Recommended Reading
Recently there have been several great books published that clinicians interested in cognition should know about…. check out our list of recommended reading!
John Aggleton, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Cardiff University has drawn on his many years of memory research to put together two books: A-Z of Memory, 160 Essential Concepts is primarily a guide for clinicians; Memory and the Brain, Using, Losing and Improving is aimed more at the lay person. Both will appeal to those interested in finding out more about how memory works, starting at the very early stages of life. The latter book draws on research to indicate how one can maximise memory abilities. Proceeds from the latter book go to the UK-based Charity, Brain Tumour Research.
Another great new read is Tangled Up, The Science and History of Alzheimer’s Disease. “From its origins and diagnosis, to reducing the risk.” Prof Hornberger tells the story of the discovery of this disease. He also discusses how memory and navigation work in the brain, including which changes are normal, and which should be considered warning signs of something more sinister. Though largely written for the lay person, this book also covers the science behind why substances including amyloid and tau accumulate in the brain, how plaques and tangles form, and what these formations do to nerve cells. It also delves into what the latest treatments can (and cannot) do. Prof Hornberger has worked in dementia and memory research in Germany, the UK and Australia. He is currently Professor of Applied Dementia Research and Associate Dean of Innovation at the University of Southampton in the UK.
Think Before You Think is all about Executive Functioning… its components, how it can fail, what imaging teaches us about the underlying neural mechanisms and even some thoughts about its remediation. The author, Adrian Owen Professor of Neuroscience and Imaging at the University of Western Ontario (UWO) gives us a first-hand account of the research he carried out at Cambridge University, the Montreal Neurological Institute and UWO’s Brain and Mind Centre. He positions his findings in the context of the advances made by others over the past few decades in an engaging and thought-provoking manner.
Prof Owen’s previous masterful work, Into the Grey Zone sheds incredible new light on the subject of consciousness by exploring patients in nonresponsive, vegetative states. Prof Owen was able to use functional imaging (which shows activation patterns in the cortex that underly mental processes) to discover that many of these patients have some level of awareness of their surroundings and are able to communicate using only thoughts. In this book, Prof Owen shares many personal and professional stories making this a fascinating account!
