How the Brain Works

THE PHYSICAL BRAIN
What the brain does
The brain in the body
Human and animal brains
Protecting the brain
Fuelling the brain
Brain cells
Nerve signals
Brain chemicals
Networks in the brain
Brain anatomy
The cortex
Nuclei of the brain
Hypothalamus, thalamus, and pituitary gland
The brainstem and cerebellum
The limbic system
Imaging the brain
Monitoring the brain
Babies and young children
Older children and teenagers
The adult brain
The ageing brain
How to slow the effects of ageing
Brain food
Genetics and the brain
Male and female brains
Nature and nurture
BRAIN FUNCTIONS AND THE SENSES
Sensing the world
Seeing
The visual cortex
How we see
Perception
How we hear
Perceiving sound
Smell
Taste
Touch
Proprioception
Feeling pain
How to use your brain to manage pain
The regulatory system
Neuroendocrine system
Hunger and thirst
Planning movement
Making a move
Unconscious movement
Mirror neurons
COMMUNICATION
Emotions
Fear and anger
Conscious emotion
Reward centres
Sex and love
Expressions
Body language
How to tell if someone is lying
Morality
Learning a language
The language areas
Having a conversation
Reading and writing
MEMORY,
LEARNING,
AND THINKING
What is memory?
How a memory forms
Storing memories
Recalling a memory
How to improve your memory
Why we forget
Memory problems
Special types of memory
Intelligence
Measuring intelligence
Creativity
How to boost your creativity
Belief
CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE SELF
What is consciousness?
Attention
How to focus your attention
Free will and the unconscious
Altered states
Sleep and dreams
Time
What is personality?
The self
THE BRAIN OF THE FUTURE
Superhuman senses
Wiring the brain
The unexplored brain
Artificial intelligence
The expanded brain
The global brain
DISORDERS
Headache and migraine
Head injuries
Epilepsy
Meningitis and encephalitis
Brain abscess
TIA
Stroke and haemorrhage
Brain tumours
Dementia
Parkinson's disease
Huntington's disease
Multiple sclerosis
Motor neuron disease
Paralysis
Down's syndrome
Cerebral palsy
Hydrocephalus
Narcolepsy
Coma
Depression
Bipolar disorder
Seasonal affective disorder
Anxiety disorders
Phobias
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Tourette's syndrome
Somatic symptom disorder
Munchausen's syndrome
Schizophrenia
Addiction
Personality disorder
Eating disorders
Learning disabilities and difficulties
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Autism spectrum disorders
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS