In this collection of medical tales “reminiscent of Oliver Sacks...the best of medical writing” (Abraham Verghese, author of The Covenant of Water), a neurologist reckons with the stories we tell about our brains, and the stories our brains tell us.

A girl believes she has been struck blind for stealing a kiss. A mother watches helplessly as each of her children is replaced by a changeling. A woman is haunted each month by the same four chords of a single song. In neurology, illness is inextricably linked with narrative, the clues to unraveling these mysteries hidden in both the details of a patient's story and the tells of their body.

Stories are etched into the very structure of our brains, coded so deeply that the impulse for storytelling survives and even surges after the most devastating injuries. But our brains are also porous—the stories they concoct shaped by cultural narratives about bodies and illness that permeate the minds of doctors and patients alike. In the history of medicine, some stories are heard, while others—the narratives of women, of Black and brown people, of displaced people, of disempowered people—are too often dismissed.

In The Mind Electric, neurologist Pria Anand reveals—through case study, history, fable, and memoir—all that the medical establishment has overlooked: the complexity and wonder of brains in health and in extremis, and the vast gray area between sanity and insanity, doctor and patient, and illness and wellness, each separated from the next by the thin veneer of a different story.

Moving from the Boston hospital where she treats her patients, to her childhood years in India, to Isla Providencia in the Caribbean and to the Republic of Guinea in West Africa, she demonstrates again and again the compelling paradox at the heart of neurology: that even the most peculiar symptoms can show us something universal about ourselves as humans.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This is the first book-length exploration of the thoughts and experiences expressed by dementia patients in published narratives over the last thirty years. It contrasts third-person caregiver and first-person patient accounts from different languages and a range of media, focusing on the poetical and political questions these narratives raise: what images do narrators appropriate; what narrative plot do they adapt; and how do they draw on established strategies of life-writing. It also analyses how these accounts engage with the culturally dominant Alzheimer's narrative that centres on dependence and vulnerability, and addresses how they relate to discourses of gender and aging. Linking literary scholarship to the medico-scientific understanding of dementia as a neurodegenerative condition, this book argues that, first, patients' articulations must be made central to dementia discourse; and second, committed alleviation of caregiver burden through social support systems and altered healthcare policies requires significantly altered views about aging, dementia, and Alzheimer's patients.

This astute volume brings together the latest expert research on adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas (ACPs). ACPs are histologically benign but clinically aggressive tumors exhibiting a high propensity for local invasion into the hypothalamus, optic and vascular structures. These tumors, as well as the current treatments, may result in pan-hypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus, morbid obesity followed by type II diabetes mellitus, blindness, as well as serious behavioral and psychosocial impairments. Exploring in detail advances in both the understanding of tumor biology as well as clinical advances in patient management are explored in detail, this book will also look towards potential new treatment approaches. Basic Research and Clinical Aspects of Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma is the first book compiling all current research on ACPs. Mouse and human studies have unequivocally demonstrated that mutations in CTNNB1 encoding -catenin underlie the etiology of the majority, if not all ACP tumors. Genetic studies in mice have shown that ACPs are tumors of the pituitary gland and not of the hypothalamus as previously thought, and are derived from Rathke's pouch precursors. In addition, a role for tissue-specific adult pituitary stem cells has been revealed as causative of ACP. Together, these studies have provided novel insights into the molecular and cellular etiology as well as the pathogenesis of human ACP. Finally, this volume covers new treatment approaches that have been shown to be effective both in reducing ACP burden as well as reducing the morbidity associated with therapy.

This volume covers methodologies, ranging from the molecular level to the network level, used to study receptor-receptor interactions in heteroreceptor complexes inside the central nervous system. The chapters in this book cover topics such as biochemical binding techniques; receptor autoradiography; superfused synaptosome techniques; RTK-GPCR interaction; fluorescence and bioluminiscence energy transfer methods, Co-IP cytometry-based FRET; and novel bioinformatic approaches to understand membrane heteroreceptor complexes and the global panorama of their receptor-receptor interactions. In Neuromethods series style, chapters include the kind of detail and key advice from the specialists needed to get successful results in your laboratory. Cutting-edge and thorough, Receptor-Receptor Interactions in the Central Nervous System is a valuable resource for any scientist or researcher interested in this field of study.

Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, of which Alzheimer s disease (AD) is the most frequent cause. AD is characterized by the progressive formation of insoluble amyloid plaques and vascular deposits of amyloid beta peptide in the brain. AD patients suffer from a loss of neurons and synapses in the cerebral cortex and certain sub-cortical regions. Early Detection and Rehabilitation Technologies for Dementia: Neuroscience and Biomedical Applications provides a comprehensive collection for experts in the Neuroscience and Biomedical technology fields. Outlining various concepts from cognitive neuroscience and dementia to neural technology and rehabilitation; this book proves to bring together researchers and practitioners from diverse fields, in order to promote scientific research and industrial development in the field of early detection and rehabilitation technology of dementia.

Chronic Medical Disease and Cognitive Aging: Toward a Healthy Body and Brain explores the important and often overlooked connection between how chronic medical diseases of the body can affect cognitive function and brain health. As population demographics shift to that of an aging population it has become more important to understand and improve cognitive function in late life. Chronic medical diseases often increase the risk of cognitive impairment, and those with cognitive impairment may be less able to effectively manage their medical conditions, suggesting a reciprocal relationship may exist where medical disease impacts cognition that in turn may exacerbate physical health. Chronic Medical Disease and Cognitive Aging discusses current research on the association between a variety of chronic medical diseases and cognition and, where appropriate, promising interventions or accepted treatment strategies. While a cure for many diseases continues to be elusive, insights garnered from the interplay between diseases of the body and mind may help point the way to novel therapeutic strategies to improve cognitive function in late life.

"Walking In Their Shoes," is a sociological perspective on communicating with people diagnosed with moderate-severe Alzheimer's disease and where/how negative behaviors originate. This book includes true stories and illustrates how to successfully understand behaviors, resolve conflict, and redirect persons diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer Association estimates between the years 2010 and 2030, 17 million people will become at high risk to develop Alzheimer's disease. It is important that you see the faces and realities of these people, not just the numbers. My book is designed to assist you in exploring the reality, and face, of Alzheimer's disease by inviting you on a short journey into the world of Alzheimer's disease. "2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts And Figures," Prevalence, pages 10-12: Alzheimer's Association.

This issue of Neuroimaging Clinics of North America focuses on Adult Brain Tumors, and is edited by Dr. Lara Brandao. Articles will include: Posterior Fossa Tumors in Adult Patients; Lymphomas and Adult Brain Tumors; Pre-Treatment Evaluation of Gliomas; Post Treatment Evaluation of Gliomas; Metastasis in Adult Brain Tumors; Extraparenchymal Lesions in Adult Brain Tumors; Interesting Case Studies in Adult Brain Tumors; Advanced MR Imaging Techniques in Daily Practice; and more!

Gut Microbiome and Behavior, the latest volume in the International Review of Neurobiology series, provides a comprehensive overview of the gut microbiome on the brain and behavior, fully encapsulating the latest research in the field and defining the scope of this influence to outline potential mechanisms and possible implications.

Motivation: Theory, Neurobiology and Applications is inspired by a question central to health care professionals, teachers, parents, and coaches alike, "How can an individual be motivated to perform a given activity or training?" It presents novel measurements of motivation developed in psychology and economics, recent insights into the neurobiology of motivation, and current research on applications designed to boost motivation in neurorehabilitation, education, and sports. In addition, tactics on how to connect these different research and knowledge fields within a common (theoretical) framework of motivation is discussed. Thus, in short, the book provides an integrative, interdisciplinary, up-to-date accounting on the neurobiology of motivation and how it might be boosted.

This book provides a cutting-edge review of polyglutamine disorders. It primarily focuses on two main aspects: (1) the mechanisms underlying the pathologies' development and progression, and (2) the therapeutic strategies that are currently being explored to stop or delay disease progression. Polyglutamine (polyQ) disorders are a group of inherited neurodegenerative diseases with a fatal outcome that are caused by an abnormal expansion of a coding trinucleotide repeat (CAG), which is then translated in an abnormal protein with an elongated glutamine tract (Q). To date, nine polyQ disorders have been identified and described: dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA); Huntington's disease (HD); spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA); and six spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 17). The genetic basis of polyQ disorders is well established and described, and despite important advances that have opened up the possibility of generating genetic models of the disease, the mechanisms that cause neuronal degeneration are still largely unknown and there is currently no treatment available for these disorders. Further, it is believed that the different polyQ may share some mechanisms and pathways contributing to neurodegeneration and disease progression.

Sturge-Weber syndrome is an enigmatic disorder, seldom difficult to diagnose but often difficult to treat. This book consolidates what is known about the Sturge-Weber syndrome in the hope that this information will be useful in the care of patients and serve as a stimulus to encourage research on some of the remaining questions about the syndrome.This book is the 2nd Edition. The 1st Edition was published in June 1999, ISBN-10: 0967048400; ISBN 13: 978-0967048406

Yet despite this awareness, many clinicians as well as the general public continue to under-appreciate the significance of ADHD as it manifests itself in adults. What happens to all these ADHD kids when they grow up? ADHD isn t like a cold or the flu it doesn t just go away all of the time. As a child grows and matures, it is possible that the symptoms lessen, and in some cases adults are able to overcome the disorder, but it doesn t usually just vanish on its own. At least 40-70% of those diagnosed with this disorder as kids will have it persist when they are adults; however, mental health professionals often overlook ADHD symptoms and continue calling their adult patients who suffer from it anxious or depressed, or diagnose them with a personality disorder. Family members may also consider adults with procrastination issues, inattentiveness, and distractibility lazy or malingering, when in fact they are suffering from ADHD. Here Joel Young MD, who has been treating and researching ADHD for more than15 years, takes a comprehensive look at ADHD in adults. As an accurate diagnosis is essential to a patient s successful treatment, the book begins by detailing how clinicians can provide the most accurate ADHD diagnosis. Once established, the basic diagnostic process begins. This includes obtaining a careful medical history to rule out medical problems that may mimic the symptoms of ADHD, taking a psychiatric history and carefully considering any family or genetic history of medical and psychiatric problems. Some helpful tools used to evaluate quickly and comprehensively distressed patients are presented. Comorbidities are extremely common among patients with ADHD. Emphasis in the book is placed on the most common ADHD comorbidities, including mood and anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, oppositional defiant disorders, eating disorders and learning disabilities. The book also details the different types of ADHD that clinicians may encounter: ADHD (predominately hyperactive/impulsive subtype) is manifested in people who are hyperactive, and experience serious problems at work and at home. They are fidgety and impatient and may be the most commonly diagnosed adults. ADHD (predominately-inattentive subtype) manifests itself in patients who are typically, but not exclusively, female. As children, these women were inattentive and distractible, underperforming but not demonstrating overt behaviors typical of their hyperactive brethren. Their conditions may be complicated by factors like anxiety, depression, and fatigue. Even as adults, most clinicians overlook their symptoms. Other chapters focus on diagnostic and treatment issues in specific populations: adolescents and common adolescent mindsets; women with ADHD; substance abuse; psychotherapy and coaching as treatments and medications. The medications chapter will review the use of antidepressant and mood stabilizing medications taken in concert with stimulants or non-stimulants, and other medication combinations need for conditions comorbid with ADHD. Finally, the author concludes by presenting findings that self-referred patients with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome have high rates of ADHD. Young proposes that extreme distractibility may intensify the patient s pain perception. Overall this book provides clinicians and family members with a concise yet comprehensive overview of the many issues associated with ADHD throughout adolescence and adulthood."

This book reports on the latest technological and clinical advances in the field of neurorehabilitation. It is, however, much more than a conventional survey of the state-of-the-art in neurorehabilitation technologies and therapies. It was written on the basis of a week of lively discussions between PhD students and leading research experts during the Summer School on Neurorehabilitation (SSNR2014), held September 15-19 in Baiona, Spain. Its unconventional format makes it a perfect guide for all PhD students, researchers and professionals interested in gaining a multidisciplinary perspective on current and future neurorehabilitation scenarios. The book addresses various aspects of neurorehabilitation research and practice, including a selection of common impairments affecting CNS function, such as stroke and spinal cord injury, as well as cutting-edge rehabilitation and diagnostics technologies, including robotics, neuroprosthetics, brain-machine interfaces and neuromodulation.

Written to encourage defensive action, Levine's book is meant both as a guide and a reference to understanding and preventing dementia. It is intended for lay people interested in learning about dementia and the measures that can be taken to repel its onslaught, as well as for caregivers and family members of impaired patients. Defying Dementia is presented in two sections. First, Levine explains the various types of dementia, its increasing incidence and current treatments, and the treatments being tested and on the horizon. The role of physiology and fresh insights from the field of genetics are included. The second section focuses on methods that can be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle to help avoid dementia. How do we motivate individuals to take action or change behavior in response to a possible threat that has not yet materialized? When the threat is dementia, argues longtime neurologist Robert Levine, it is an issue of considerable importance. The earlier the campaign is initiated to defeat this lurking foe, the greater the chances the combatant will emerge victorious. Written to encourage such defensive action, Levine's book is meant both as a guide and a reference to understanding and preventing dementia. It is intended for lay people interested in learning about dementia and the measures that can be taken to repel its onslaught, as well as for caregivers and family members of impaired patients. Defying Dementia is presented in two sections. First, Levine explains the various types of dementia, its increasing incidence and current treatments, and the treatments being tested and on the horizon. The role of physiology and fresh insights from the field of genetics are included. The second section focuses on methods that can be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle to help avoid dementia. Vignettes illustrate how dementia in its many forms can be recognized as it emerges. With proper actions on our part, we can achieve mastery, Levine writes. The transformation may not be easy, but recognizing the scourge that dementia is, and the way it devours the humanity of its victims, may inspire us to move ahead. Preparation is the key word; building solid defenses over time. And while any moment is worthwhile to begin this task, the earlier the better.

Epilepsy is a devastating group of neurological disorders characterized by periodic and unpredictable seizure activity in the brain. There is a critical need for new drugs and approaches given than at least one-third of all epilepsy patients are not made free of seizures by existing medications and become "medically refractory". Much of epilepsy research has focused on neuronal therapeutic targets, but current antiepileptic drugs often cause severe cognitive, developmental, and behavioral side effects. Recent findings indicate a critical contribution of astrocytes, star-shaped glial cells in the brain, to neuronal and network excitability and seizure activity. Furthermore, many important cellular and molecular changes occur in astrocytes in epileptic tissue in both humans and animal models of epilepsy. The goal of Astrocytes and Epilepsy is to comprehensively review exciting findings linking changes in astrocytes to functional changes responsible for epilepsy for the first time in book format. These insights into astrocyte contribution to seizure susceptibility indicate that astrocytes may represent an important new therapeutic target in the control of epilepsy. Astrocytes and Epilepsy includes background explanatory text on astrocyte morphology and physiology, epilepsy models and syndromes, and evidence from both human tissue studies and animal models linking functional changes in astrocytes to epilepsy. Beautifully labelled diagrams are presented and relevant figures from the literature are reproduced to elucidate key findings and concepts in this rapidly emerging field. Astrocytes and Epilepsy is written for neuroscientists, epilepsy researchers, astrocyte investigators as well as neurologists and other specialists caring for patients with epilepsy.

Get the most comprehensive, up-to-date guidance available for exam prep with help from Neurology Self-Assessment. Written by Drs. Justin T. Jordan, David R. Mayans, and Michael J. Soileau, this companion volume to Bradley's Neurology in Clinical Practice thoroughly covers the core and subspecialty topics you'll encounter on your exam, along with detailed answer explanations and cross-references to Bradley's. With a focus on assessing subspecialty strengths and weaknesses, it's the ideal preparation for board certification, maintenance of certification, in-training examinations, and neurology examinations for medical students. Features six examinations of more than 100 questions each that follow the board exam blueprint. Contains challenging questions that fully prepare you for exams, with detailed answer explanations and references to Bradley's Neurology in Clinical Practice, 7th Edition. Covers basic neuroscience, behavioral neurology, and psychiatry; clinical neurology topics such as headache, cerebrovascular disease, and neuro-infectious disease; and increasingly tested areas such as ethics and interpersonal skills. Over a quarter of the questions include illustrations such as anatomy, imaging, histology slides, and clinical photos. Includes excellent coverage of key topics such as neurochemistry and neurophysiology, new immune-mediated therapies, child neurology, metabolic diseases, and much more. Offers unique, scorable tests online with subspecialty question divisions. Comes with a downloadable eBook and online access that allows you to test interactively and get immediate feedback and scores.

Fully updated and revised according to student feedback, the sixth edition of Mayo Clinic Medical Neurosciences: Organized by Neurologic System and Level provides a systematic approach to anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the nervous system inspired by the neurologist's approach to solving clinical problems. This volume has 4 sections: 1) an overview of the neurosciences necessary for understanding anatomical localization and pathophysiologic characterization of neurologic disorders; 2) an approach to localizing lesions in the 7 longitudinal systems of the nervous system; 3) an approach to localizing lesions in the 4 horizontal levels of the nervous system; and 4) a collection of clinical problems. This book provides the neuroscience framework to support the neurologist in a clinical setting and is also a great resource for neurology and psychiatry board certifications. This is the perfect guide for all medical students and neurology, psychiatry, and physical medicine residents at early stages of training. New to This Edition - A chapter devoted to multiple-choice questions for self-assessment - Discussion of emerging concepts in molecular, cellular, and system neurosciences - New chapters on emotion and consciousness systems - Incorporation of new discoveries in neuroimaging and an appendix for tables of medications commonly used to treat neurologic disorders

This volume describes the treatment of uniquely complex and profound sexual problems that the therapeutic community has been largely unsuccessful in treating. The reader is drawn to understand and even identify with the people experiencing sexual disturbance. This process of identification helps to mitigate the biases that we use to dehumanize the sexually disturbed.

This work is developed around a case study format, with chapters on specific psychosexual disturbances. All of these cases experienced early childhood sexual trauma or mislearning that interrupted the course of normal sexual development. Such victims then frequently repeat the learned behavior in later life, acting out the role of perpetrator. In addition to presenting the treatment process as it is formulated in the mind of the therapist, the author offers a blueprint for therapy that makes specific treatment possible for clients with similar disorders. Therapists are also guided in developing an effective clinical presence, covering such matters as initial contact, boundary setting, self awareness, dress, voice tone, and overall demeanor. Strategies for avoiding becoming enmeshed in psychological defenses are presented in detail.

Few issues cause as much strife in contemporary society as does the cause and treatment of autism. Stories about the autism epidemic abound on talk shows and make headlines in newspapers and magazines. Celebrities and politicians express their personal opinions on the cause (or causes) of the increase in autism spectrum disorders (or ASDs), opinions often not shared by the conventional scientific community. Parents, family members, schools and government-funded agencies struggle to do the right thing for individuals with ASDs, This volume in the "Biographies of Disease" series provides an understandable, non-biased guide to the quagmire of information about ASDs. This foundation will enable readers to better understand the statements made by various authorities on ASDs. Autism covers all aspects of our historical and current understanding of autism spectrum disorders. The text starts with the recognition of autism in the forties and traces the development of ways to diagnose autism, explains why autism has been expanded to the autistic spectrum disorders. The author covers what is known and not known about the autism epidemic and the causes of ASDs. The critical importance of screening and early intervention is emphasized with respect to outcome for individuals with ASDs. Promising areas of research are highlighted. After reading this book, the reader will be able to place the latest breaking news about ASDs into perspective. While it is not yet possible to answer all of the questions about autism, this book allows the reader to follow along as the mystery is unraveled.

"Autism" covers all aspects of our historical and current understanding of autism spectrum disorders: The recognition of autism in the forties and the development of ways to diagnose autism; why autism has been expanded to the autistic spectrum disorders; what is known and not known about the autism epidemic and the causes of ASDs; the importance of screening and early intervention as well as information about outcome for individuals with ASDs; and promising areas of research.

After reading this book, the reader will be able to place the latest breaking news about ASDs into perspective. While it is not yet possible to answer all of the questions about autism, this book allows the reader to follow along as the mystery is unraveled.

Based upon two decades of research with patients who have experienced pathology in one hemisphere of the brain, this book deals with brain mechanisms in human communicative behaviour, and with related motor functions from a broadly biological point of view. The work discusses the possible evolutionary origins of human communication, the relation of brain mechanisms in communicative behaviour to analogous nonhuman behaviors, and the neural systems involved in various levels and kinds of communication. Noncommunicative mechanisms which parallel those used in communication are also outlined in detail. Individual differences in brain organization for some functions are also explored.

Much new data is presented along with the theoretical treatment of human communication which emphasizes a behavioral rather than a linguistic approach. The work will interest psycholinguists, cognitive psychologists, neurologists, clinical neuropsychologists, speech pathologists, and advanced students in these fields.