The Scientific American Day in the Life of Your Brain (eBook)

JUDITH HORSTMAN is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in publications ranging from USA Today to the Primer on the Rheumatic Diseases (twelfth edition). Horstman's work has also appeared in publications by Harvard, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins universities, numerous magazines, and on the Internet. She has been a Washington correspondent, a Fulbright scholar, a journalism profesor, and is the author of four books.

In this thorough health and science overview, journalist Horstman
(Overcoming Arthritis) reviews a full day of brainwork by
accounting for the mental processes of everyday activities,
arranged by hour, beginning with 5 a.m. and "coming to
consciousness." Fascinatingly, Horstman shows how, as hormone
and neurotransmitter levels change throughout the day, there may be
an optimal time for everything. Moving through the workday,
Horstman discusses stress, decision-making, hunger and fatigue,
ADHD and more, before returning home to cover music, humor, sex,
fear and sleep. Horstman's lively prose is packed with useful
information: meditation increases attention while delaying aging;
brain exercise and a strong social network decrease the odds of
developing dementia; diet can quell morning crabbiness, increase
afternoon focus, and promote sleep. Multitasking, as
Horstman explains, is less like an efficient model of
problem solving and more like channel-surfing; stress, she says,
"may be the single worst thing your brain does to your
heart." Information-packed and fully referenced, this
Scientific American publication is perfect for anyone with
interest in mind/body interaction, mental health or aging.
(PublishersWeekly.com, August 24, 2009)

STARRED REVIEW

Drawing on neurology articles from Scientific American and
Scientific American Mind, science journalist Horstman
creates a seamless and fascinating look at our brain's functioning
throughout the day, adeptly noting cycles and processes that may
occur by mentioning them in a time context that makes sense.
Beginning her exploration at 5 a.m., when the brain begins to
return to consciousness, she bases the chapters on each hour in a
24-hour period and groups hours into sections related to typical
activities, such as "Winding Down" from 9 p.m. to midnight. She
examines how and when other bodily processes and functions, such as
hunger, impact the brain. Drops in blood sugar, for example, also
indicate lowered levels of serotonin. The explanations are easy to
read, and they incorporate anecdotes and callouts that deftly
explain neuroscientific content. VERDICT Appealing to lay
scientists, Scientific American readers, and all those
interested in how to care for their brain as it matures and ages,
this book will be a popular science title. (Library
Journal)