Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain

Description

A revolutionary new understanding of the human brain and its changeable nature. The brain is a dynamic, electric, living forest. It is not rigidly fixed but instead constantly modifies its patterns - adjusting to remember, adapting to new conditions, building expertise. Your neural networks are not hardwired but livewired, reconfiguring their circuitry every moment of your life. Covering decades of research - from synaesthesia to dreaming to the creation of new senses - and groundbreaking discoveries from Eagleman's own laboratory, Livewired surfs the leading edge of science to explore the most advanced technology ever discovered.

Dr David Eagleman is a neuroscientist and internationally bestselling author. He teaches brain plasticity at Stanford University, is the creator and host of the Emmy-nominated television series The Brain, and is the CEO of Neosensory, a company that builds the next generation of neurotechnology. The author of seven other books, he lives in California's Silicon Valley. @davideagleman | eagleman.com

Vivid . . . Since the passing of Isaac Asimov, we haven't had a working scientist like Mr Eagleman, who engages his ideas in such a variety of modes. Livewired reads wonderfully like what a book would be if it were written by Oliver Sacks and William Gibson, sitting on Carl Sagan's front lawn * * Wall Street Journal * * Chockfull of mind-bending ideas and dazzling insights. Eagleman's infectious enthusiasm, his use of fascinating anecdotes and his clear, effortless prose render the secrets of the brain's adaptability into a truly compelling page-turner. Livewired is a fun and whirlwind exploration of the most complex thing in the universe -- KHALED HOSSEINI An altogether fascinating tour of the astonishing plasticity and interconnectedness inside the cranial cradle of all of our experience of reality, animated by Eagleman's erudite enthusiasm for his subject, aglow with the ecstasy of sense-making that comes when the seemingly unconnected snaps into a consummate totality of understanding -- MARIA POPOVA * * Brain Pickings * * David Eagleman, the Jolly Sherlock Holmes of neuroscience, makes me believe that the universe of possibility required to create utopia is already housed in each of our brains. His knowledge and enthusiasm are intoxicating. His book demonstrates the principle about which he is writing; my mind has been changed by his words -- RUSSELL BRAND An intellectually exhilarating look at neuroplasticity . . . Eagleman's skill as teacher, bold vision, and command of current research will make this superb work a curious reader's delight * * Publishers Weekly (starred review) * * Gets the science right and makes it accessible . . . completely upending our basic sense of what the brain is in the process . . . Exciting * * Harvard Business Review * * Eagleman brings the subject to life in a way I haven't seen other writers achieve before * * New Scientist * * David's a brilliant writer and thinker, and he knows more about how we tick and why we tick than anyone I know -- NEIL GAIMAN Livewired is terrific. If you have a mind, David Eagleman will boggle it for you -- HUGH LAURIE Masterful . . . Outstanding popular science * * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) * *