Preface: From Molecules to Consciousness
Neuroscience—the science of brain and behavior—is one of the most
exciting fields in the landscape of contemporary science. Its rapid
growth over the last several decades has spawned many discoveries
and a large number of popular books. Contemporary news is filled
with stories about the brain, brain chemistry, and behavior. Photos
and drawings of brains and nerve cells grace the pages of newspapers
and magazines. Neuroplasticity—the capacity of neural connections
to change and reorganize—has become a buzzword. The notion that
your mind can change your brain is pervasive.
We read that drugs used to treat mental conditions such as
depression, anxiety, and psychosis are among the best-selling phar-
maceuticals in history. Ads for these drugs depict neurons and neu-
rotransmitter molecules. One hears that brain science is being used
increasingly in the courtroom—that brain structure and functional
activity are used in arguing for guilt or innocence in accusations of
criminal behavior. It is said that advertising agencies are spending
millions of dollars to study the neural activity in people’s brains when
they look at ads or use products. What is going on with all of this?
How are we to understand fact from fiction?
My intention in this book is to provide the backstory—a description