A Million Things To Ask A Neuroscientist

About the Book

A Million Things To Ask A Neuroscientist answers some of the most asked questions about the brain, making the science fun and accessible to everyone. Inside, you will journey through some of the most interesting and strange things that our brain does every single day.

Have you always wanted to know just what a memory actually is, or why we dream? What is our consciousness? Why do some people seem to ‘click’ with others? And can our brain really multi-task?

Purchase: Amazon

Read an Excerpt

The clearest idea about why we dream is that the brain needs time to process the memories and emotions that we experienced during the day and convert them into long-term storage. This makes a lot more sense when we look at the brains of people who are sleeping and see that the hippocampus, the part for memories, and the anterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in assigning emotional context, are particularly active. In fact, on days where we have lots of new experiences, the brain can still be processing this information up to seven nights later. This also partly explains why stressful and emotional events in our lives can significantly affect the quality of our sleep.

One team of scientists demonstrated this by having people play video games for several hours before sleeping. Over 60% of people reported having dreams about the game, suggesting that our short-term memory is particularly active during our dreams.

Furthermore, the actual events of the dream are believed to be the combination of the short-term memories we recently experienced, and the long-term memories that our brain thinks are relevant and need to be connected with each other. This supports the view that sleeping and dreaming help to cement our memories from short-term storage in the hippocampus to long-term storage all over the brain. This process happens mostly in NREM sleep and the application of emotional context – how we feel about them, occurs in REM sleep, our deep sleep.

My Thoughts

This was an interesting book.

I have been trying to read a new genre/topic every month and I pick this one because the synopsis sounded so interesting. It did not disappoint. Dr. Mike Tranter is very down to earth and conversational throughout the book. I liked the brief explanations and the question and answer section of the book. It was easy to read, and I enjoyed Dr. Mike Tranters sense of humor and approachability. A book I will keep around for future reference; Plus, I liked how he pointed out more resource material on different aspects of the subject which will make it easier to do a more in-depth study! Highly recommend checking this one out if you want more information on how your brain and senses operate! 4 out of 5 stars.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.

About The Author

Dr. Mike Tranter is from the North of England and studied how drugs work in our body, but it wasn’t long before he found his true calling as a neuroscientist. After a PhD in neuroscience, he spent years in research labs all over the world, studying how the brain works. Although, it is his prominent rise as a science communicator, opening up the world of neuroscience to everybody, that he enjoys the most.

Website: https://www.aneurorevolution.com/

Instagram: @TheEnglishScientist

Buy Link:  www.aNeuroRevolution.com

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

Michael Tranter PhD will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

Click Here TO Enter the GIVEAWAY

Advertisement