The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human

Drawing on strange and thought-provoking case studies, an eminent neurologist offers unprecedented insight into the evolution of the uniquely human brain.

V. S. Ramachandran is at the forefront of his field-so much so that Richard Dawkins dubbed him the "Marco Polo of neuroscience." Now, in a major new work, Ramachandran sets his sights on the mystery of human uniqueness. Taking us to the frontiers of neurology, he reveals what baffling and extreme case studies can teach us about normal brain function and how it evolved. Synesthesia becomes a window into the brain mechanisms that make some of us more creative than others. And autism―for which Ramachandran opens a new direction for treatment―gives us a glimpse of the aspect of being human that we understand least: self-awareness. Ramachandran tackles the most exciting and controversial topics in neurology with a storyteller's eye for compelling case studies and a researcher's flair for new approaches to age-old questions. Tracing the strange links between neurology and behavior, this book unveils a wealth of clues into the deepest mysteries of the human brain. 15 black-and-white illustrations

• Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind
• Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind
• Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain
• Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain
• Making a Good Brain Great: The Amen Clinic Program for Achieving and Sustaining Optimal Mental Performance
• The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales
• Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst
• Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
• Consciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts
• The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tell Us About Ourselves