The book is an up-to-date explanation of the current knowledge and research about the brain. The new knowledge deepens our understanding and adds insights into brain function and its affect on our lives. The more we know about how the brain works, the better we can understand the problems caused by malfunctions in the brain. Numerous case studies are presented to show how new knowledge has helped us better understand specific brain problems that might have been previously categorized or "lumped" into some almost unrelated illness. In some cases, new knowledge helped the patient to solve debilitating problems and lead a much improved life.
Ratey goes into a lot of detail. In the chapter on perception, he explains that the nostrils are placed above and close to the mouth to help us avoid eating poisonous things, even if we don't realize the danger until the very last possible moment before putting the item into our mouth. He includes lots of similar little tidbits of information that seem like standard knowledge but are new; I know I never learned them! We should all know everything in this book! A new finding about learning can help everyone. Researchers at Johns Hopkins recently found that learning a new motor skill is solidified best if the skill is learned and then practiced again after 5 or 6 hours, with no further new skill learning in between. I sent this bit of news to my college daughter who is learning to play the piano!
Ratey seems to cover all the newest studies on a wide range of aspects of the brain. He goes into detail about the parts of the brain responsible for various functions. The major sections of the book are development, perception, attention and consciousness, movement, memory, emotion, language, and the social brain. There is a lot of discussion about the amygdala in the sections on emotions. I feel that I would need to reread some of this to understand it thoroughly, as parts of the brain are mentioned which I previously knew nothing about, ie, the anterior cingulate gyrus, which plays key roles in emotions. The neurotransmitters are given their due, too, though medications are not discussed in detail.
Ratey stops short of chemical terms with subscripts (those gamma chemicals), which is where I usually become overwhelmed. I can absorb the information in this book with effort. I think that a psychiatrist would find this book a useful way to glean a summary of the current status of the research on the brain. I think a psychiatrist should want to know everything in this book! Some sections and even some short passages might be of particular interest to some patients, too. For someone with a strong medical/psychiatric background and interest in the subject, this well-written book might be a worthwhile page-turner, with important new information and clarification of emerging concepts.
1. Tedious writing style - too verbose.
2. Hard to distinguish opinions of the author from what has been established scientifically.
3. Repeats - obviously without checking - the feminist lie that there was a "Rule of Thumb" which permitted men to beat their wives with a stick no thicker than their thumb. This casts doubt on his credibility.
4. I stuck it out to the end because there was enough useful information to keep me going. Next time I would advise the author to get a ghost writer and have someone check the facts for him.
