Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 2019

Demystifying the Brain

A Computational Approach

  • Presents neuroscience from a computational perspective so that the subject can be easily understood by non-biologists
  • Addresses the underlying neural principles without the use of mathematics so that biology students can understand the concepts
  • Does not merely present a descriptive account of the brain, as many classical biology books do
  • Written in an easy, engaging style that makes reading a pleasure and rewarding experience
  • Equips students with the conceptual tools necessary to prepare them for a research career in neuroscience

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
  2. Brain Ideas Through the Centuries

    • V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
    Pages 1-19
  3. Brain—Through the Aeons

    • V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
    Pages 21-56
  4. The World at the Level of a Neuron

    • V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
    Pages 57-82
  5. Networks that Learn

    • V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
    Pages 83-107
  6. Memories and Holograms

    • V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
    Pages 109-140
  7. Maps, Maps Everywhere

    • V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
    Pages 141-168
  8. Pathways of Light

    • V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
    Pages 169-210
  9. Feeling the World

    • V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
    Pages 211-243
  10. Life in Motion

    • V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
    Pages 245-284
  11. Circuits of Emotion

    • V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
    Pages 285-319
  12. A Gossamer of Words

    • V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
    Pages 321-347
  13. The Stuff that Minds Are Made of

    • V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
    Pages 349-378

About this book

This book presents an emerging new vision of the brain, which is essentially expressed in computational terms, for non-experts. As such, it presents the fundamental concepts of neuroscience in simple language, without overwhelming non-biologists with excessive biological jargon. In addition, the book presents a novel computational perspective on the brain for biologists, without resorting to complex mathematical equations.

It addresses a comprehensive range of topics, starting with the history of neuroscience, the function of the individual neuron, the various kinds of neural network models that can explain diverse neural phenomena, sensory-motor function, language, emotions, and concluding with the latest theories on consciousness. The book offers readers a panoramic introduction to the “new brain” and a valuable resource for interdisciplinary researchers looking to gatecrash the world of neuroscience.

Reviews

“This very good book on basic neuroscience presents interesting concepts. It is a complete analysis in every way. … the book will help readers better understand neuroscience-related concepts by broadly presenting and discussing some very interesting questions. It is certainly worth reading.” (João Luís G. Rosa, Computing Reviews, October 28, 2019)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India

    V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy

About the author

V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy obtained his PhD degree from the University of Texas at Austin and completed his postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. He is currently a Professor of Biology at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India. His research interests are in the areas of computational neuroscience and machine learning. In computational neuroscience, his research focuses on the modeling of basal ganglia to understand Parkinson’s Disease, modeling neuron-astrocyte-vascular networks, and modeling spatial cells of the hippocampus. Further, his work on character recognition in Indic scripts led him to develop the Bharati Script—a simple and unified script that can be used to express all major Indian languages.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access