Matter of Mind A Neurologist's View of Brain-Behavior Relationships [Hardcover]

Most of what has been learned about how the brain mediates behavior comes from experiments of nature where a stroke or other damage to the brain produces changes in a person's behavior. InMatter of Mind, one of the leading figures in behavioral and cognitive neurology uses patient vignettes and other examples from his rich professional life to show just how much knowledge about brain functions such as reading, writing, language, control of emotions, skilled movement, perception, attention, and motivation has been gained from the study of patients with diseases of or damage to the brain. No knowledge of neurology or neuroscience is required to understand the book, which is intended for neurological patients and their families. It will also be of interest to professionals who study the brain or treat patients with brain damage including neuropsychologists, neurologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, physiatrists, speech pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, and their students and trainees.

1. Introduction
2. Language-Cognition
Speech - Reading - Writing
3. Emotion
Emotional Communication - Emotional Experience
4. Attention
5. Self-Awareness
6. Memory
7. Motor Skills
8. Sensory Perception
9. Conation-Intention

Concepts like abulia, akinesia, and impersistence are discussed with excellent explanations of the neuropathology underlying each of these conditions. As expected, emphasis was on the role of frontal lobes. Like the other chapters, the clinical vignettes made for the most interesting reading. --JINS

For those fascinated by neurobehavioral syndromes and how the disorder mind can be understood from intensive observation and experimental deduction...'Matter of Mind' offers an important perspective...Dr. Heilman's book is an adventurous romp through the modern history of behavioral neurology --Neurology Today