Pierre-Marie Lledo – författare

Two leading neuroscientists introduce the concepts of "cerebral plasticity" and the "regenerating brain," describing what we know now about the processes through which the brain constantly reconstructs itself and the potential benefits this knowledge could have in addressing concerns for neurological, cognitive, and emotional health. The authors begin with a survey of the fundamental scientific developments that led to our current understanding of the regenerative mind, elucidating the breakthrough neurobiological studies that paved the way for our present understanding of the brain's plasticity and regenerative capabilities. They then discuss the application of these findings to such issues as depression, dyslexia, schizophrenia, and cognitive therapy, incorporating the latest technologies in neuroimaging, optogenetics, and nanotechnology. Their work shows the brain is anything but a static organ, ceasing to grow as human beings become adults. Rather, the brain is dynamic, evolving organically in relation to physical, cultural, historical, and affective stimuli, a plasticity that provides early hope to survivors of trauma and degenerative disorders.

Two leading neuroscientists examine how the brain is in flux and how this applies to addressing neurological, cognitive, and emotional health.   Beginning with a survey of the fundamental scientific developments that led to our current understanding of the regenerative mind, the authors elucidate the breakthrough neurobiological studies that paved the way for our present understanding of the brain’s plasticity and regenerative capabilities. They then discuss the application of these findings to such issues as depression, dyslexia, schizophrenia, and cognitive therapy, incorporating the latest technologies in neuroimaging, optogenetics, and nanotechnology. Their work shows the brain is anything but a static organ, ceasing to grow as human beings become adults. Rather, the brain is dynamic, evolving organically in relation to physical, cultural, historical, and affective stimuli, a plasticity that provides early hope to survivors of trauma and degenerative disorders.  “Highly informative, up to date, and entertaining, The Custom-Made Brain emphasizes that the brain is constantly being constructed during an individual’s lifetime, like a medieval cathedral that is never finished and yet ages without reaching ‘maturity.’ The brain, like the cathedral, is forever being repaired and restored. A stimulating read.” —Israel Rosenfield, City University of New York, author of The Invention of Memory: A New View of the Brain  “This short account succeeds in an original and thought-provoking manner. It will become a valuable resource for clinicians who manage the care of those disabled by stroke, brain injury, or dementia. Many young scientists will be encouraged to take up the challenge of brain repair in the face of decades of therapeutic pessimism.” —Lawrence Whalley, University of Aberdeen, author of The Aging Brain

Notre cerveau n’est pas un organe figé une fois pour toutes quand nous devenons adultes. Il évolue tout au long de notre vie, en fonction aussi de notre histoire, de notre culture. Et cette plasticité ouvre des perspectives pour tous ceux qui sont atteints de troubles liés à un traumatisme ou à une maladie dégénérative. Peut-on envisager de recouvrer la parole après un accident vasculaire cérébral ? Va-t-on vers une médecine régénératrice ? À côté du cerveau réparé, n’est-ce pas un cerveau augmenté, voire dopé, qui se profile grâce aux programmes d’entraînement cognitif, aux psychostimulants, aux molécules « intelligentes » et autres implants ? Mémoire surpuissante, vision nocturne parfaite, contrôle à distance de robots : que nous préparent les nouvelles neurosciences ? Et si l’immortalité n’était pas seulement un rêve ? Auteur du Voyage extraordinaire au centre du cerveau et de Biologie des passions, membre de l’Académie des sciences et de l’Académie de médecine, Jean-Didier Vincent est professeur émérite à l’université Paris-Sud et a dirigé l’Institut Alfred-Fessard du CNRS à Gif-sur-Yvette. Il a reçu en 2010 le prix Fémina essai. Pierre-Marie Lledo, médaille de bronze du CNRS, a reçu le prix de neurologie de la Fondation pour la recherche médicale en 2010. Membre de l’Académie européenne des sciences, il dirige le laboratoire de recherche Perception et mémoire à l’Institut Pasteur et le laboratoire Gène, synapse et cognition du CNRS.

Neurosciences – a comprehensive approach  This textbook covers neuroscience from cellular and molecular mechanisms to behavior and cognitive processing. We also address  evolution of the nervous system, computational neuroscience, the history of neuroscience as a discipline and neurophilosophy – to name but a few. The book provides the newest state-of-the-art knowledge about neuroscience from across the animal kingdom, with particular emphasis on model species commonly used in neuroscience labs across the world: mouse, zebra fish, fruit fly, honeybee, and nematode worm. We aim at university students of neuroscience, psychology, biological sciences, and medical sciences, but also computer scientists, philosophers, or anybody interested in understanding how brains work.