GOOD_READS

Brigitta Beck Aspiring Neuropsychologist

The Brain That Changes Itself

By Norman Doidge, MD

The brain has been studied for a long time historically. Yet relatively recently medical professionals are leveraging “neuroplasticity” of the brain to improve its performance and for healing after damaging afflictions like a stroke or traumatic injury. The book is a series of true individual stories about scientists and patients and their inspirational experiences about how the brain rewires and strengthens itself.

Grain Brain

By David Perlmutter, MD

This is an especially interesting reference book about how nutrition affects brain wellness. While the author provides an excellent overall viewpoint of diet and health, it gives special attention to brain dysfuntions and the connection with our intake of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

Good reads about brain wellness and science.

Updated October 4, 2015

My Stroke of Insight

By Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.

The author is a brain scientist who writes about her personal recovery from a stroke. Interestingly, she describes how she was at peace during the occurrence of her stroke, experiencing it with an “insider’s understanding.” The combination of her vocation and the stroke gave her a higher level of comprehension that would otherwise be impossible to attain. She can now counsel other stroke victims in a very meaningful way.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

By Oliver Sacks

Using a story-telling approach, the author delivers case histories of patients navigating through their lives with neurological disorders. Each story is uniquely uncanny with the patient struggling with normal life but offering brilliant human abilities in other ways. It’s a compelling read to figure out the specific condition as each story unfolds, much like watching a TV mystery.