Brain

If a picture paints a thousand words, what can we say of the human memory with its remarkable power to […]

It may feel as if our memories are simple records of past events, but all memories are, in fact, reconstructions

It is something with which we are all familiar – the way that a simple smell can suddenly bring on

When people think of a memory or remember it, what they usually have in mind is conscious recollection. Still, there

Past events shape our present thinking and behavior in incalculable ways. Sometimes, we try to recall past episodes, while at

All the facts that you know, all the things you can do, many of the events of your life to

We all share with those close to us a pool of collective memories – stories, images, and ideas that we

Every experience leaves a trace in the brain, and some traces seem to become permanently attached to its tissue. Yet

The brain, like every other part of the body, is molded partly by sex hormones, which affect its functioning throughout

Stroke is one of the commonest causes of brain damage. However, the effects of stroke are not, as was once

The human brain, like the rest of the body, can be damaged in a variety of ways – through physical

To cope with what life throws at us, we develop ‘psychological defences’ – patterns of behaviour that can lessen our

Stress is the body’s reaction to the challenges and threats of the world around us. Back in our evolutionary past,

The body has remarkable powers of recovery, which the mind can trigger to produce a wide range of healing effects.

Pavlov’s discovery of ‘conditioning’ – the process in which the brain forms associations between events that occur together – has

Our bodies are subject to hourly, daily, and even longer natural rhythm cycles. These rhythms dictate when 11e are most

The brain possesses a life-long capability to adapt to new challenges and circumstances. This chapter looks at ways of giving

A key function of the brain is to serve the needs of the body. The body signals its needs through