Meet the inhabitants of the brain in this reader-friendly introduction to what it is and how it works. Residents include Frederick Foresight (the frontal cortex), Mayor of Cephalton-upon-Ridge, who is the 'big picture' person responsible for planning and decision-making; Sage Seahorse (the hippocampus), who has an astonishing memory for times, names and places; Annie Almond (the amygdala), the community's alarm system who is always on the alert; and, many other fellow citizens. Each character is introduced and their appearance, role and key functions in the brain explained. The authors also show what happens when things go wrong in the brain, and illustrate the work using examples of classic clinical cases. This book provides an immediate and entertaining way for anyone to gain a basic understanding or to refresh their knowledge of the inside workings of the brain.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements. Preface. Part One: A Community called Cephalton-upon-Ridge. 1. Introducing the Community and Characters of Cephalton-upon-Ridge. Part Two: The Cerebral Cortex. 2. Fredrick Foresight: the Frontal Lobes. 3. Rochelle Ringbond: the Cingulate Gyrus. 4. Dudley Doit: The Motor Cortex. 5. Cherry and Charles Chatterley: Broca's and Wernicke's Areas. 6. Melissa Mirrorwood: the Somatosensory Cortex. 7. Maurice Mapply: the Parietal Lobes. 8. Penelope Panorama: the Occipital Lobes. 9. Lilly Listentale: the Temporal Lobes. 10. Brenda Bridgehead: the Insula. Part Three: The Subcortex. 11. Chris Crosstalk: the Corpus Callosum. 12. Sage Seahorse: the Hippocampus. 13. Annie Almond: the Amygdala. 14. Priscilla Prizeman and Olivia Orgasma: the Nucleus Accumbens and Septal Nuclei. 15. Corrie O'Graphie: the Basal Ganglia. 16. Felicity Feelall: the Thalamus. 17. Uma Underbride and Horace Hormone: the Hypothalamus and Pituitary. Part Four: The Brain Stem, Cerebellum and Beyond. 18. Fay Faceandear and Sam Swallowtalk: the Pons and Medulla. 19. Frank Finesse: the Cerebellum. 20. Rosie Reaction and the Downtown Dream Team: the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and the Reticular Formation (RF). Part Five: The Community as a Whole. 21.Cephalton in Action: The Annual Ball. Glossary. The Authors. Index.

About the Author

Kenneth Nunn is a specialist in paediatric neuropsychiatry. He was Emeritus Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at the Children's Hospital, Westmead, Sydney, Australia, and Senior Child and Adolescent Consultant in Justice Health, New South Wales. He was previously Professor of Child Psychiatry at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales. Tanya Hanstock is Doctor of Clinical and Health Psychology and Senior Clinical Psychologist at The Bipolar Program, Hunter New England Area Health Service, Newcastle, Australia. She is also Conjoint Senior Lecturer at the University of Newcastle and Adjunct Lecturer at the University of New England, Armidale, Australia. Bryan Lask is Emeritus Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at St George's, University of London, UK, Medical Adviser and Research Director at the Huntercombe Hospital Group, UK, and Visiting Professor at the Regional Eating Disorders Service, Ulleval University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.

Reviews

'This book is absolutely magnificent. The authors have tackled a difficult domain with a lateral arabesque strategy - and have pulled it off. I highly recommend it.'- Professor Gordon Parker, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales