30-Second Brain 30-Second Brain

Are we all at the mercy of our brain chemistry? Do you think that the amygdala and the hippocampus are fantastical sea monsters? What can an MRI scan tell us? Could you explain to dinner-party guests why we don't giggle when we tickle ourselves? 30Second Brain is here to fill your mind with the science of exactly what's happening inside your head. Using no more than two pages, 300 words and an illustration, this is the quickest way to understand the wiring and function of the most complex and intricate mechanism in the human body. Discover how the networks of 90 billion nerve cells work together to produce perception, action, cognition and emotion. Explore how your brain defines your personality, and what it gets up to while you are asleep. Illustrated with mind-bending graphics and supported by biographies of pioneers in the field of neuroscience, it's the book to get your grey matter thinking about your grey matter.

Dr Anil Seth is a Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at University of Sussex, where he leads multidisciplinary research across neuroscience, psychology, and computer science, with a focus on understanding the biological basis of conscious experience - a key challenge for 21st century science He is also Co-Director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science. He has published more than 100 scientific papers and book chapters, has lectured and written widely on neuroscience for a general audience, and his research has been covered in a wide range of media, including the Guardian and New Scientist.