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The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds Hardcover – March 9, 2021

by Mark Humphries (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 78 ratings
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The 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.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    232 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Princeton University Press
  4. Publication date
    March 9, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1 x 9.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0691195889
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0691195889
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Finalist for the PROSE Award in Biomedicine, Association of American Publishers"

"[A] vivid tale." ― New Scientist

"Humphries has woven together strands of experimental results and theoretical insights to compose a book that is engrossing, excites the imagination, beautifully encapsulates contemporary neuroscience in a light and breezy package, and points the way to future discovery."---Sean Noah, Knowing Neurons

"A thorough and interesting description of what we know and don't know about neural spikes, as well as why they matter."---R. Forbes-Lorman, Choice

Review

"In this fascinating, roller-coaster ride through the most fundamental component of our nervous systems, Mark Humphries takes us to the frontiers of neuroscience. A brilliant achievement."―Matthew Cobb, author of The Idea of the Brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience

"This book is truly wonderful. Mark Humphries takes us on a magical, demystifying tour of the brain, letting us tag along on a neural signal’s journey from eyeball to hand―as when you see a mosquito and swat it. Rollicking but deftly organized, The Spike is cast in everyday, easygoing language yet backed by tight science and state-of-the-art insights. This book's fresh approach will charm novices as well as old neurobiological hands."―Patricia S. Churchland, author of Conscience: The Origins of Moral Intuition

"The Spike is a fun yet deeply informative account of the electrical journey that information takes as it passes into our eyes and through our mind, and ultimately leads us to act. Drawing on the latest neuroscientific discoveries and theories, Humphries tells a compelling story of how minute changes in electrical signals in the brain give rise to our thoughts and actions."―Russell A. Poldrack, author of Hard to Break: Why Our Brains Make Habits Stick

"The Spike gives a brilliant overview of our current understanding of brain function, from perception to action, based on our knowledge of systems neuroscience. Conveying ideas and concepts with impressive clarity, Humphries covers an astonishing amount of scientific literature. A joy to read."―Matthias Hennig, University of Edinburgh

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press (March 9, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 232 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691195889
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691195889
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1 x 9.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 78 ratings

About the author

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Mark Humphries

Mark Humphries

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Mark Humphries is Chair in Computational Neuroscience at the University of Nottingham. He researches how the neurons in your brain work together to do what they do - make you perceive, think, and act. He is the founding editor of The Spike, a Medium online publication

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
78 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Nathan
5.0 out of 5 stars Quick thought provoking read that describes the current state of neuron activity research
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2022
Verified Purchase
Quick thought provoking read that describes the current state of neuron activity research. Can be wordy at times which breaks concentration and requires rereading entire paragraphs. Ties in examples to Machine Learning which I found facinating. For the price it is a must own for anyone trying to learn the brain and what makes humans... Humans
One person found this helpful
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Frederick Lepore
5.0 out of 5 stars Neurophysiology for beginners
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2021
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The focus on action potentials’ paths through the brain is a great way to elucidate the 86 billion neurons we all carry around under our caps.
As a working neurologist I learned a lot from Humphries’ guided tour of neural circuitry and the nuanced and unbelievable complexity of even a single neuron with its axonal and dendritic processes.
Strong AI proponents take note and tread cautiously when equating a transistor with a neuron.
12 people found this helpful
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Bullwinkle86
5.0 out of 5 stars A wave of the future.
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2021
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Difficulty observing, counting and measuring transmissions between adjacent neurons in the brain, and applying those observations to proximate causes related to the senses and translation into movements in response, form the backdrop to this well written book. These guiding transmissions are accompanied by spikes based on our expectations from memory. Breakdowns in transmissions as they relate to illnesses of movement and cognition are pointed out.
5 people found this helpful
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shawn
3.0 out of 5 stars It’s ok
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2022
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It’s an ok book. I had a hard time paying attention. The author also keeps trying to insert humor which is distracting. They also continue to use one obnoxious metaphor throughout the whole book pertaining to “cookies,” it’s is unbelievably annoying.
2 people found this helpful
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Tom_McT
5.0 out of 5 stars It's what the brain does
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2021
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The brain and all its complexity is directed at spike processing. Dr. Humphries provides a very accessible book for neuroscientists and lay persons to unpack this processing and for us to ponder various ways the brain computes. Highly recommended for neuroscientists and AI researchers.
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Allen Chiang
5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable and engaging
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2021
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The author explains concepts in very explicit and concrete ways, easy to understand. Rarely find a book devoted to spikes. Great read!
One person found this helpful
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Mark B Gerstein
5.0 out of 5 stars A tour of the brain in terms of one momentary thought
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2022
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Enjoyed reading this very much. Very engaging.
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Bernard Lavallee
3.0 out of 5 stars OK
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2022
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Tons of information and even more speculation. It seems to be explaining a topic that is not yet explainable because of insufficient data. It seems to get lost.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

mlepage
5.0 out of 5 stars Learned a lot of details
Reviewed in Canada on March 14, 2022
Verified Purchase
Purchased this book after viewing the 1 hr lecture for the Royal Institution on YouTube, covering the same material. I'm glad I read the book, which has greater depth of course. I knew about the general aspects of spikes (neuron activiation potential) but not so many details.
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Simon
5.0 out of 5 stars Indeed an Epic Journey!
Reviewed in Germany on January 14, 2024
Verified Purchase
"The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds" is a fascinating book which contains a ton of information in a very readable manner. There are several useful notes for each chapter pointing out further literature and explaining some aspects in more detail.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the most fascinating structure in the universe, the brain.
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Peter Walder
5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible and fascinating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2022
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A fascination explanation of a journey following a biolectrical spike on its journey from retina, through the brain and onwards to achieve the action of grasping a cookie.
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Nigel
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2022
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Great way to understand more about advances in neurophysiology
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E
3.0 out of 5 stars I’ve read better
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2022
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Unfortunately, the great expectation and excitement for this book when it first came out did not match the reality. I really struggled to read it and had to put it off a few times while reading other books. The constant crumbly chocolate chip cookie mentioned every two pages was weird & annoying. The description of what happens at the level of retina was super confusing! As a neuroscientist myself, it was extremely difficult to cut through “vivid” and flowery language the author decided to use, which presented me with more obstacles than clarity, in my humble opinion. Some facts that were randomly spurred out or calculations haven’t been properly explained or worked out for a reader, which seems odd. I think a lay person would have a difficult time with this book, regrettably.
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