Neuropsychiatry has a distinguished history, yet its ideals and principles fell out of fashion in the early twentieth century as neurology and psychiatry diverged into separate disciplines. Later, neuropsychiatry reemerged as the two disciplines moved closer again, accelerated by advances in neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and drugs that alter the functioning of the central nervous system. But as neuropsychiatrist Michael R. Trimble explains in The Intentional Brain, the new neuropsychiatry has its own identity and is more than simply a borderland between two disparate clinical disciplines. Looking at neuropsychiatry in the context of major cultural and artistic achievements, Trimble explores changing views of the human brain and its relation to behavior and cognition over 2,500 years of Western civilization. Beginning with the early Greek physicians and moving through the Middle Ages, the Enlightenment, the romantic era, the World Wars, and up to the present day, he explores understandings about the brain's integral role in determining movement, motivation, and mood. Persuasively arguing that storytelling forms the backbone of human culture and individuality, Trimble describes the dawn and development of artistic creativity and traces the conflicts between differing philosophical views of our world and our position in it. A sweeping history of the branch of medicine concerned with both psychic and organic aspects of mental disorder, the book reveals what scientists have learned about movement and emotion by studying people with such diseases as epilepsy, syphilis, hysteria, psychosis, movement disorders, and melancholia. The Intentional Brain is a marvelous and interdisciplinary look at the clinical interface between the mind and the brain.

For nearly 30 years, the Concise Guide to Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology has been an indispensable companion for clinicians caring for patients struggling with everything from delusions and hallucinations to aphasia and stroke. This third edition combines all of the scientific rigor of its predecessors with a renewed emphasis on kind, empathetic care. It has been updated to account for the development of new techniques in brain imaging; improvement in electrophysiological methods to better detect epilepsy and sleep disorders; and a growing list of blood and spinal fluid biomarkers that have revolutionized diagnostic capability. Readers will benefit from guidance on novel treatments and improved therapies for a range of disorders that includes * Memory disorders* Movement disorders* Brain tumors* Substance related disorders* HIV neurocognitive disorders A wealth of tables throughout the book will help busy clinicians quickly reference relevant information, regardless of the patient's presentation. And an extensive list of recommended readings opens the door to further study. As useful for trainees as it is for the experienced practitioner, the Concise Guide to Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology, Third Edition offers the latest science and expert guidance to both achieve accurate diagnosis and undertake effective management of patients with complex neuropsychiatric and neurobehavioral disorders.

In this provocative study, Michael R. Trimble, M.D., tackles the interrelationship between brain function, language, art-especially music and poetry-and religion. By examining the breakdown of language in several neuropsychiatric disorders, he identifies brain circuits that are involved with metaphor, poetry, music, and religious experiences. Drawing on this body of evidence, Trimble argues that religious experiences and beliefs are explicable biologically and relate to brain function, especially of the nondominant hemisphere. Inspired by the writings and reflections of his patients-many of whom have epilepsy, psychosis, or affective disorders-Trimble asks how the human species, so enamored of its own logic and critical facilities, has held from the dawn of civilization strong religious beliefs and a reverence for the arts. He explores topics such as the phenomena of hypergraphia and hyper-religiosity, how religious experiences and poetic expression are neurologically linked with our capacity to respond to music, and how neuropsychiatric disorders influence behaviors related to artistic expression and religiosity by disturbing brain function. With the sensitivity of a dedicated doctor and the curiosity of an accomplished scholar, Trimble offers an insightful analysis of how the study of people with paradigmatical neuropsychiatric conditions can be the cornerstone to unraveling some of the mysteries of the cerebral representations of our highest cultural experiences.