The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tell Us About Ourselves

　 　諾貝爾生理醫學獎得主埃里克．坎德爾（Eric Richard Kandel）是大腦記憶研究的先驅，也是現代腦科學的奠基者之一。他的研究塑造我們理解記憶與學習如何運作，在他的新書《The Disordered Mind》中，坎德爾帶我們進行一場非比尋常的大腦之旅，並直接面對最困難的問題之一：我們的思想、我們的自我意識，是如何從被稱之為大腦的這個物質當中 產生出來的？

　　長久以來，神經學與精神疾病一向被視為不同的兩個領域，但實際上大腦與思想是不可分割的，各種類型的疾病都可能影響大腦各方面的功能，從感知、行動、記憶到同理心、社群互動或注意力等都是。

　　大腦860億個神經位元透過非常精準的連結彼此通信，但有時這些連結會中斷，使大腦處理資訊的過程變得混亂，導致自閉症、抑鬱症、精神分裂、帕金森氏症、成癮或創傷後壓力症候群等大腦病變產生。

　 　雖然這些疾病為人類帶來極大痛苦，但透過研究這些疾病，卻能揭示大腦如何產生這些被我們視為基本能力的奧秘。自閉症研究讓我們了解神經學基礎，對抑鬱症 的研究提供了關於情緒與自我健全思維的重要見解，而關於成癮的研究，則是使人們對於快樂與意志力之間的關係有了更深一層了解。研究這些大腦功能出錯的地 方，使科學家與臨床醫生能開發出有效的治療方式或預防策略。（文 / 博客來編譯）

　　A fascinating new popular science book by a Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist that explains how disordering of the brain is the cause of most neurological and psychiatric disorders.
In his latest book, Nobel Prize winning scientist and distinguished professor Eric R. Kandel explains how the processes of the brain that give rise to the mind can become disordered, resulting in devastating brain disorders that haunt humankind.

　　Neurological and psychiatric disorders have long been regarded as fundamentally different, depending on whether they appeared to affect the brain or the mind. In reality, the brain and the mind are inseparable. Both neurological and psychiatric disorders can affect every aspect of brain function: perception, action, memory, volition, motivation, emotion, empathy, social interaction, thought, attention and consciousness. It is easy to view brain disorders as simply tragic or frightening - and considering the profound effects they have on the lives of patients and their families, that is understandable.

　　However, brain disorders also provide a window into the healthy brain. The more scientists and clinicians learn about disorders - from observing patients and from research - the more they understand about healthy brain function and the more likely they are to be able to develop effective treatments, or even preventative strategies. The more the rest of us learn about brain disorders, the more likely we are as individuals and as a society to understand and empathize with people who have these disorders and the less likely we are to stigmatize them.

　　The Disordered Mind is the definitive statement on all we know about the brain and its associated disorders, a seminal book on the subject, authored by one of the most eminent figures in neuroscience.

Review

　　"Highly accessible . . . Kandel’s deep compassion for people is also evident, as when he discusses how understanding the biological basis for mental disorders might take them out of the realm of legal culpability. The result of his work is an easily comprehended, meticulous synthesis of current research into the biological grounding of the human mind." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

　　"Kandel’s clear and straightforward writing makes this informative scientific exploration accessible and compelling." ―Library Journal

　　"Fascinating stuff ably interpreted by a master." ―Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Eric Kandel

　　"[Kandel’s discoveries] have truly changed our understanding of brain function." ―Citation for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

　　"[Eric Kandel is] one of the preeminent neuroscientists in the world." ―Sue Halpern, The New York Review of Books

Eric R. Kandel

　　Eric R. Kandel, M.D., is University Professor at Columbia; Kavli Professor and Director, Kavli Institute for Brain Science; Co-Director, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behaviour Institute; and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is an editor of Principles of Neural Science, the standard textbook in the field. His book The Age of Insight won the Kreisky Award in Literature, Austria’s highest literary award. Kandel has received 23 honorary degrees, is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences as well as a Foreign Member of the Royal Society of London. He has been recognized with the Albert Lasker Award, the National Medal of Science, and the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2000.