Frontiers of the mind
THE EMERGING MIND: V. S. Ramachandran; Published by the BBC in association with Profile books Ltd., London. Distributed by Viva Books Private Limited, 4262/3, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi-110002. Rs. 195.
V. S. RAMACHANDRAN, A cognitive neuroscientist who won critical acclaim for his first book, Phantoms in the Brain has come up with yet another book to make the human mind less of an enigma to both the layperson and the professional. Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition and professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, and adjunct professor of biology at the Salk Institute, the eminent author in this book based on the BBC Reith lectures he delivered in 2003, strives to bridge the gap between the disciplines of psychology and physiology on the one hand and, science and philosophy on the other.
Two main themes
The book focusses on two main themes — neurological conditions, about which there is limited recorded data and the evolutionary perspective to understand these conditions. The author's choice of unusual phenomena presented in this book is most praiseworthy. Notes on "prosopognosia", the inability to recognise faces, "Capgras syndrome", the failure to identify and accept an entity through visual appearance alone and "synesthesia", the predisposition to see colour in sensory stimulation, such as a musical tone or number are guaranteed to grasp and sustain the reader's interest.
There are parts of the book worthy of special mention as they reflect Ramachandran's pioneering work. One such example is his study of the "phantom limb", where a patient continues to perceive a limb that no longer exists after amputation.
He successfully demonstrates the use of mirrors as a means of visual feedback in the "unlearning" of learned paralysis and pain in the phantom limb. Experiments with schizophrenics laughing while tickling themselves, notes on pain "asymbolia" (where pain stimulates laughter) and the controversial redefinition of "free will" are extraordinary and quite delightful to read.
`Neuropsychiatry'
One of the greatest merits of this book is its exploration of mental illness within the boundaries of organic terminology, giving the discipline its new name — "neuropsychiatry". Conditions traditionally thought to be psychological in origin are shown to have a strong neurological basis. The experiments described are simple, yet staggering in their implications. The author's expertise is evident in his effective combination of theoretical knowledge and practical experience.
There is an element of personal involvement — the enthusiasm regarding his discoveries is contagious. Unexpected touches of humour, interesting analogies and the superb rendering of the implication of neuroscience in psychology are the strengths of the book.
For the layperson the author's discussion of certain concepts elaborately may be tedious reading and the book's rather technical terminology difficult to decipher. Despite these limitations, the book is bound to stimulate not only further reading but also encourage interested laypeople and professionals to play an active role in the development of cognitive neuroscience.
MADHUMITHA BALAJI
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