Best Neuroscience Books
(Updated 2024)
May 27, 2024In the following, I will introduce you to some exciting books from the field of neuroscience.
Neuroscience researches the nervous system, especially the brain, and combines biology, chemistry, physics, psychology and computer science. The aim is to understand neuronal processes and develop new treatment methods for neurological and psychiatric diseases.
The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science
by Norman Doidge
In “The Brain That Changes Itself,” psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge describes the fascinating science of neuroplasticity – the brain’s remarkable ability to adapt its physical structure and function in response to experience, learning, or injury – throughout life and into old age.
The author presents the groundbreaking work of leading scientists in this field and uses spectacular case studies to vividly illustrate how patients who have suffered developmental disorders or severe brain damage due to accidents or strokes can undergo transformative changes through innovative therapeutic approaches and sometimes - contrary to all expectations - lead an everyday life again.
And it is not only patients with brain damage who can benefit from the findings of this work – we all can: we can use the surprising findings to improve the performance of a healthy brain and maintain it into old age – as long as we support and train it properly.
The book is informative, captivating, and inspiring, offering hope for all people with neurological conditions. It is written in a way that is easy to understand, even for non-experts and is an excellent introduction to the subject.
Suitable as an audiobook? Yes.
A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence
by Jeff Hawkins
Jeff Hawkins is the founder of Palm Computing and Handspring – and is widely credited as the inventor of handheld computers. He uses the fortune earned through his computer companies to fund his primary passion, neuroscience.
In almost two decades of research, he developed a new theory about the functioning of the brain, human cognition, and intelligence. After numerous publications in professional articles, the author presents his "Thousand Brains" theory to a broad audience in a highly readable, popular-science form.
Hawkins reflects on how his discoveries may lead to the next breakthroughs in artificial intelligence – from purpose-driven to general AI – and whether it may develop consciousness and pose a threat to humanity.
Last, he explores the extent to which human intelligence itself poses an existential threat – by causing disasters, such as climate change and potentially nuclear wars.
The book is easy to read; a thoughtful structure and regular summaries of the completed thoughts make the profound subject easily accessible to non-neuroscientists.
If you, like me, attended AI lectures before Hawkins' time and think you know how the brain works, you will be surprised at how much has changed since then.
Suitable as an audiobook? Yes.