Livewired

Starred review from October 1, 2020

Recent developments in brain imaging, along with more sophisticated techniques for neural integration with digital systems, have ushered in a new age of experimental neuroscience that is beginning to unlock the mysteries and potentials of the brain in sensing, manipulating, and even thinking about the world. On the forefront of this, neuroscientist and educator Eagleman (The Brain: The Story of You) here tackles the burgeoning topic of neuroplasticity (a popular term he finds somewhat limiting and misleading). Arguing that the human brain has been evolutionarily shaped in a way that makes it particularly adaptable, he first offers examples of ways in which the brains of individuals with damage or deficits in their sensory apparatus have "rewired" themselves to compensate. These modifications, which have in the past happened organically (blind individuals who learn Braille have demonstrable changes in their ocular cortex), or, more recently, as a result of external intervention (deaf individuals show changes to their auditory cortex after a cochlear implant) are now observable through improved imaging techniques. Having thus grounded his argument, he then becomes increasingly speculative, exploring ways in which the adaptable nature of brain functioning might be harnessed through indirect and, ultimately, direct inputs to sense, control, and communicate with our environment. VERDICT A fascinating and ultimately very hopeful work narrated with clarity and enthusiasm by the author.--Forrest Link, The Coll. of New Jersey Lib., Ewing, NJ

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