Includes bibliographical references (pages 361-374) and index.

Introduction -- Overview of the nervous system: structures and functions -- The structure of nerve cells and their supporting tissues -- Electrical transmission in the nervous system -- Chemical transmission and the mechanism of drug action -- Sensation -- Vision and the eye -- Vision: central mechanisms -- Audition -- Somesthesis and vestibular sense -- Chemical, heat, and electrical senses -- Reflexes -- Brain control of movement -- Learning and memory -- Motivation -- Language and the brain -- Neurological disease -- Personality and emotion -- Mental illness and the history of surgical and drug treatment -- Consciousness and the techniques for study of the human brain -- Are we there yet?.

"This introduction to neuroscience is unique in its emphasis on how we know what we know about the structure and function of the nervous system. The book traces our current neuroscientific knowledge to many and varied sources. It discusses, among other topics, the structure of nerve cells; electrical transmission in the nervous system; chemical transmission and the mechanism of drug action; sensation; vision; hearing; movement; learning and memory; language and the brain; neurological disease; personality and emotion; the treatment of mental illness; and consciousness. It explains the sometimes baffling Latin names for brain subdivisions; discusses the role of technology in the field, from microscopes to EEGs; and describes the many varieties of scientific discovery. The book's novel perspective offers a particularly effective way for students to learn about neuroscience. It also makes it clear that past contributions offer a valuable guide for thinking about the puzzles that remain"--Page 4 of cover.