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Connections: A Story of Human Feeling

Connections: A Story of Human Feeling

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-01 08:51:09
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Karl Deisseroth
  • ISBN：0241381878
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Summary

In this riveting journey through the hidden realms of the human mind， a world-renowned psychiatrist and neuroscientist explores the origins of human emotion， and examines what mental illnesses reveal about all of us - how the broken can illuminate the unbroken。

Why do we feel what we feel？

Mental illness is one of the greatest causes of human suffering， but the reasons we bear this burden， and the nature of these diseases， have remained mysterious。 Now， our understanding has reached a tipping point。 In Connections， Professor Karl Deisseroth intertwines gripping case studies from his experience as an emergency psychiatry physician， with breakthrough scientific discoveries from astounding new technology （including optogenetics， which he developed to allow turning specific brain cells on or off， with light）。

By linking insights from this technology to deeply moving stories of his patients and to our shared evolutionary history， Deisseroth tells a larger story about the origins of human emotion。 A young woman with an eating disorder reveals how the mind can rebel against the brain's most primitive drives of hunger and thirst; an older man， smothered into silence by dementia， shows how humans evolved to feel joy and its absence; and a lonely Uyghur woman far from her homeland teaches both the importance - and challenges - of deep social bonds。

Addressing some of the most timeless questions about the human condition while illuminating the roots of misunderstood disorders such as depression， psychosis， schizophrenia and sociopathy， Connections transforms the way we understand the brain， and our selves。

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Reviews

Plexiform Identity ，

Meandering at times but with some interesting insights Found the prose and poetry labored at times。 Struggled to get through some of the passages that seemed verbose and overly poetic。 Enjoyed the research he shared （optogenetics） and his experiences as psychiatrist。

Nicole Dodouble ，

Don't get it。 Why do people want to cut one of their best connections？ Are we becoming cyborgs？ Is the deep state winning？ I have no problem deleting my social media if this is the end of the world。 Don't get it。 Why do people want to cut one of their best connections？ Are we becoming cyborgs？ Is the deep state winning？ I have no problem deleting my social media if this is the end of the world。 。。。more

Ian Lea ，

Almost unreadable。

Leo Africanus ，

A beautifully written insight how our minds work using the nascent technology of neuro-optics。

Charlotte ，

I’m no scientist and yet I found I couldn’t put this book down。 Occasionally I struggled a little with comprehension of the neuroscience， but it didn’t matter in the end。 Every patient’s illness was described with the greatest humanity and with each chapter my understanding built。 I loved the mix of case studies， science， evolutionary theory and autobiographical elements， but it is the human stories that made the deepest impression。 And the writing， the writing was beautiful:‘Our selves are not I’m no scientist and yet I found I couldn’t put this book down。 Occasionally I struggled a little with comprehension of the neuroscience， but it didn’t matter in the end。 Every patient’s illness was described with the greatest humanity and with each chapter my understanding built。 I loved the mix of case studies， science， evolutionary theory and autobiographical elements， but it is the human stories that made the deepest impression。 And the writing， the writing was beautiful:‘Our selves are not the contour of that landscape available to us， in this complex topography we travel - rather， they are the chosen path。’‘Our most mysterious instinctual impressions of loveliness， then， may be just accidental fingerprints - left by artists of survival， on the cave wall of our genome。’This was an incredible read full of hope and humanity， but ended with what were， for me， disturbing philosophical questions。 。。。more

Eliza ，

Thanks to @PenguinUKbooks and @NetGalley for providing me with a proof copy in advance of publication。 📚Connections is a deep dive into human emotions， what mental health reveals about us and how "the broken can illuminate the unbroken"。 It's one of the more brilliant examples that I've read of literary non-fiction， how Deisseroth uses his language poetically to convey his points。 It covers some of the more timeless questions about humankind， looking into often misunderstood disorders and it can Thanks to @PenguinUKbooks and @NetGalley for providing me with a proof copy in advance of publication。 📚Connections is a deep dive into human emotions， what mental health reveals about us and how "the broken can illuminate the unbroken"。 It's one of the more brilliant examples that I've read of literary non-fiction， how Deisseroth uses his language poetically to convey his points。 It covers some of the more timeless questions about humankind， looking into often misunderstood disorders and it can even transform how we understand ourselves。 If anyone has a penchant for psychology and interpersonal relationships， you're going to love this book！ 。。。more

Lou ，

Connections: A Story of Human Feeling is a groundbreaking tour of the human mind， in which a renowned psychiatrist and neuroscientist explores the biological and evolutionary origins of human emotions through poignant， and at times shocking， clinical stories。 Karl Deisseroth has spent his life pursuing truths about the human mind， both as a practicing clinical psychiatrist and as a researcher who created the revolutionary field of optogenetics， which allows us to decipher the brain's inner worki Connections: A Story of Human Feeling is a groundbreaking tour of the human mind， in which a renowned psychiatrist and neuroscientist explores the biological and evolutionary origins of human emotions through poignant， and at times shocking， clinical stories。 Karl Deisseroth has spent his life pursuing truths about the human mind， both as a practicing clinical psychiatrist and as a researcher who created the revolutionary field of optogenetics， which allows us to decipher the brain's inner workings using light。 In Projections， he combines his groundbreaking access to the brain's inner circuitry with a deep empathy for his patients to examine what mental illness reveals about the mind and the origin of human feelings--how the broken can illuminate the unbroken。 An internationally acclaimed professor of bioengineering and psychiatry at Stanford， Deisseroth's true passion is clinical psychiatry， and it is the stories of his patients that form the backbone of Projections。 Through these case studies， he tells the larger story of how we can understand the physical and biological origins of human emotion in the brain。As such， he describes vividly how humans experience feelings both in the simple and ancient circuits of our brains and in the poignant moments of suffering in our daily lives。 The stories of Deisseroth's patients are rich with humanity and shine an unprecedented light on the self and the ways in which it breaks down。 A young woman with an eating disorder reveals how the mind can rebel against the brain's most primitive drives of hunger and thirst; while an older gentleman， smothered into silence by depression and dementia， illuminates how humans evolved to feel joy and its absence; and a lonely Uyghur woman far from home teaches the importance of rich social bonds。 An illuminating and essential work， Projections transforms the way we understand the brain as a biological and as an emotional object。 This a fascinating， accessible and lyrical book packed with intriguing information about how our feelings arise and the aspects that make up our emotions。 It illuminates said emotions and mental illness through vivid and engaging case studies in order to hammer points home。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Canadian Reader ，

Published in North America as Projections: A Story of Human EmotionsDr。 Karl Deisseroth is a Renaissance man: He is a psychiatrist with a special interest in autism and treatment-resistant depression; he has a Ph。D。 in neuroscience; and he is a professor of bioengineering at Stanford， where he spends much of his time running a lab。 His interactions with patients who are challenged by a range of psychiatric or neurological issues raise provocative questions and inform his work in the lab。 He’s al Published in North America as Projections: A Story of Human EmotionsDr。 Karl Deisseroth is a Renaissance man: He is a psychiatrist with a special interest in autism and treatment-resistant depression; he has a Ph。D。 in neuroscience; and he is a professor of bioengineering at Stanford， where he spends much of his time running a lab。 His interactions with patients who are challenged by a range of psychiatric or neurological issues raise provocative questions and inform his work in the lab。 He’s also a lover of literature， which he regards as important for “understanding patients” and which can “at times provid[e] a window into the brain [that is] more informative than any microscopic objective。” Deisseroth is a proponent of cross-fertilization between disciplines—the humanities， engineering， and various scientific fields。 Ideas and influences from unexpected directions can be transformative， he says， and if science is too biased towards solving disease-related questions， innovation is curtailed。 Projections reflects its polymathic author’s philosophy。 It’s a rich， fascinating， and exciting amalgam of stories of patients with particular psychiatric diseases and symptoms， including mania， paranoia， multi-infarct dementia， autism， borderline personality disorder， eating disorders， and depressive illness。 The narratives are offered with the view that the broken can provide insight into the unbroken—abnormal function helps us understand what is normal。 Deisseroth’s book also contains elements of personal memoir and scientific expository writing about genetics， evolution， and the role that a technology called optogenetics can play in exposing the complex neural circuitry and components involved in certain emotional states and diseases。 Unlike other medical specialists who can use a range of diagnostics—including blood work and imaging—to home in on and identify disease， psychiatrists are reliant on patient history and clinical presentation。 Deisseroth writes: “The challenge of trying to perceive and experience unconventional realities from the patient’s perspective is the heart of psychiatry， working through the distortions of both the observer and the observed。” To practise well， he intimates， psychiatrists have to have a measure of self-awareness。 They must be careful not to over-identify with patients and be mindful not to ascribe their own emotions or experiences to those they are treating。 Sometimes， however， psychiatric diagnoses can be reached when the clinician notes the feelings a patient evokes in him。 For example， in dealing with borderline patients， who are “maestros” at eliciting emotion in others—bringing forth powerful positive or negative feelings that approach patients’ own intense states—Deisseroth has found it useful to be attentive to the “rising tingle” up his back “in that sensation of defensive rage that we feel in our skin when personal boundaries are violated。”Physicians are trained to see brains as biological objects。 With psychiatric illnesses， however， the organ itself is not obviously damaged， and there are few explanations for why patients are suffering and what their diseases mean in a biological sense。 A new technology called optogenetics （much of it developed in Deisseroth’s own Stanford bioengineering lab） is changing that。 This technology allows scientists to see specific nerve cells firing as well as activity patterns in brain “circuits” created by the “projections”—the axons （extensions or threads）—of neurons across the brain。Optogenetics involves taking genes responsible for making light-responsive proteins from such microorganisms as ancient algae and delivering them to specific neurons in laboratory animals， usually mice。 Amazingly， this genetic material can be carried to its target by a virus。 Once it reaches the intended nerve cell， the microbial DNA provides instructions so that the mammalian neuron can now produce a light-sensitive protein called a rhodopsin。 Later， scientists can administer laser light to the transformed neuron by means of thin flexible fibers of glass （fiber optics）。 The genetically-altered lab animal’s neuron fires in response to that light—it’s excited or inhibited。 Throughout the process， the animal brain is left intact; researchers are able to study the components that give rise to neurological function without taking the system apart。 Deisseroth’s team has also developed and employed another technology called hydrogel-tissue chemistry， which helps to turn the normally dense and opaque brain into a state which permits light to pass through freely。 This allows high-resolution visualization of the physical components of certain brain functions and emotional states。Deisseroth explains early in his book that optogenetics technology has allowed scientists to learn that emotional states typically involve several brain areas。 （Knowledge gained through this method may ultimately lead to treatments for afflictive states。） Anxiety， for example， begins in a region of the brain called the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis （BNST）， an extension of the amygdala （a part of the brain involved with experiencing emotion）。 Threads from the BNST radiate out and activate several other brain areas。 One projection travels to the parabrachial nucleus in the pons， which is part of the brainstem。 When activated， this area increases the breathing rate of an anxious individual。 The risk aversion （fearful avoidance） we see in an anxious person is controlled by a different thread， one travelling from the BNST to the lateral hypothalamus。 Finally， the negative feeling or “valence” associated with anxiety is handled by a third projection， which extends to the ventral tegmental area， a part of the mammalian brain’s reward-and-motivation network。 Projections is organized around patient stories。 Deisseroth walks the reader through the symptomatology of each condition， what is known about its genetics， and the ways in which optogenetics has shed light on what is going on。 The author often considers the social context in which the patient’s illness has developed， whether it be the ruptured early family life of a borderline patient or the state-sponsored persecution of a patient from a Uyghur community in China。 I appreciated his reminder that “nothing in biology makes sense， except in the light of evolution。” If something does not matter for survival， it disappears。 It’s very possible， then， that what we now consider psychiatric illness once served a purpose。 For example， the elevated state of being that we see in mania may have allowed some people to lead others in past times of existential threat; the euphoria of the manic individual may have uplifted and inspired his fellows。 The decreased need for sleep， the abundant energy， and the intense commitment to projects may have served ancient societies well in times of migration or rebuilding。 On the other hand， humans may have had periods during which the conservation of energy was critical for survival。 The roots of depression may lie there。Deisseroth acknowledges that there are ethical concerns about how new technologies like optogenetics are used。 Neuroscience can target specific cells and connections to make animals more or less aggressive， defensive， energetic， sexual， social， hungry， thirsty， or sleepy。 To what extent might these findings ultimately be applied to transform dysfunctional or suffering humans？ Which changes are socially and morally acceptable and which are not？ Deisseroth opines that the scientific community has a duty to explain its work to the general public， who must become engaged in the discussions about how new neuroscientific technologies are applied。I am grateful to Random House for approving my Net Galley request for an early review copy of Karl Deisseroth’s book。 It is one of the most stimulating works I’ve read in some time。 I think other motivated readers interested in the workings of the brain will find it very rewarding， too。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Connections: A Story of Human Feeling

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Connections: A Story of Human Feeling&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Connections: A Story of Human Feeling&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0