György Buzsáki's "Rhythms of the Brain"

Today's feature at The Page 69 Test is György Buzsáki's Rhythms of the Brain.

About the book, from the publisher:

Studies of mechanisms in the brain that allow complicated things to happen in a coordinated fashion have produced some of the most spectacular discoveries in neuroscience. This book provides eloquent support for the idea that spontaneous neuron activity, far from being mere noise, is actually the source of our cognitive abilities. It takes a fresh look at the co-evolution of structure and function in the mammalian brain, illustrating how self-emerged oscillatory timing is the brains fundamental organizer of neuronal information. The small world-like connectivity of the cerebral cortex allows for global computation on multiple spatial and temporal scales. The perpetual interactions among the multiple network oscillators keep cortical systems in a highly sensitive metastable state and provide energy-efficient synchronizing mechanisms via weak links.

In a sequence of cycles, Gyorgy Buzsaki guides the reader from the physics of oscillations through neuronal assembly organization to complex cognitive processing and memory storage. His clear, fluid writing accessible to any reader with some scientific knowledge is supplemented by extensive footnotes and references that make it just as gratifying and instructive a read for the specialist. The coherent view of a single author who has been at the forefront of research in this exciting field, this volume is essential reading for anyone interested in our rapidly evolving understanding of the brain.

Among the praise for Rhythms of the Brain:

"This is definitely an intriguing book that provides a comprehensive review of current knowledge on brain rhythms...this book is worth the time."
--Doody's

"In Rhythms of the Brain, György Buzsáki does a remarkable job of summarizing a vast body of literature on the topic...The book is a 'must read' for anyone interested in understanding the functioning of large and complex brain circuits."
--Nature

"György Buzsáki's Rhythms of the Brain is an excellent compendium on the rapidly expanding research into the mechanisms and functions of neuronal synchronization. Buzsáki presents such synchronization as a binding glue that integrates many levels of neuroscientific investigation with one another and with neighboring disciplines.... Buzsáki manages to elegantly integrate insights from physics, engineering, and cognitive psychology with contributions from cellular, systems, cognitive, and theoretical neuroscience."
--Science

György Buzsáki is Board of Governors Professor at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University. He has a M.D. in medicine and a Ph.D. in neuroscience.

--Marshal Zeringue