Neuroscience Notes

Everyone needs to know something about neuroscience. The brain has become a popular topic in all media, but confusions arise when the brain becomes an abstract fantasy in the minds of journalists and product promoters. While it is true that brain is the organ of the mind, our language makes it difficult to speak correctly at different levels of meaning. Neuroscience notes will give the intelligent reader and understanding of how the brain actually works.

By Stephen Gislason. 2009 edition, available in printed format from Alpha Online and as a PDF file download from Persona Digital. Read some of the topics online and order the book using the links below.

Preface to Neuroscience Notes

I can recall my earliest interest in neuroscience when I was 14 years old. There were several influences that converge and changed me from a student who was mostly interested in physics and chemistry to a budding scientist interested in life and especially in the relationship of brain to mind. While science is the right path for exoteric studies, scientists can be naïve about the nature of mind. I become aware of Tibetan Buddhism after reading Heinrich Harrier’s book, Seven Years in Tibet.  Later, I met Tibetan Lamas and undertook the study of the Buddhist esoteric view of the mind. In practical terms, anyone who is committed to understanding what the mind is and how it works must examine the brain in great detail and at the same time examine his or her experience through daily self-observation, meditation and interaction with others.

Human are complex, unstable creatures who are always changing. At the source of prolific variations in group and individual expressions is a collection of abilities and tendencies that we call Human Nature. There are too many collections of knowledge and too many disciplines that claim ownership of human nature for one person to master all, so that anyone who aspires to understand human nature will need to be selective, retaining only the best insights that each collection has to offer. Humans can make sense of things going on out there, but humans also have a remarkable ability to generate nonsense. The study of human nonsense may turn out to be more important to human survival that the study of best case cognitive abilities.

My medical school friend, Rich Austin, introduced me to palaeontology and the study of human evolution. He worked with Jim Anderson, a bright entertaining professor of anatomy at the University of Toronto and a physical anthropologist who knew all about the African discoveries of hominid fossils. I had considered continuing studies in neurology and neurosurgery, but instead left city life after graduation and internship and moved to British Columbia to live close to the ocean, practicing medicine in a rural community. Many years later I undertook a study of brain-mind and recorded my discoveries in notebooks that evolved into this collection of notes. I have had years of close contact with other animals, especially marine mammals who have more sense and more stable societies that humans do.  The ocean today continues to manifest the evolution of life from cyanobacteria to the magnificent Orchas who always thrill me when I encounter them. The birds are also marvellous creatures who are constant companions. I have enough sense and knowledge to appreciate the exceptional abilities of bird brains. All these creatures are my friends.

In this book, I have selected topics that are representative of neuroscience inquiry, retaining brief references to a larger context that includes the study of neurology, anthropology, palaeontology, computer science and philosophy. There have been several attempts to develop a “theory” of brain function that incorporates a large collection of observations, experimental results and a growing understanding of the innate features of human nature.  I doubt that a single theory is feasible and suggest that the goal is integration of knowledge from diverse disciplines into a comprehensive understanding of who we are and why we are they way we are.

I encourage the reader to join me and continue his or her inquiry into the human mind by reading other books in this series.

Stephen Gislason MD

Neuroscience Notes places the human brain at the center of the universe. Since the brain is the organ of the mind, consciousness and all knowledge is contained within the brain.

We offer two sources of our books. Alpha Online ships printed books and nutrient formulas to the US and Canada. Click the green order button on the left to order printed book. Persona Digital offers downloads of eBooks, music and other digital documents available to customers all over the world. Click the yellow download buttons on the right to download the PDF book file from this website.

Neuroscience Notes

Human Brain in Health and Disease

Neuroscience Notes is published by Persona Digital Books. Copyright Persona Digital 2010 and all rights to reproduction by any means are reserved. We encourage readers to quote and paraphrase topics from Neuroscience Notes published online and expect proper citations to accompany all derivative writings. The author is Stephen Gislason. The date of publication is 2010. The URL to the book description is http://www.personadigital.net/Persona/Neuroscience/