CURRENT BOOKS: To Think, Perchance to Scheme

Irina deFischer, MD

The Ravenous Brain: How the New Science of Consciousness Explains Our Insatiable Search for Meaning, by Daniel Bor, Basic Books, 352 pages.

The Ravenous Brain is unlike any book I’ve ever read. The author, Daniel Bor, is a cognitive neuroscientist from Cambridge, England, currently working as a research fellow in consciousness science at the University of Sussex. He has a background in philosophy as well as biology, and he writes beautifully. He weaves into his treatise on consciousness examples from his own life, including his father’s stroke, his wife’s bipolar disorder, and his infant daughter’s development. His book is densely written and not an easy read, but it is well worth the effort for anyone interested in the subject of consciousness.

Bor begins with a review of neuroanatomy and the evolution of the brain, as well as the brain’s function at the cellular level. He goes on to interpret various brain studies that use functional MRIs and behavioral techniques, and he explains our use of finding patterns in order to organize and make sense of information. He describes the technique of “chunking” to reduce large amounts of material into more manageable bits that can be committed to memory. The complexity of the human brain--along with the self-awareness that sets us apart from other animals and from computers--has given us a great evolutionary advantage; but that complexity has also resulted in a susceptibility to mental illness.

An extended excerpt may give some idea of the density of Bor’s prose and the nature of his argument. He writes: ”We are so clever at spotting the patterns and tricks to meet our primitive desires that our lives can easily spiral out of control. Humanity’s prodigious conscious tools of innovation can be devoted to discovering broad truths about the world. But they are just as easily co-opted to generate inventive tactics to have affairs, to overeat, to steal, or to pursue all manner of other short-term goals that are likely to backfire. … Our aggressive ability to form such packets of ideas and information perpetuates unhappy traps of thought, or even, occasionally, outright delusions, as we unwittingly reveal the delicate fragility of the human mind. … All of us, to varying degrees, are both the beneficiaries and the victims of our own consciousness.“

In the final chapters of The Ravenous Brain, Bor explores the applications of consciousness science in understanding certain mental illnesses, including attention deficit disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism. He then proposes novel approaches to treating these disorders based on his research findings. His book will certainly be of interest to mental health professionals, and perhaps to anyone affected by mental illness.

 

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Dr. de Fischer, a family physician at Kaiser Petaluma, is president of MMS.

Email: irinadefischer@gmail.com