Books about Neurology from Amazon.com

An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable In this revolutionary look at the brain, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., provides an introduction to both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives theyÂ’ve transformed. From stroke patients learning to speak again to the remarkable case of a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, The Brain That Changes Itself will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential..
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Amazon Best of the Month, December 2007: Legendary R&B icon Ray Charles claimed that he was "born with music inside me," and neurologist Oliver Sacks believes Ray may have been right. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain examines the extreme effects of music on the human brain and how lives can be utterly transformed by the simplest of harmonies. With clinical studies covering the tragic (individuals afflicted by an inability to connect with any melody) and triumphant (Alzheimer's patients who find order and comfort through music), Sacks provides an erudite look at the notion that humans are truly a "musical species." --Dave Callanan.
Price: $13.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In his most extraordinary book, "one of the great clinical writers of the 20th century" (The New York Times) recounts the case histories of patients lost in the bizarre, apparently inescapable world of neurological disorders. Oliver Sacks's The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; who are stricken with violent tics and grimaces or who shout involuntary obscenities; whose limbs have become alien; who have been dismissed as retarded yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents.

If inconceivably strange, these brilliant tales remain, in Dr. Sacks's splendid and sympathetic telling, deeply human. They are studies of life struggling against incredible adversity, and they enable us to enter the world of the neurologically impaired, to imagine with our hearts what it must be to live and feel as they do. A great healer, Sacks never loses sight of medicine's ultimate responsibility: "the suffering, afflicted, fighting human subject.".
Price: $6.45 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Hard, visual data make a compelling case for the existence of attention deficit disorder (ADD) in this pioneering work by Daniel G. Amen, M.D. Using a nuclear medicine technique called "single photon emission computed tomography" (SPECT)--a controversial step, according to some of his peers--Dr. Amen scans patients' brains to identify various abnormalities. From more than 8,000 such studies and more than 12,000 patient evaluations, Dr. Amen concludes that six--not the formerly presumed two--different types of ADD exist. This book encompasses the full spectrum of Dr. Amen's work: from symptom identification to clinical evaluation, to diet and medication recommendations, to everyday strategies for living with ADD (whether the reader is a parent of an ADD child, or has been diagnosed with the disease.)

No stranger to the skepticism surrounding this topic, Dr. Amen begins with a list of dead-on myths (including "ADD is overdiagnosed") and surprising facts ("Many people with ADD are never hyperactive"). From this intriguing beginning flows a highly readable chapter on the signs and manifestations of ADD in all ages. Dr. Amen's full description of SPECT imaging includes multiple brain scan photos that nicely support his theories. But the most satisfying element of this well-researched presentation occurs in the final half of the book; here, Amen thoroughly explores the biological (diet, exercise, medication), psychological (from personal coaching to psychotherapy), and social support (parenting and school strategies) needed to heal each type of ADD. This book will prove a valuable tool for parents, adult sufferers, and medical professionals seeking practical support for managing this increasingly recognized condition. --Liane Thomas.
Price: $9.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This high-yield guide is designed to prepare students for part two (of four) of the United Stated Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Written by medical students and reviewed by top faculty, this unique book provides practical, tested advice for acing the USMLE Step 2 CK.

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Price: $38.39 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This now-classic text (over 300,000 copies sold) presents the most relevant points in clinical neuroanatomy with mnemonics, humor and case presentations For neuroanatomy courses and Board review. Now includes attached CD-ROM on Neurologic Localization with: 3D animated rotations of the brain. Neuroanatomy laboratory tutorial with photographs of brain specimens. Clicking on any area of the nervous system reveals the name of the structure and the effects of an injury to that area, with explanations. Selecting a symptom graphically shows all areas of the nervous system that, when injured, could result in the symptom. Tutorial on how to localize neurologic injuries; Interactive quiz of classic neurologic cases; single Windows/Macintosh hybrid CD + book..
Price: $19.49 [Notify me when price goes down.]

You're learning to let go, to live your life free of the grip of someone else's problems And yet you find you've just started on the long journey of recovery Let Melody Beattie, author of the classic Codependent No More, help you along your way. A guided tour past the pitfalls of recovery, Beyond Codependency is dedicated to those struggling to master the art of self-care. It is a book about what to do once the pain has stopped and you've begun to suspect that you have a life to live. It is about what happens next.

In simple, straightforward terms, Beattie takes you into the territory beyond codependency, into the realm of recovery and relapse, family-of-origin work and relationships, surrender and spirituality. With personal stories, hard-won insights, and activities, her book teaches the lessons of dealing with shame, growing in self-esteem, overcoming deprivation, and getting past fatal attractions long enough to find relationships that work.

"Melody Beattie is an American phenomenon . . . She connects with age-old quests for self-improvement and rebirth. . . [And she] understands being overboard, which helps her throw best-selling lifelines to those still adrift."
Time

"[This book] goes beyond how we hurt to how we heal."
Veronica Ray, author of Choosing Happiness

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Price: $3.85 [Notify me when price goes down.]

A groundbreaking work of science that confirms, for the first time, the independent existence of the mind–and demonstrates the possibilities for human control over the workings of the brain.

Conventional science has long held the position that 'the mind' is merely an illusion, a side effect of electrochemical activity in the physical brain. Now in paperback, Dr Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley's groundbreaking work, The Mind and the Brain, argues exactly the opposite: that the mind has a life of its own.Dr Schwartz, a leading researcher in brain dysfunctions, and Wall Street Journal science columnist Sharon Begley demonstrate that the human mind is an independent entity that can shape and control the functioning of the physical brain. Their work has its basis in our emerging understanding of adult neuroplasticity–the brain's ability to be rewired not just in childhood, but throughout life, a trait only recently established by neuroscientists.

Through decades of work treating patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), Schwartz made an extraordinary finding: while following the therapy he developed, his patients were effecting significant and lasting changes in their own neural pathways. It was a scientific first: by actively focusing their attention away from negative behaviors and toward more positive ones, Schwartz's patients were using their minds to reshape their brains–and discovering a thrilling new dimension to the concept of neuroplasticity.

The Mind and the Brain follows Schwartz as he investigates this newly discovered power, which he calls self–directed neuroplasticity or, more simply, mental force. It describes his work with noted physicist Henry Stapp and connects the concept of 'mental force' with the ancient practice of mindfulness in Buddhist tradition. And it points to potential new applications that could transform the treatment of almost every variety of neurological dysfunction, from dyslexia to stroke–and could lead to new strategies to help us harness our mental powers. Yet as wondrous as these implications are, perhaps even more important is the philosophical dimension of Schwartz's work. For the existence of mental force offers convincing scientific evidence of human free will, and thus of man's inherent capacity for moral choice.

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Neuroanatomy through Clinical Cases brings a pioneering interactive approach to the teaching of neuroanatomy, using over 100 actual Clinical Cases and high-quality radiologic images to bring the subject to life. This approach allows students to appreciate the clinical relevance of structural details as they are being learned, and to integrate knowledge of disparate functional systems, since a single lesion may affect several different neural structures and pathways.

Most of the book comprises chapters that explain the major neuroanatomical systems. Each chapter first presents background material including an overview of relevant neuroanatomical structures and pathways, and a brief discussion of related clinical disorders. The second half of each chapter is devoted to clinical cases. The cases begin with a narrative of how the patient developed symptoms, and what deficits were found upon neurological examination. Boldface type highlights important symptoms and signs. A series of questions challenges the reader to deduce the neuroanatomical location of the patient's lesion, and the diagnosis. Discussion and answers follow, and an epilogue reveals the actual outcome.

One of the book's most innovative features is the inclusion of CT and MRI scans that depict each patient's lesion. These radiographs help the reader develop skills in interpreting the same kinds of diagnostic images employed in clinical practice.

The book is intended primarily for first- or second-year medical students enrolled in a basic neuroanatomy, neurobiology or neuroscience course. It is also a valuable resource for advanced medical students and residents, as well as students of other health professions, notably physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, dentistry, speech therapy, and neuropsychology..
Price: $64.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]