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"With the burden of brain disorders increasing worldwide, there has been a resurgence of interest in techniques to control the brain and thereby improve its function. Yet how realistic are these expectations and what are the ethical implications? This book reviews the main techniques that can enable patients to use their brains for communication and control and doctors to modify brain function. It explains how paralysed patients may be helped through brain reading, how brain stimulation can help to improve Parkinson's disease and certain mental disorders and how patients can be trained to regulate their own brain activity through neurofeedback. Brain Control situates the application of these techniques within ethical and legal debates on the principles of autonomy and fairness, and suggests ethical standards for their future development"--
List of contents
Introduction 1. Putting the Brain in Control: From Brain Reading to Brain Communication 2. External Control of the Brain: Brain Stimulation and Psychiatric Surgery 3. The Brain Controls Itself: From Brain Reading to Brain Modulation via Neurofeedback 4. The Ethics and Politics of Brain Control
About the author
David Linden is an academic psychiatrist and Professor of Translational Neuroscience at Cardiff University, UK. He is the author of The Biology of Psychological Disorders and over 100 research papers on cognitive neuroscience and its application in psychiatry. He has pioneered the application of new neurofeedback methods in mental disorders and neurorehabilitation.
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'Professor Linden brings a wide-ranging thoughtful approach to the story of brain control. The reader is competently and carefully guided through the complexities of brain anatomy, brain function and research techniques, such as brain imaging and stimulation, to appreciate fully the potential and the possible risks of directly 'interfering with' brain function. Far from just being the realisation of dystopic science fiction, such as portrayed in Michael Crichton's Terminal Man, brain control turns out to be a technology that gives patients a chance to take control of their own brains. An exciting and readable introduction to a topic that will increasingly gather importance over the next decade.' Klaus Ebmeier, University of Oxford, UK
'Prof. D. Linden, one of the leading experts on brain stimulation and neurofeedback and a pioneer in the field, provides a clear, balanced and scientifically sound overview of brain stimulation and neurofeedback. This book will emerge and remain a milestone and reference for many years to come and will certainly shape and improve our desperate search for more effective outcomes for patients with brain disease and psychological disorders.' Niels Birbaumer, Director of the Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Germany
'David Linden's work is an accessible and beautifully written introductory book on the past, present and future of the technologies of brain stimulation and brainreading. At the end of this fascinating journey, readers cannot help but hope that the author's competence and compassion could serve as a model for anyone working with the growing number of patients who require brain control interventions.' The British Journal of Psychiatry, Andrea E. Cavanna, The Barberry National Centre for Mental Health, UK
Report
'Professor Linden brings a wide-ranging thoughtful approach to the story of brain control. The reader is competently and carefully guided through the complexities of brain anatomy, brain function and research techniques, such as brain imaging and stimulation, to appreciate fully the potential and the possible risks of directly 'interfering with' brain function. Far from just being the realisation of dystopic science fiction, such as portrayed in Michael Crichton's Terminal Man, brain control turns out to be a technology that gives patients a chance to take control of their own brains. An exciting and readable introduction to a topic that will increasingly gather importance over the next decade.' Klaus Ebmeier, University of Oxford, UK
'Prof. D. Linden, one of the leading experts on brain stimulation and neurofeedback and a pioneer in the field, provides a clear, balanced and scientifically sound overview of brain stimulation and neurofeedback. This book will emerge and remain a milestone and reference for many years to come and will certainly shape and improve our desperate search for more effective outcomes for patients with brain disease and psychological disorders.' Niels Birbaumer, Director of the Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Germany
'David Linden's work is an accessible and beautifully written introductory book on the past, present and future of the technologies of brain stimulation and brainreading. At the end of this fascinating journey, readers cannot help but hope that the author's competence and compassion could serve as a model for anyone working with the growing number of patients who require brain control interventions.' The British Journal of Psychiatry, Andrea E. Cavanna, The Barberry National Centre for Mental Health, UK
