Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

The Abyss in the Middle of the Bridge
The long journey from the physical molecules to the non-physical mind starts with a first step. Squire and Kandel have taken that first step in a masterful attempt to bridge the certainty of their laboratory measurements of brain function with the elusive, receding, transfinite virtuality of the human mind at the other end of the bridge. Notwithstanding their announced warning that "We are not who we are simply because we think. We are who we are because we can remember what we have thought about", the authors stick to the experimental facts. Perhaps the statement was meant as a red herring bait for the reductionists or an echo of "The Remembered Present" theory of Edelman about consciousness. The book is a no nonsense abridged laboratory report. The authors start at the beginning and move up the spiralcase of complexity one step at a time in an impressive 'show and tell' scientific act. Their rendition of memory research is credible, convincing and extremely well written; a must for students of neuro-molecular biology or the cognitive sciences.
Were the authors able to reduce mind and consciousness to a molecular equation? Of course not. Nor should they; as scientists they are committed to deal with observable facts in nature or in the simulations lab, directly or aided by instruments. That, they did, in a very systematic and cogent way from Kandel's elegant Aplysia experiments to Squire's behavioral analysis of neuropsychiatric data. The language was carefully selected and the illustrations added much needed understanding for the un-initiated. The didactic value of illustrating how an investigator moves along a research protocol path mined with conceptual and experimental difficulties is a classic in basic research.
The sequential concatenation of ionic and molecular events at synaptic receptor sites offered as an explanation of short term memory is very convincing. The explanation offered for the conversion of short term memory to long term memory involving the genetic apparatus is not so clear at the molecular transcryption level but opens up a new reliable approach to behavioral genetics. In the opinion of the undersigned, the genetic basis for Lamarcquian inheritance has been given a push forward as we anticipated in "Biopsychosociology", Limusa Ed. 1987.
True to the tradition among the practitioners of the scientific methodology, the authors do not try to explain why the selective course of ionic and molecular sequences lead to the adaptive behavior of the species. If an apple falls from a tree to the ground all they need is to measure the distance from the branch to the ground, the velocity at impact, the weight of the apple or any other observable and measurable concomittants. Why the apple did not 'fall' to the clouds instead, is outside science and properly belongs to theology. The authors knew better than to try to answer "why".

A riveting book, and a quick summary of current thinking
This compact book draws a circle around the small kernelof facts neuroscientists have accumulated about memory.The book iscurrent to within the last couple of years -- a quick way to bringyourself up to date.

The book has two authors, and each of them has a distinctive voice and personality. You will notice, as you read a chapter, which scientist wrote it.Squires is engaging, wide ranging and conversational. Kandel's prose is single minded and straight to the point. The book appears to be the product of a real collaboration, not just an editor's paste-together or interleaving of two separately contributed manuscripts. By passing the microphone back and forth at timely moments, the two men are able to fill in a large and remarkable picture of what we know now about memory.

What is memory? The working hypothesis is that the nervous system rewires itself as an animal acquires new information from the world. This reworking of a pre-existing nervous system is accomplished by altering the strength of synaptic connections between nerves.Novel synaptic connections establish favored conduction pathways within the complex nest of wiring in the brain.These favored pathways are believed to constitute the memory.Although this concept was elaborated by the psychologist Donald Hebb, and is often called the Hebb hypothesis, the authors point out that it has roots in the prescient thinking of the 19th century microscopist, Ramon y Cajal.

Kandel develops an explanation of how synaptic changes record memory, using the Aplysia (sea snail) as a prototype. He carries this story right down to the level of the gene. Squires presents the overarching concepts of declarative versus non-declarative memories, introduces the idea that there exist multiple memories in the brain, enumerates and explains them, and sets the stage for an explanation of how short term memory is "switched" biochemically to become long term memory. Chapters 3 and 7 offer nicely detailed descriptions of how synaptic changes occur.These two chapters belong together and you might find it helpful to read them in succession.

It is a deeply set assumption in this science, and a rhetorical short cut in this book, that synaptic changes are essentially the same thing as a memory.As A equals B. Synaptic changes do occur, and they do coincide with learning, and both processes are measurable and proved. But a skeptical reader might ask - and really should ask -- if the memory mechanism thus assumed isn't a post hoc fallacy. Maybe memory is not written by and into synapses.Maybe memory is written somewhere else and in some other way. Maybe the experimental results mean something else or something more.

The neuron is probably a multichannel device, a cable rather than a wire. This is the only reasonable way to construct a nerve that would enable us to think as fast as we do. Because nerve impulses are so very slow moving, each successive impulse must be rich in information.A multichannel nerve would have the power to convey graded information from one end of a neuron to the other.All the while appearing, to instruments, to convey only the classically blank, "all or nothing" impulse that is so confidently presented to us on the first page of every neurobiology text.

Sodium and potassium ions flow into and out of the cell via structured portals in the cell membrane called (fortuitously) sodium and potassium channels.To create a continuous longitudinal information channel running the full length of an axon membrane, one would simply link each ion portal to its next door neighbor. A conformation change in one portal induces a conformation change in the next.One can visualize many parallel tracks, a corduroy membrane. Linked receptors are commonplace. The structure of the potassium channel has been published recently, and so we are now finally working at the level where a multichannel membrane can be detected.

At a multichannel nerve's ending, the modification and multiplication of synapses -- that is, the two specific processes so beautifully documented and explained in Chapters 3 and 7 of this book -- might not be writing memory at all.Synaptic changes could simply reflect an underlying scaling or calibration process, the pioneering of a useful operating range.Or a glimpse at the workings of a control network. This is theoretical, however, and the problem of memory has always been a jungle gym for theoreticians. It still is. This is a great book about the memory, and it is also a great book about the synapse.But it does not quite win its implicit argument that the synapse makes the memory. It does succinctly report the factual findings now in hand, many of them quite surprising, and it is current and clear.END ... Read more

Book Description
Now in resplendent color, the new edition continues to define the latest in the scientific understanding of the brain, the nervous system, and human behavior. Each chapter is thoroughly revised and includes the impact of molecular biology in the mechanisms underlying developmental processes and in the pathogenesis of disease. Important features to this edition include a new chapter - Genes and Behavior; a complete updating of development of the nervous system; the genetic basis of neurological and psychiatric disease; cognitive neuroscience of perception, planning, action, motivation and memory; ion channel mechanisms; and much more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

great book
This is a great book by any standard.A massive amount of information in the vast field of neuroscience is covered in detail and synthesized in a coherent fashion.In addition to Eric Kandel's pioneering laboratory research, this book is one of his great contributions to neuroscience, and of course many other scientists contributed to it, including James Schwartz and Thomas Jessell.It's as good as the best textbooks I've read, such as Alberts' Molecular Biology of the Cell.It covers up to date research, in addition to the history of the field.Topics range from the molecular workings of the neuron all the way up to behavior.It's not at all dumbed down, so someone seeking a "CliffsNotes" version of the field should look elsewhere.I suppose, however, if someone just wants a summary of the field, he can simply read the subheadlines in each chapter.The book is lengthy due to its detail, but the intelligent general reader should readily understand nearly all of it.And in spite of its length it actually is concise in covering this broad range of subject matter.Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

Unless you are into behavioral neuroscience keep looking
Kandel is an outstanding Nobel laureate. Unfortunately, his capabilities as a writer don't match his capabilities as a researcher.

Now, I am a medical student, and used this book for neurophysiology. The book is big and blabby, in that concepts aren't very clear and they sure aren't summarized. There is a lot of material pertaining to experiments on animals (mainly rats, cats, and monkeys) which are then generalized to humans, following the classical behavioral and developmental neuroscience models.

If you need or expect to deepen your understanding of molecular and cognitive neuroscience by using this book, run away. Furthermore, when it comes to the specific topics, the sensory system and apparatuses are done very well, but this is not the case for the motor system (very very very confused!), let alone the so called "superior functions" (cognitive functions are described poorly, with a pour-pourri of "maybe this" and "maybe that"). It's also a good starter for CNS ion channels, but as I said it's just a starter.

If you are a medical student, read the sensory system and do the rest elsewhere. If you are a cognitive or molecular neuroscientist, just run. If you are a behavioral neuroscientist, this might be a good intro to the topic.

Beware of the digital upgrade
I wanted to forewarn other users, especially students, of the pitfalls of the digital upgrade option:

1) Don't buy the upgrade if you're hoping to get access to it through the library computers, instead of having to lug the massive book to school.Apparently, you cannot view any online book from more than 7 different computers within a 30 day period.And, consequently, if the cache happens to get cleared after each session (as is the case with most shared computers), then you're limited to only 7 sessions with ANY computer.

2) Beware that the book is hard to read online.It's great for adding annotations (highlighting text, adding bookmarks, typing notes, etc.), but it's a real strain on the eyes if you try to read a full chapter.The text is low contrast (gray on white) and low resolution.Even when you use the Zoom-in feature (which lets you increase the size a little bit), it's still hard on the eyes.The text is still just blurry enough to make you think you might need glasses.After several chapters, you probably will need glasses :-)


p.s.I have continued to try to use the digital updgrade (through Amazon Online Reader), and have encountered another major issue that I wanted to warn others about...Don't rely on the online reader for note taking.As technology is notorious for, you risk loosing everything.I like to use the highlight and bookmark feature, but after a day of reading and annotating, I just found that everything I've done in the past 24 hours has been lost.The digital reader may become more of a liability than a feature worth paying for.

From Start to End
This is a great educational text.Each chapter starts from cellular level and progresses to the functional and clinical level.Being a chiropractor and working with the spine everyday I need to understand exactly where the problem starts and not focus on the symptoms.This text has allowed me to understand what is neurophysiologically going on with my patients and improve their course of treatment.As described the neurological system is the electricity of the body and if a fuse decides to blow you need to know where to look.

Impressive for a textbook
As far as textbooks go, this has to be one of the best that I have come across...and I have come across quite a few. The material is divided into closely related sections, and the text is clear and to the point in its explanation. Not much filler text or needless material. The diagrams are pretty clear and well positioned in the sections also. ... Read more

Book Description
"A stunning book."—Oliver Sacks

Charting the intellectual history of the emerging biology of mind, Eric R. Kandel illuminates how behavioral psychology, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and molecular biology have converged into a powerful new science of mind. This science now provides nuanced insights into normal mental functioning and disease, and simultaneously opens pathways to more effective healing.

Driven by vibrant curiosity, Kandel's personal quest to understand memory is threaded throughout this absorbing history. Beginning with his childhood in Nazi-occupied Vienna, In Search of Memory chronicles Kandel's outstanding career from his initial fascination with history and psychoanalysis to his groundbreaking work on the biological process of memory, which earned him the Nobel Prize.

A deft mixture of memoir and history, modern biology and behavior, In Search of Memory traces how a brilliant scientist's intellectual journey intersected with one of the great scientific endeavors of the twentieth century: the search for the biological basis of memory. 50 illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (44)

Thirty years studying a snail's neuron.
I don't believe many people would choose to give up a promising career as psychiatrist in order to spend their life studying the reaction of a snail neuron to electrical shocks, even though that particular snail might be quite gigantic.But Dr. Kandel did exactly this and, what is even more astonishing, succeeded in writing a very readable book about it.At first glance, the findings of his research seem to be of even more limited scope than one would expect from the previous description. If an electric charge is applied to one end of a neuron how, and under what conditions, is a related charge transmitted to neurons located near its other end?Equally important, how do such events change the system so that successive stimulation events cause later results to differ from earlier ones?This last effect is where memory comes in.

Dr. Kandel's research discovered what makes this process work and how the "synapses" between adjoining neurons physically change with successive charge transmittals.But the existence of the process itself had been theoretically predicted decades earlier by the psychologist D. Hebb.His ideas formed the basis of computer science's early artificial intelligence programs that did not wait for experimental proof of the theory's correctness.Nevertheless, as Dr. Kandel himself admits, knowing how neuron synapses change with use cannot explain anything about how our brain remembers aunt Thelma and her idiosyncrasies.Although he takes a few pages to discuss the modern treatments for dementia and Alzheimer disease, he admits that an entirely different approach will be needed to experimentally study the actual functioning of the brain and its memory.

But the book is not a dull relating of experiments.Interspersed through its pages we find the story of the author growing from a child in pre-Nazi Vienna to a Nobel laureate and a colorful description of the award ceremonies.(Be careful, however, when reading his discussion of the finances of the Nobel Foundation on pages 396 and 397.Poor editing, probably, has confused the data valid at the time of the Foundation's inception with those applicable when he received his own prize.)He takes time to proudly describe the mental excellence of his children, from the remarkable poem that his six-year-old daughter wrote about his snail to the adult achievements of his children and their spouses.And every now and then, his anger at the Nazis and the world's indifference to their treatment of the Jews peeks out of his writing.

This is a remarkable book and, considering the difficulty of the subject, a very readable one.I recommend it to all who are interested in how the brain works.

(The writer is the author of "The Way of the Butterfly:A Scientific Speculation on God and the Hereafter," and of "Christianity Without Fairy Tales: When Science And Religion Merge
.")

very informative and even entertaining
A fabulous book from a distinguished scientist who has spent his career in search of memory.Part memoir, part history of neuroscience, and part pop science account, this is definitely an informative and even an entertaining read.It is filled with colorful characters from the past and present of neuroscience, some famous, some primarily known within their particular field of research.One of these colorful characters was Alden Spencer, who was one of Kandel's colleagues, who had a sharp mind and died at a tragically young age.The book also contains some very interesting information about the brain basis of mental illness, including some interesting rodent studies.Also discusses a merging of biological and psychoanalytical thought, plus some recent ideas about consciousness.Overall, a very worthwhile and enjoyable read, for the scientist and general reader alike, delivered with the same thoughtfulness and attention to detail as in his co-authored textbook, Principles of Neural Science.Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

Even the Best Minds are Fallable - Is There No Hope?
Although billed as a memoir, this well annotated and indexed book probably tells more about psychological/neurological research than about the author's life. Although titled "In Search of Memory," it probably tells more about Kandel's life and times than it does about how memory works. In between, you will find some interesting and enlightening insights regarding the scientific community and how it works. The book is well written, mostly in a friendly, conversational tone, with complex matters reduced to easily understandable discussions.

However, if you are hoping to find out how your memory works, you will be disappointed. In fact, there is not much to tell because by the end of his research career, as least as documented here, only the most rudimentary mechanisms have, as yet, been discovered. Nobody really has a clue as to how minds learn and store information as elaborate pictures and complex sets of data.

Something I found surprisingly paradoxical however, in reading between the lines, is the fallibility of the author's own thinking. In spite of the nature of his lifelong work and his Nobel Prize winning genius, in the next to last chapter Kandel goes off on Austria for sins of the last century with a sort of tribalism that is probably very similar to that which engendered the anti-Semitic behavior which he obviously still finds mightily upsetting.

I would have expected Kandel's psychological expertise and curiosity about the "science of mind" to have been enabled him to rise above that, realizing that what happened so many years ago in Vienna was not really about Austrian Nazis and Jews, but rather about a particularly atrocious aspect of our human nature. Kandel briefly touches on the mental processes that lead to the kind of fallibility George Soros writes about in his book, The Age of Fallibility: Consequences of the War on Terror, and talks about how the fruits of mind research might someday soon bring solutions to problems such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. But it evidently hasn't yet occurred to him that our common acceptance of tribalism and its often heartbreaking consequences might well be a genetic defect more worthy of his urgent attention than any of these.

This chapter, probably not by intention, reveals a penchant in the terribly complex and awesomely powerful machine we call "mind" for imagination and emotionalism to prevail over reason and rational thinking. With his being unable to offer any promise of new understandings of the mind and how it does what it does, one is left with the sinking feeling that the prospects for his search for memory ever leading to a better life for mankind are dim indeed, and that something better is perhaps utterly unachievable.

a true science memoir
This autobiography by one of the foremost neuroscientists of
our time (and likely to be recognized as one of the fathers
of the discipline in its modern form), accomplishes a number of
things.It is a moving and joyous account of his life, starting with
his escape from the Third Reich, and celebrating his years in
the United States.Kandel also explains some of his fundamental
discoveries with admiring clarity.Moreover, he explains what
motivated the questions he asked over his career, and thus
the book also serves as a guide to junior, and not so junior
scientists. Finally, the book also addresses a question that,
in my opinion, still remains unresolved:Austria's role in
World War II.This last is a difficult question, and Kandel gives a
very personal account of how he addressed in his own life.

Overall, this is good reading for anybody interested in how the
mind works.As Kandel points out, the glory days of neuroscience
still lie in the future, and this book documents its rise to prominence
very well.

Experiments on Short and Long term memory
Eric Kandel's work represents a harmonious mixture of autobiography and a description of research into the workings of theBrain, particularly memory. Having been tormented by childhood memories ofNazi hounding in Vienna in the early years of the second world war, he wanted to find out how these memories are held in the Brain. At the same time, he was also very curious about how Freud's (a fellow Viennese) representation of Id, Ego and Superego mapped to the Brain in terms of neurons and signaling.

He starts off with a history ofdiscoveries in the structure of the Brain, starting with Santiago Cajal's study of the basic form of neurons. Leading to chemical and electrical signaling between the neurons.He dwells into the details of how the electrical signals are converted into chemicals at the synapses while crossing to a neighboring neuron and how the chemicals change back to the electricity after the crossing has been accomplished.He describes his own experiments with short and long term memories. He brings out the distinction very clearly. Short term memory results from strengthening or synapses, while long term memory results from growing of new synapses. Protein synthesis is involved in such a growth and can come only from a conscious effort on part of an individual to commit something to long term memory. This also explains why cramming for an exam does not really result in a long term learning.

He explains clearly why metal illnesses are difficult to diagnose and treat, unlike the other structural damages like tumors, strokes etc. Mental illnesses do result from multiple genes and sometimes the environmental factors as well. The book ends with the Nobel Prize ceremony and a critique of Austria's turning of blind eye towards Hitler's invasion and persecution of Jews.

The beauty of the book is that it is not restricted to just the students and practitioners of Psychiatry. Anyone with some initiation into Basic Sciences at College level can appreciate the work.
... Read more

Product Description
The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives is a nonprofit organization of more than 200 neuroscientists, including 10 Nobel laureates, who are committed to advancing public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research and to disseminating information on the brain in an understandable and accessible fashion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

great exciting reading for the beach
OK, maybe it's not a good beach book, but this is a very good and useful book for anyone with an interest in invertebrate neurophysiology.Yes, it's old, and a lot has changed in neuroscience since the 70's, but this is still a useful reference work.If you're working on Aplysia or other gastropods, you'll want a copy of this one on your shelf. ... Read more

Book Description
This book is a systematic introduction to functioning of nerve cells that is designed for graduate students in neural science as well as scientists in other fields who want to learn about various aspects of neuronal functioning.With each chapter summarizing principles of important and active area of research, the volume is organized to emphasize the scope, the directions, and the excitement of modern cellular neurobiology.Advances covered here mark the beginning of an innovative period of research on the cell and on the molecular biology of individual neurons and interconnected groups of cells. ... Read more

Book Description
This book introduces undergraduate students to the fundamentals of biology in mental processes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Neural Science Review
The delivery was very fast and arrived within a week of ordering.I felt very prepared for my Neurobiology class.Thanks!

Very good introduction to Neural Science
This is a very good introduction to Nural Science in general.
Not only it explains the inner workings of bio-chemical transmission used in the synapses and general nervous system, but it also goes beyond to explain what certain areas of the brain are responsable for, and what we believe are their working patterns.

It covers the general points, but lacks on deepness. Don't try to look in it for a thourough description of memory processes and how memory works, for instance.

Simple and straightforward
As a undergraduate student studying neurobiology, I found this book to be excellent in terms of simple explanations.This book was very easy to read and understand.

An excellent introductory survey of neuron function
This book is currently in use in many undergraduate institutions, and is amenable to use by first-time students to neurobiology who have a basic grounding in molecular biology. It is clear, concise, and rich with useful diagrams. Its structural layout is also effective for a progressive self-study approach since the chapters for the most part build and draw upon each other in a successive sense. I would recommend it as a "Must-read" for all introductory neurobiology students. A firm grasping of the information and concepts presented in this book will serve as a strong base from which students can begin to explore more detailed topics in the field without getting overwhelmed ... Read more