Why am I passionate about this?
I began research as an undergraduate at Harvard College, initially studying the effects of vitamin A deficiency on the photoreceptors in the eye that capture the light and initiate vision. After receiving my PhD and starting my own laboratory, I became fascinated with the other four classes of cells/neurons found in the retina, which begin the analysis of visual information: two being in the outer retina and two in the inner retina. We mapped out the synaptic interactions among the neurons, recorded from them, and began to put together the neural circuitries that underlie the visual messages that are sent to other parts of the brain.
John's book list on healthy and compromised brains
Why did John love this book?
Although this book has been around for a very long time, I only encountered it earlier this year.
It is a scientific fiction novel based on a supposed treatment given to a mentally handicapped young man (Charlie) that gave him great intelligence. This treatment had been tried earlier on mice (one being Algernon), enabling them to do cognitive tasks impossible for ordinary mice. The basis for much of the book was that the treatment was not permanent, and first, Algernon and then Charlie deteriorated back to where they were cognitively before the treatment.
The book beautifully describes what it was like (in Charlie’s own words) to be cognitively disabled before the treatment and how he was treated by people; then, when the treatment was effective, and finally, as he was deteriorating, which he recognized was happening. Although fictional, the descriptions of the cognitive changes in Charlie are compelling.
14 authors picked Flowers For Algernon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.
Charlie Gordon, a retarded adult, undergoes a brain operation which dramatically increases his intelligence.
Charlie becomes a genius. But can he cope emotionally? Can he develop relationships?
And how do the psychiatrists and psychologists view Charlie-as a man or as the subject of an experiment like the mouse Algernon?