms to vertebrates.
In summary, in my opinion this is a very recommendable book for anyone interested in neuroscience.