The Synaptic Self: How the Brain Becomes Who We Are

Following up his 1996 “The Emotional Brain, ” the world-renowned brain expert presents a groundbreaking work that tells a more profound story: how the little spaces between the neurons–the brain’s synapses–are the channels through which we think, feel, imagine, act, and remember. In 1996 Joseph LeDoux’s “The Emotional Brain” presented a revelatory examination of the biological bases of our emotions and memories. Now, the world-renowned expert on the brain has produced with a groundbreaking work that tells a more profound story: how the little spaces between the neurons-the brain’s synapses–are the channels through which we think, act, imagine, feel, and remember. Synapses encode the essence of personality, enabling each of us to function as a distinctive, integrated individual from moment to moment. Exploring the functioning of memory, the synaptic basis of mental illness and drug addiction, and the mechanism of self-awareness, “Synaptic Self” is a provocative and mind-expanding work that is destined to become a classic.