The Ghost in my Brain : : how a Concussion Stole my Life and how the new Science of Brain Plasticity Helped me get it Back

Locations
Call Number: 616.852 El
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	616.852 El	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Part 1: Concussion. Midnight ; The size of the problem : the magnificence of the human brain ; Through the kaleidoscope ; The crash ; Something is wrong ; Do you know your name? ; Word maps gone awry ; Why are you here? ; Apple, scarf, tree -- Part 2: The components of cognition. Background ; The human machine is broken ; Balance in the symbolic world ; Visual/spatial patterns, shapes, relationships ; Time is a metaphor ; The building blocks of cognition and the metacognitive voice ; At least we can laugh : pain and humor ; Processing the audio signal ; Social challenges ; Physical changes ; Spiraling downward -- Part 3: The ghost returns. Meet Dr. Dots! ; Brain glasses ; The ghost -- Part 4: The science of brain plasticity. Donalee Markus and her designs for strong minds ; Deborah Zelinsky and the mind-eye connection.
"The dramatic story of one man's recovery offers new hope to those suffering from concussions and other brain traumas. In 1999, Clark Elliott suffered a concussion when his car was rear-ended. Overnight his life changed from that of a rising professor with a research career in artificial intelligence to a humbled man struggling to get through a single day. At times he couldn't walk across a room, or even name his five children. Doctors told him he would never fully recover. After eight years, the cognitive demands of his job, and of being a single parent, finally became more than he could manage. As a result of one final effort to recover, he crossed paths with two brilliant Chicago-area research-clinicians--one an optometrist emphasizing neurodevelopmental techniques, the other a cognitive psychologist--working on the leading edge of brain plasticity. Within weeks the ghost of who he had been started to re-emerge. Remarkably, Elliott kept detailed notes throughout his experience, from the moment of impact to the final stages of his recovery, astounding documentation that is the basis of this fascinating book. The Ghost in My Brain gives hope to the millions who suffer from head injuries each year, and provides a unique and informative window into the world's most complex computational device: the human brain"-- Provided by publisher.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

aptly describes my concussion submitted by 21621031390949 on August 25, 2017, 7:56pm First I want to say thank you to whoever recommended this book to me. I've been suffering from late effects of a "minor" concussion and at times have felt I was going crazy. This book described much of what I'm feeling, and that validation alone makes it a worthwhile read for me.
Good book for anyone trying to understand what a concussion can be like.

A carefully written book submitted by ccrose on August 23, 2019, 5:38pm Aside from wanting to bring hope to others, the second most important factor was to translate the medical experience and neuroscience behind the successes!