The Minder Brain

Abstract

The Minder Brain By Joe Herbert ( ISBN-13 978-981-270-395-8 , £14.00 .) World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd , 2007 . The author, Joe Herbert, is clearly a real enthusiast with considerable experience of imparting his enthusiasm to student audiences. He has chosen to review the rather unfashionable ‘vegetative’ aspect of the brain and how it acts as the great protector and adapting mechanism that allows humans and other vertebrates to maintain their success as a species. The book clearly follows Dr Herbert's own research interests – and is none the worse for showing us his excitement at the advances in these areas. This is a book that grows in conviction and impact as you read on. Joe Herbert provides a clear view of the signalling mechanisms utilized by the brain, and how the brain adapts to stressful situations and ensures the body maintains appropriate levels of hydration and food intake. One of the beauties of the book is the use of scientific and literary quotations in boxed areas adjacent to the text. These provide a fascinating link between the creative world of the literary author and the neuroscientist, and are remarkably revealing of the parallel processing of authors and scientists using different literary or biological building-blocks to build their pictures of the world. Indeed, I found myself reading these quotes compulsively and having to remind myself to go back to the text. The breadth of Joe Herbert's texts is a real credit to the author, taking us through the Beatles to George Eliot, Claude Levi-Strauss, Bertrand Russell, Wilhelm Reich and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as well as a wide range of past and present neuroscientists. The book really comes into its own when it enters the realm of sexual behaviour, bonding, social hierarchy and aggression. Not only are the literary quotations much more apposite but the author has a real empathy with the behaviours he describes and our understanding of their scientific aetiology. This is compulsive, erudite writing – although it is also clear that Joe Herbert has a particular love for the amygdala and hypothalamus! The book then takes us on a comfortable journey to the diverse rhythms that are coordinated by the hypothalamus and how these are communicated to the rest of the body, and then on to an exploration of what happens when the brain breaks down! This is a difficult area that has already been plumbed deeply by many other scientific and literary authors. Joe Herbert explores why psychiatry is ‘so seemingly backward’. The discussion about depression was well written and again provided great scope for literary quotations, but was less flowing than the earlier chapters. Finally, the great quest of neurobiologists and authors alike – individuality! – how much is in the genes, how much due to imprinting – all in 22 pages. Not surprisingly, this chapter lacked a little in depth. Joe Herbert set himself a considerable challenge and I feel he has succeeded in putting together a fascinating and thought-provoking book that will appeal not only to lay readers but also the neuroscientists who would appreciate the breadth and literary links to the subject. There are some areas, such as addictive behaviour, I would have liked to have seen in this book – but at the same time, this would probably have needed to displace another subject to prevent the book from becoming too long. I certainly enjoyed the book and would be happy to recommend it to others.