Allen, J: Lives of the Brain

* Introduction * The Human Brain in Brief * Brain Size * The Functional Evolution of the Brain * The Plastic Brain * The Molecular Evolution of the Brain * The Evolution of Feeding Behavior * The Aging Brain * Language and Brain Evolution * Optimism and the Evolution of the Brain * References * Acknowledgments * Index

John S. Allen is Research Scientist, Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center and the Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California.

Allen pieces together the puzzle of brain evolution. No stone is left unturned as Allen mines such fields as paleontology, anthropology, comparative anatomy and physiology, and the cognitive sciences. Allen's contribution is his interdisciplinary melding of theories, disclosing their strengths and weaknesses while squeezing them for evidence on brain evolution...His material on brain evolution is fascinating. -- Scott Vieira Library Journal 20091001 A very good introduction to recent research on cognition, especially cognition and language. An antidote to many things you have read in Pinker. -- Tyler Cowen marginalrevolution.com 20091112 The scope and scholarship of this book is impressive...There is much to learn, even by the experienced investigator, from reading this book, which is also a treat for any science-loving reader. -- Jon H. Kaas Journal of Clinical Investigation 20100401 Allen's book is comprised of ten chapters that collectively fulfill the promise of the introductory chapter to provide the reader with an in-depth exploration of the current knowledge of the brain...Anyone who wanted to philosophize about mind should first spend a year studying the brain in a hands-on laboratory setting. If doing so is not possible then reading Allen's book is a good substitute...The Lives of the Brain provides the reader with a comprehensive picture of the state of the knowledge of brain evolution at the beginning of the twenty first century. -- Bob Lane Metapsychology 20100105 Allen, a neuroanatomist and anthropologist, has provided a lucidly comprehensive intellectual account of the human brain's developmental processes. -- J. N. Muzio Choice 20100401 In The Lives of the Brain, John S. Allen explores the many influences that anatomy, molecular biology, aging, development and culture have on the evolution and functional organization of the human brain. He provides the perspective and foundation to start thinking about brain evolution in a more sophisticated,