The Root of Thought: Unlocking Glia the Brain Cell That Will Help Us Sharpen Our Wits, Heal Injury, and Treat Brain Disease - Hardcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Andrew Koob graduated from Northwestern University in 1998 and from Purdue University with a Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2005.  After graduation, he worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in pediatric neurosurgery at Dartmouth College, followed by positions as a postdoctoral fellow for research in Parkinson’s Disease at the University of California, San Diego, and as a researcher in molecular neurogenetics at the University of Munich, Germany.

Von der hinteren Coverseite

Discover the Other 90% of Your Brain

• Learn about brain science breakthroughs that might hold the key to intelligence, creativity, and imagination.
• Discover amazing cells that keep your brain growing, adapting, and healing.
• Preview possible breakthroughs for brain cancer, brain trauma, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and even schizophrenia.

If you know anything about brains, you’ve heard of neurons. Those are the cells that have long been seen as central to virtually everything your brain thinks, feels, and does. But neurons represent only 10% of your brain cells.

What does the other 90% do?

Until recently, scientists didn’t have a clue. Now, they’re discovering the real function of those long-neglected glial cells―and the story is nothing short of amazing.

In The Root of Thought, brain scientist Andrew Koob reveals that story. You’ll learn what glial cells are, how they function, and how they might help explain everything from intelligence and creativity to imagination and dreams. Then, Koob reveals the tantalizing clues about glial cells that could eventually lead to cures for brain injury, psychiatric disorders, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and even brain cancer.

Chapter 1: Cities and Highways     1

Chapter 2: Dust Settles on the Battlefield     5

Chapter 3: I Sing the Body Electric     15

Chapter 4: Meet the Astrocyte     29

Chapter 5: Riding the Calcium Wave     41

Chapter 6: Hey Neuron, It’s Me, Glia        55

Chapter 7: Developing Relationships     65

Chapter 8: The Time Machine     77

Chapter 9: Sing a New Song     89

Chapter 10: Albert Einstein’s Abundant Astrocytes     99

Chapter 11: I Dream of Glia     111

Chapter 12: Gliadegenerative Disease     121

Chapter 13: Don’t Insult Me     133

Chapter 14: The Seething Breeding Glioma     145

Chapter 15: Cities and Highways Revisited     155

Acknowledgments     159

About the Author     161

Index     163