An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries- old notion that the human brain is immutable. In this revolutionary look at the brain, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., provides an introduction to both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've transformed. From stroke patients learning to speak again to the remarkable case of a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, The Brain That Changes Itself will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential.
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'Norman Doidge's brilliant, The Brain That Changes Itself ... makes a convincing case for our brains being far more plastic and malleable than previously supposed.' -- Andrew Smith, Sunday Times
Doidge has identified a tidal shift in basic science and a potential one in medicine. -- Penny Wark, The Times
Norman Doidge has written a fascinating, highly readable account of the new brain science -- Literary Review
You really should read this book. ... This remarkable work will lead most of us to see ourselves in a new light, not least in terms of our own possibilities. Five Stars. -- Andrew Smith, Mail on Sunday --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Doidge has identified a tidal shift in basic science and a potential one in medicine. -- Penny Wark, The Times
Norman Doidge has written a fascinating, highly readable account of the new brain science -- Literary Review
You really should read this book. ... This remarkable work will lead most of us to see ourselves in a new light, not least in terms of our own possibilities. Five Stars. -- Andrew Smith, Mail on Sunday --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Review
Doidge has identified a tidal shift in basic science and a potential one in medicine.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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170 of 171 people found the following review helpful
By S. Gerhand
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an interesting and readable book, and it clearly has created a lot of interest in the subject. It covers a range of topics relating to neural plasticity, which is not quite such a new topic as the author would have us believe. The strength of the book is the writing style and how accessible it is.
However, I would urge readers to approach this book with a degree of caution, or dare I say take it with a pinch of salt. What the author fails to do is apply any real level of critical appraisal to the material he covers. Some of the material covered has a substantial evidence base, some of it has a shaky evidence base, some has no evidence base whatsoever and is pure conjecture. If I take the example of constraint-induced therapy, originating from a psychologist called Taub, which I went away and read up on quite extensively following the claims made in this book. This is a treament for hemiplegia following stroke, whereby the good arm is constrained for several hours each day, thus forcing the person to use their bad arm. The logic behind this is that this will prevent learned non-use and also facilitate some cortical remapping, so that that control of that arm is taken over by in-tact brain areas. When you look at the evidence, a lot of which is pretty good quality research, this is not anything like the panacea that Doidge presents it to be. There are only a proportion of patients this works for, it is still unclear what the best protocol for its use is, and there is a lack of evidence for it producing lasting, long-term gains. A recent Cochrane review concluded that there was not enough evidence to say clearly whether it was effective or not, so the jury is still out.
Some of the education-related material was based on one particular programme. When looking at the references, all the evidence seemed to come from one source, and was not published in peer-reviewed journals (i.e. had not been scrutinised by the scientific community). About the highest level of publication appeared to be a poster presented at a conference.
As another reviewer mentioned, the chapter on sexuality seemed to be pure conjecture.
Do I regret reading it? No, it entertained me, and annoyed me in equal measure, but consequently prompted me to do further reading. So I have to say I benefitted from reading it, and would probably recommend it to others. But please approach it with a critical mind.
However, I would urge readers to approach this book with a degree of caution, or dare I say take it with a pinch of salt. What the author fails to do is apply any real level of critical appraisal to the material he covers. Some of the material covered has a substantial evidence base, some of it has a shaky evidence base, some has no evidence base whatsoever and is pure conjecture. If I take the example of constraint-induced therapy, originating from a psychologist called Taub, which I went away and read up on quite extensively following the claims made in this book. This is a treament for hemiplegia following stroke, whereby the good arm is constrained for several hours each day, thus forcing the person to use their bad arm. The logic behind this is that this will prevent learned non-use and also facilitate some cortical remapping, so that that control of that arm is taken over by in-tact brain areas. When you look at the evidence, a lot of which is pretty good quality research, this is not anything like the panacea that Doidge presents it to be. There are only a proportion of patients this works for, it is still unclear what the best protocol for its use is, and there is a lack of evidence for it producing lasting, long-term gains. A recent Cochrane review concluded that there was not enough evidence to say clearly whether it was effective or not, so the jury is still out.
Some of the education-related material was based on one particular programme. When looking at the references, all the evidence seemed to come from one source, and was not published in peer-reviewed journals (i.e. had not been scrutinised by the scientific community). About the highest level of publication appeared to be a poster presented at a conference.
As another reviewer mentioned, the chapter on sexuality seemed to be pure conjecture.
Do I regret reading it? No, it entertained me, and annoyed me in equal measure, but consequently prompted me to do further reading. So I have to say I benefitted from reading it, and would probably recommend it to others. But please approach it with a critical mind.
122 of 128 people found the following review helpful
By Chillikebab
Format:Hardcover
Norman Doidge has written an eminently readable and interesting book about advances in the understanding of brain function, perception, learning, and response to injury. He also illustrates how these advances are informing the development of more effective treatments and interventions for conditions as diverse as strokes and addiction.
However, the book is somewhat spoiled by the over-congratulatory tenor of the prose, and the over-enthusiastic application of these ideas to every aspect of human behaviour. It is ironic that he spends so much time lambasting the 'localizationalists' (bizarrely portrayed as a kind of establishment mafia hell-bent on stifling research) for over-extending their ideas whilst he undertakes similar mental gymnastics in his attempts to demonstrate that every condition - from autism to pornography addiction - can be wholly explained by brain plasticity.
And this is where the book ultimately falls down as a science book. In many cases he asserts 'facts' to support his hypotheses which are simply wrong - facts which the rather poorly referenced and constructed end-notes are silent on. The chapter on sexuality is particularly cringeworthy, as he trots out a number of bizarre assertions, social commentary and outdated Freudian concepts to build his arguments, apparently unaware of the rich depth and detail of research in this area which in some cases contradicts his hypotheses.
Is this an interesting book worth reading? Yes. But that comes with a warning that it contains the over-generalisations and unwarranted assumptions that, so often, are found in sloppy science - both 'popular' and academic.
However, the book is somewhat spoiled by the over-congratulatory tenor of the prose, and the over-enthusiastic application of these ideas to every aspect of human behaviour. It is ironic that he spends so much time lambasting the 'localizationalists' (bizarrely portrayed as a kind of establishment mafia hell-bent on stifling research) for over-extending their ideas whilst he undertakes similar mental gymnastics in his attempts to demonstrate that every condition - from autism to pornography addiction - can be wholly explained by brain plasticity.
And this is where the book ultimately falls down as a science book. In many cases he asserts 'facts' to support his hypotheses which are simply wrong - facts which the rather poorly referenced and constructed end-notes are silent on. The chapter on sexuality is particularly cringeworthy, as he trots out a number of bizarre assertions, social commentary and outdated Freudian concepts to build his arguments, apparently unaware of the rich depth and detail of research in this area which in some cases contradicts his hypotheses.
Is this an interesting book worth reading? Yes. But that comes with a warning that it contains the over-generalisations and unwarranted assumptions that, so often, are found in sloppy science - both 'popular' and academic.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Dave C
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A very readable introduction to brain plasticity. The book is full of examples about how the brain adapts to damage and changing circumstances and requirements of the body. Mr Doidge lambasts the long held view of brain "localization" (specialised areas for different functions, e.g. Broca's area), through case studies of autism and stroke treatments amongst others.
Unfortunately the book lacks any critical analysis of its subjects. All Dr Doidge's subjects are heroes who battled for years against mainstream science. One example is the Fast ForWord learning program - a quick Google shows that the program is maybe not as successful as the author claims (or has been commercialised into areas for which is less suitable).
There is a chapter on Psychoanalysis using one of Dr Doidge's former patients as a case study, which didn't seem to fit the theme of the book (and reminded me of Frasier!)
Dr Doidge has no moral doubt about the use of animals (even cute ones) for experiments. As a lay reader, I found the casual description of brain surgery and permanent disability inflicted on monkeys a little shocking. The experiments have value, but the monkey's rights shouldn't be dismissed quite so completely.
Still, a very interesting book.
Unfortunately the book lacks any critical analysis of its subjects. All Dr Doidge's subjects are heroes who battled for years against mainstream science. One example is the Fast ForWord learning program - a quick Google shows that the program is maybe not as successful as the author claims (or has been commercialised into areas for which is less suitable).
There is a chapter on Psychoanalysis using one of Dr Doidge's former patients as a case study, which didn't seem to fit the theme of the book (and reminded me of Frasier!)
Dr Doidge has no moral doubt about the use of animals (even cute ones) for experiments. As a lay reader, I found the casual description of brain surgery and permanent disability inflicted on monkeys a little shocking. The experiments have value, but the monkey's rights shouldn't be dismissed quite so completely.
Still, a very interesting book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life changing book!!!
I mean it! inspiring, reassuring and fills us with hope about the potenitial of this amazing organ. especially a must read for stroke victims or carers of stroke victims.
Published 21 days ago by boolahoop
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Brain that Changes itself
Interesting. More geared towards the child or adult who has through illness or injury lost a mental faculty. Read more
Published 25 days ago by S. D
5.0 out of 5 stars
amazing
Ihave learnt so much from this book, it has verified alot of things for me, so i am really happy with it. Iwould recommend this book to any one working in health matters.
Published 1 month ago by Suzanne Miles
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome
This is a book everyone should read. Research money should be given to give more people the chance to benefit from the findings.
Published 1 month ago by Anne
4.0 out of 5 stars
Heartwarming stories
Amazing stories of how science can prevent healing from happening sometimes and how one should trust one's feelings about what could be done to effect change !
Published 1 month ago by Daybreak
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review
Amazing read! Easy to understand and follow
If you’re interested in how the brain works and changes through events/time/learning and more then buy! Read more
If you’re interested in how the brain works and changes through events/time/learning and more then buy! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Matthew Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars
WORTH READING
A DIFFICULT BOK TO READ BUT NE THAT IS VERY INFORMATIVE. I AM STILL TRYING TO GET THROUGH IT BUT I HAVE GAINED SOME VERY INTERESTING IDEAS
Published 2 months ago by Mags
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating book
I have found this book one you can dip into and find interesting and informative. Very glad I bought it.
Published 2 months ago by Star
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic book.
A must-read for anyone interested in how the brain works and the infinite abilities we have to do anything we could possibly want to. Read more
Published 2 months ago by christina jenke
5.0 out of 5 stars
placticity
An amazing book - even just reading it clearly already instigates change in me.
For absolutely everyone with a brain!
For absolutely everyone with a brain!
Published 3 months ago by R. B. Gryniewicz
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