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The Spike

Science and Nature

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Audio only

The Spike

An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 SecondsBy Mark HumphriesNarrated by Anand Jagatia

The Spike

Length6h 49m

About this audiobook

This audiobook narrated by Anand Jagatia tells the extraordinary story of a neural impulse and what it reveals about how our brains work We see the last cookie in the box and think, can I take that? We reach a hand out. In the 2.1 seconds that this impulse travels through our brain, billions of neurons communicate with one another, sending blips of voltage through our sensory and motor regions. Neuroscientists call these blips "spikes." Spikes enable us to do everything: talk, eat, run, see, plan, and decide. In The Spike, Mark Humphries takes readers on the epic journey of a spike through a single, brief reaction. In vivid language, Humphries tells the story of what happens in our brain, what we know about spikes, and what we still have left to understand about them. Drawing on decades of research in neuroscience, Humphries explores how spikes are born, how they are transmitted, and how they lead us to action. He dives into previously unanswered mysteries: Why are most neurons silent? What causes neurons to fire spikes spontaneously, without input from other neurons or the outside world? Why do most spikes fail to reach any destination? Humphries presents a new vision of the brain, one where fundamental computations are carried out by spontaneous spikes that predict what will happen in the world, helping us to perceive, decide, and react quickly enough for our survival. Traversing neuroscience's expansive terrain, The Spike follows a single electrical response to illuminate how our extraordinary brains work.

Artificial Intelligence

Genetic Engineering

Audiobook details

GenreScience and Nature, Psychology

Length6 hrs 49 mins

Narrated byAnand Jagatia

FormatAudiobook

Publish dateMar 9, 2021

LanguageEnglish

Table of contents

1Opening Anno, Chapter 1 - Introduction

7Chapter 7 - The Meaning of Spike

2Chapter 2 - All or Nothing

8Chapter 8 - A Moving Experience

3Chapter 3 - Legion

9Chapter 9 - Spontaneity

4Chapter 4 - Split Personality

10Chapter 10 - But a Moment in Time

5Chapter 5 - Failure

11Coda: The Future of Spikes, Closing Anno

Show all chaptersShow less

6Chapter 6 - The Dark Neuron Problem

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