Mapping the Mind

Is it true that most geniuses are left-handed? Both Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were lefties -- and several recent studies have found that an unusually high proportion of gifted mathematicians are left-handed. Even so, modern science hesitates to draw any final conclusions on this subject.Is it possible to see fear, or laughter, or sorrow literally light up different parts of the brain? Given the proper scientific equipment, the answer to this question is a definite yes! Modern brain scans can reveal our intellectual activities and our moods as dearly as an X-ray machine reveals our bones. We can watch specific areas of a person's brain literally light up as the brain registers a joke, or calculates an answer to a problem. Or we can see it give a dull glow when it recalls an unhappy memory.

Mapping the Mind shows how these and many other findings can be used as a basis for explaining aspects of human culture and behavior, and how an individual's behavioral eccentricities, as well as intellectual strengths and weaknesses, can be traced to areas in the geography of that person's brain. For instance --
-- Autism appears to be a breakdown in the area of the brain that governs empathy -- our normal ability to understand and share the feelings of others...
-- Dsylexia appears to be caused by a short-circuit in messages converting sound to visual cues...
-- Structural differences do exist between male and female brains. These differences often tend to make women more verbally expressive than men, and just as often give men better spatial-visual aptitudes.

These are only a few of the fascinating ideas that medical writer Rita Carter explores in detail Her reporting --never dry or academic -- draws on the latest medical and brain-imaging research to give non-specialist readers extraordinary insights into the workings of the human brain. Complementing her text are 150 handsome full-color illustrations plus 100 more in black-and-white. Mapping the Mind is big and handsomely designed. It's a great gift book, a valuable addition to the home library, and an up-to-date compendium of fascinating information that will appeal to every intelligent reader