BookKostas N. Fountoulakis.
Summary: This book constitutes the end result of 20 years-long effort that goes beyond a Psychiatrists standard clinical training and education, even that of a Psychiatrist that follows an academic career. Trying to explain how the human mind works is hard and the heterogeneity of the audience make the attempt even more difficult. There is a conceptual difference between the words brain and mindand this makes the effort even more difficult since the present book tries to preserve the strict scientific approach concerning all the topics discussed. The work elaborates and tries to answer questions frequently phrased by audiences in teaching classes and in conferences and does not avoid any question. In order to achieve this goal, it is structured in chapters all the way from the molecule and the cell to consciousness and free will. The book targets mainly the mental health care professionals as an audience, and to a lesser extend the other health professionals. It is written according to the authors view concerning the training and educational needs of Psychiatrists and Psychologists and to a lesser degree of Neurologists and Neuroscientists in general.
Contents:
Introductory remarks
Macroscopic structure of the brain
Microscopic structure of the brain
The cell membrane
Neurotransmitters. The synapse
Function of neurotransmitter systems
Second messengers
Neurotrophic factors
Functional organization of the brain
Higher cognitive function
Thought and intelligence
Mood
Sleep
Consciousness and free will
Temperament and personality
Sex differences
Brain genetics
Sociobiology.