Phantoms in the Brain

Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind

By: Sandra Blakeslee, V. S. Ramachandran

Narrated by: Neil Shah

Neuroscientist V. S. Ramachandran is internationally renowned for uncovering answers to the deep and quirky questions of human nature that few scientists have dared to address. His bold insights about the brain are matched only by the stunning simplicity of his experiments - using such low-tech tools such as cotton swabs, glasses of water, and dime-store mirrors.

In Phantoms in the Brain, Dr. Ramachandran recounts how his work with patients who have bizarre neurological disorders has shed new light on the deep architecture of the brain, and what these findings tell us about who we are, how we construct our body image, why we laugh or become depressed, why we may believe in God, and how we make decisions, deceive ourselves, and dream.

Some of his most notable cases: A woman paralyzed on the left side of her body who believes she is lifting a tray of drinks with both hands offers a unique opportunity to test Freud's theory of denial. A man who insists he is talking with God challenges us to ask: Could we be "wired" for religious experience? A woman who hallucinates cartoon characters illustrates how, in a sense, we are all hallucinating, all the time.

Dr. Ramachandran's inspired medical detective work pushes the boundaries of medicine's last great frontier-the human mind-yielding new and provocative insights into the "big questions" about consciousness and the self.

©1998 V.S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Enthralling . . . eloquent." ( The New York Times Book Review)

Very Interesting but...

This book was very interesting. There were some parts that were difficult to follow but overall it made sense.

Narrator is not the greatest

Story and content are great. The narrator can’t seem to pronounce several words properly and has a strange way of speaking. Very off-putting. He also tries to dramatize conversations and does a bad job at that, too.

Really fascinating stuff!

Ramachandran addresses various neurological disorders and oddities with his own insights into how these problems might arise. He discusses the roles of the different sides of the brain and how injuries or defects in various structures can affect the patient in really diverse and odd ways. He describes cases of patients who are in denial of a paralyzed limb, those who have lost awareness of the left side of their bodies, those who are savants, those who have religious experiences during epileptic episodes along with many other interesting and some times controversial topics.

Ramachandran is a brilliant neuroscientist who has a very inquisitive and curious mind which leads him to ask questions that other scientists avoid such as the role of the brain in religion or multiple personality disorder. Just the fact that he is not afraid to explore these ideas makes this book even more interesting for me. Much of the presented information is based not only on the brain's physiology but also the author's theories. Often he performs simple accompanying experiments which usually provide support for his theories.

The narration is excellent. I highly recommend this book if brain biology, physiology, disorders, and functioning are of interest to you.

Drawn out, listen at increased speed

Struggled to finish. Too many literary embellishments and repetitions, could have been shorter and more straightforward. Clinical cases and questions raised are very interesting. As a neurologist, I can see this is clearly written for the general audience and frequently too basic for a physician. Fun aspect for me - I'm at UCSD currently and recognized the places and neurologists he mentions in the book. Great discussion about the "self".

Enthralling Concepts

The abnormalities described in this book provide insight into the overall sense of the function and utility of the brain. Dr. Ramachandran and Ms. Blakeslee’s writing is both clear and inviting. I found myself sharing stories from this book with everyone around me. I took to contemplating the ramifications of each neurological structure for hours after each visit to this book. If you are curious about the brain or even just want fascinating medical stories, this book is perfect. Moreover, it gives insight to who humans are and what it really means to be a person. If you are someone who has ever puzzled the deep philosophical questions of life, you are in for a treat.

Unique Neuroscience from a Unique Neuroscientist

I studied Dr. Ramachandran's work during my undergraduate degree. In the flood of scientists and peer review, his work stood out enough that even years later I was still talking about some of his theories. When I saw his name attached to this book, I purchased it without hesitation.

Dr. Ramachandran's work in neuroscience is stunning. Once you hear it, you can't believe that we ever thought anything different. He draws beautiful, wide connections across the brain and simultaneously across theories of the brain. And after doing so, he distills it all down to plain language, communicating his ideas effortlessly.

Neil Shah does an excellent job on this one. I have nothing negative to say about his performance.

I finished weeks ago and I'm still talking about pseudocyesis and its link to social norms, among other interesting facts that I learned from this book. If you have any interest in the brain, it is well worth the time.

excelente

es mas que recomendable disfrute su lectura y análisis y correlato clínicos debemos leerlo

Totally awesome!

I enjoyed the little jokes and the amazing studies made on the human brain is fascinating, I loved that there was some conversation about eastern philosophy and western approach

My small brain!

Even my very small and little educated brain found this to be a fantastic read (actually hear as I had this on audible). I admit I had to rewind loads of times not to just figure out what was being told but because I was so fascinated with what I was learning I often found myself in bars a beer in hand beaming or LOL at the astonishing mysteries of the brain.

I’ve read Tale Tell and can’t get enough of this field would love recommendations!!!

I loved this!

This book made me decide on becoming a neurologist.

Since my last year of high school I wanted to become a neurologist. However, the way neurology is presented in medical school made me forget what was there that fascinated me so much. I was caught up in indecision, thinking I had created false expectations on it, and it was nothing like what I thought it was. This book solved that. It showed me that for those who want to see it, neurology proposes the most exhilarating questions.