"There are books on the brain and books on the mind. However, only occasionally one finds a scholarly written thesis that explains how brain circuits give rise to perceptions, thoughts and consciousness. Bill Klemm's book belongs to this exceptional category. Using lucidly explained examples, he takes the ready on a cheerful journey from the computational elements of circuits to large-scale interactions of neuronal networks illustrating how such dynamics can support memories, decision making, perceptual binding and the conscious thought. A highly recommended reading."

György Buzsáki, Rutgers University. Author of Rhythms of the Brain

"Atoms of Mind is an excellent, far reaching, and well-written discussion of brain-mind relationships, including brain physiology, dreams, free will, personal responsibility, and possible origins of subconscious and conscious processes in neural firing patterns."

Paul Nunez, author of Brain, Mind, and the Structure of Reality

"Bill Klemm's book provides a wonderful and incredibly insightful overview for the most exciting topics in modern neuroscience, ranging from its philosophical foundations to the latest ground-breaking discoveries. Anyone wanting to have a global understanding of human minds must read it."

Daeyeol Lee, Yale University School of Medicine

Auteur
Dr. W. R. (Bill) Klemm, a Professor of Neuroscience at Texas A&M University, is a brain researcher who has written ten books on brain and behavior. His analyses are esteemed by journal editors who have called on him to serve on the Editorial Boards of eleven scholarly journals and to peer-review on the order of a thousand papers for over 55 research journals. His breadth of neuroscience research experience serves him well in addressing such complex issues of how brains think. His 425+ scholarly papers include works on over a dozen neuroscience areas, such as neuronal membrane biochemistry, brainstem mechanisms of arousal and movement inhibition, spike-train interval coding, alcohol and narcotic mechanisms, learning/memory, hormone action on the nervous system, pheromones and behavior, sleep physiology, anesthesiology, animal and human electroencephalography, and human cognition.

Résumé
This book describes the author's view of how the mind thinks at various levels of operation. These levels include nonconscious mind (as in spinal/brainstem reflexes and neuroendocrine controls), subconscious mind, and conscious mind. In the attempt to explain conscious mind, there is considerable critique of arguments over whether or not free will is an illusion. Finally, the author summarizes current leading theories for consciousness (Bayesian probability, chaos, and quantum mechanics) and then presents his own theory based on patterns of nerve impulses in circuits that are interlaced coherently into larger networks.

Contenu

The Quest.- 2. Thinking About Thinking.- 3. Kinds of Mind.- 4. Carriers and Repositories of Thought.- 5. Specific Thought Mechanisms & Examples.- 6. Global Interactions.- 7. On the Nature of Consciousness.- 8. Theories of Consciousness.- 9. Conclusions.