Eric R Kandel

In search of memory

In Search of Memory is Eric R Kandel's account of his life as a scientist studying the workings of the brain, but as well as giving details of his own investigations he includes the relevant scientific background, thus making the book a useful resource for learning about this subject. The autobiographical approach helps to make the science more accessible, and it also shows how success as a scientist often depends what you choose to study - choices that may be difficult and against the advice of your colleagues (such as using the marine snail Aplysia for the study of memory), but which in Kandel's case lead to him being awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine.

The autobiographical approach means that the book is not really suitable for those wanting an overview of recent neuroscience- its more suited to those wanting to see how our understanding of the brain has progressed. In particular it illustrates the two sides of the study of the brain - the psychoanalytic approach (Kandel started his career as a psychoanalyst) and the more reductionist approach of studying the biology and chemistry of the brain, which formed the basis of his scientific research. Kandel shows how these two approaches may at long last become reunited.

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Paperback 512 pages
ISBN: 0393329372
Salesrank: 8869
Weight:1.1 lbs

Published: 2007 W. W. Norton

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Paperback 512 pages
ISBN: 0393329372
Salesrank: 30920
Weight:1.1 lbs

Published: 2007 W. W. Norton & Co.

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Paperback 512 pages
ISBN: 0393329372
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Published: 2007 WW Norton

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Product Description
"A stunning book."—Oliver Sacks Charting the intellectual history of the emerging biology of mind, Eric R. Kandel illuminates how behavioral psychology, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and molecular biology have converged into a powerful new science of mind. This science now provides nuanced insights into normal mental functioning and disease, and simultaneously opens pathways to more effective healing. Driven by vibrant curiosity, Kandel's personal quest to understand memory is threaded throughout this absorbing history. Beginning with his childhood in Nazi-occupied Vienna, In Search of Memory chronicles Kandel's outstanding career from his initial fascination with history and psychoanalysis to his groundbreaking work on the biological process of memory, which earned him the Nobel Prize. A deft mixture of memoir and history, modern biology and behavior, In Search of Memory traces how a brilliant scientist's intellectual journey intersected with one of the great scientific endeavors of the twentieth century: the search for the biological basis of memory. 50 illustrations.

Product Description

"A stunning book."—Oliver Sacks

Charting the intellectual history of the emerging biology of mind, Eric R. Kandel illuminates how behavioral psychology, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and molecular biology have converged into a powerful new science of mind. This science now provides nuanced insights into normal mental functioning and disease, and simultaneously opens pathways to more effective healing.

Driven by vibrant curiosity, Kandel's personal quest to understand memory is threaded throughout this absorbing history. Beginning with his childhood in Nazi-occupied Vienna, In Search of Memory chronicles Kandel's outstanding career from his initial fascination with history and psychoanalysis to his groundbreaking work on the biological process of memory, which earned him the Nobel Prize.

A deft mixture of memoir and history, modern biology and behavior, In Search of Memory traces how a brilliant scientist's intellectual journey intersected with one of the great scientific endeavors of the twentieth century: the search for the biological basis of memory. 50 illustrations.

Sincere, honest, and intellectually entertaining *****
It is hard for anyone to write a good autobiography simply because we could hardly see ourselves objectively. It would be lucky if we find a sincere, honest and unpretentious author. "In search of memory" is written by just such author. The book serves not only as an autobiography for himself, but also as a concise history of molecular study on memory. Eric is a veteran researcher who portrays an interesting venture into the field of molecular biology and memory. Along the journey he teaches us intriguing knowledge about this field and what to look out in future. What interests and touches me also is his recollection on Austria's social phenomena in 1938 era where intellectualism is taken away by irrational fanatic behavior. While we all know about the Holocaust in WWII, few could feel the oppression if one does not personally experience it. Eric gave a vivid description of what injustice has been forced on Jew in Austria at that time. As a scientist, Eric wrote an interesting short story about molecular biology on memory; as a person, he delivers a sincere and honest biography that is enjoyable to read.

Sincere, honest, and intellectually entertaining *****

It is hard for anyone to write a good autobiography simply because we could hardly see ourselves objectively. It would be lucky if we find a sincere, honest and unpretentious author. "In search of memory" is written by just such author.

The book serves not only as an autobiography for himself, but also as a concise history of molecular study on memory. Eric is a veteran researcher who portrays an interesting venture into the field of molecular biology and memory. Along the journey he teaches us intriguing knowledge about this field and what to look out in future.

What interests and touches me also is his recollection on Austria's social phenomena in 1938 era where intellectualism is taken away by irrational fanatic behavior. While we all know about the Holocaust in WWII, few could feel the oppression if one does not personally experience it. Eric gave a vivid description of what injustice has been forced on Jew in Austria at that time.

As a scientist, Eric wrote an interesting short story about molecular biology on memory; as a person, he delivers a sincere and honest biography that is enjoyable to read.

From a reader severely lacking in scientific formation... *****
Had Eric Kandel been my Science teacher back in High School, I would've probably picked Medicine or Biochemistry as my BA, instead of English. This book took me quite long to read -about 3 months-, both due to second-language interference (English is not my native language) and to my nearly complete ignorance regarding even basic biology and chemistry. Yet, despite having had to make an effort more than once to fully comprehend what I was reading I DID NOT FEEL AT ALL BORED. NOT EVEN ONCE. In fact, I was so fascinated by the book and Kandel's enthusiasm over his research was so contagious, I searched for and got my hands on some basic Biology texts in order to delve deeper into some concepts and get a better grasp on the significance of his and his colleagues' findings. In addition to this, the text itself is written in easily readable language and the scientific explanations are presented in a manner simple enough to be understood by both scientific and un-scientific minds (such as mine), and accompanied by illustrations that make them even clearer. When regarded as Kandel's autobiography, detailing his line of research, the obstacles he met, and his motivation to comprehend the biology of memory, it is a fascinating text for anyone interested on getting some insight on what it is that makes great minds tick. When regarded as a biography presenting the birth and development of a new science that combines Biology, Chemistry, Physiology, Psychiatry and many specific sub-areas within these disciplines, it is simply a "must read". Even for someone who, like me, completely lacks scientific formation.

From a reader severely lacking in scientific formation... *****

Had Eric Kandel been my Science teacher back in High School, I would've probably picked Medicine or Biochemistry as my BA, instead of English. This book took me quite long to read -about 3 months-, both due to second-language interference (English is not my native language) and to my nearly complete ignorance regarding even basic biology and chemistry. Yet, despite having had to make an effort more than once to fully comprehend what I was reading I DID NOT FEEL AT ALL BORED. NOT EVEN ONCE.

In fact, I was so fascinated by the book and Kandel's enthusiasm over his research was so contagious, I searched for and got my hands on some basic Biology texts in order to delve deeper into some concepts and get a better grasp on the significance of his and his colleagues' findings. In addition to this, the text itself is written in easily readable language and the scientific explanations are presented in a manner simple enough to be understood by both scientific and un-scientific minds (such as mine), and accompanied by illustrations that make them even clearer.

When regarded as Kandel's autobiography, detailing his line of research, the obstacles he met, and his motivation to comprehend the biology of memory, it is a fascinating text for anyone interested on getting some insight on what it is that makes great minds tick.

When regarded as a biography presenting the birth and development of a new science that combines Biology, Chemistry, Physiology, Psychiatry and many specific sub-areas within these disciplines, it is simply a "must read". Even for someone who, like me, completely lacks scientific formation.

A Beautiful Retelling of a Personal and Scientific Quest ****
Nobel Prize winner Eric R. Kandel is perhaps one of the most insightful and visionary scientists in the field of neurology today. In his book, In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind, Kandel weaves his own autobiography in with an explanation of his discoveries about the nature of memory from the standpoints of history, molecular biology, psychology, and anatomical neuroscience. Kandel begins the book as an exploration of his childhood, explaining his roots in Nazi-occupied Austria and his subsequent move to America. There, he began researching at Columbia University, which is when he began to be interested in neuroscience. Kandel's initial motivation, which is eloquently described by him as a call to action rather than simply an academic drive, was to biologically explain Freud's structural theory of psychology. That is, Kandel sought to describe the ego, superego, and id, and their interactions with consciousness from a purely neurological perspective. In the course of his early research, Kandel encountered the hard realization that he had to study the brain and its functions "one cell at a time." He, along with many others in the 1950s, began studying the basic physiology of the brain in an attempt to explain basic neurological phenomena which previously were never explained. Using large crayfish axons, Kandel began to study brain function with the express goal of finding the locus of memory in the cerebral cortex on the surface of the brain. He realized that there was no anatomical center for memory storage in the cerebral cortex. In the advent of this defeat, he joined the Laboratory of Neurophysiology at the National Institutes of Health in 1957 and experimented on hippocampal neurons with two other colleagues. They noticed that there were spontaneous action potentials that didn't necessarily correspond to normal brain activity, but couldn't draw a conclusion as to what this indicated. Ultimately, they concluded that although there was no direct electrophysiological evidence that memory storage occurs in the hippocampus, there was still possibility of further experimentation before the hippocampus could be ruled out. It was around this time that Kandel's real work began. He theorized that memory and learning are directly dependent on inter-neuronal communication; that is, he believed that, in his own words, "...learning modifies the strength of the synaptic connections between neurons." Kandel decided to study invertebrates, specifically, Aplysia californica, a mollusk. In 1981, he and many colleagues at New York University studied the behavior and all type of neuronal communications in Aplysia, which ultimately provided a solid basis for understanding learning as an increase in the strength of synaptic connections and excitatory nerve impulses. Simultaneously, Kandel and his colleagues concluded that there were also changes in protein composition of ganglions in long-term memory formation. This lead to the fundamental and final conclusion that short-term memory stemmed from changes in existing neurons, while long-term memory was derived from an increase in the number of synaptic connections between ganglion cells. Kandel's endeavors and the method by which he approached them are to be admired. The way in which he constructed his book, half scientific treatise and half memoir, is beautiful in its own right because it provides insight into a life guided first by self-fulfillment, and second by the quest for knowledge. I found his book important and timely, especially because the field of neuroscience is expanding so fast, largely based on discoveries that Kandel made. Because of Dr. Kandel, we now know how much further we must go before we have a true understanding of the human brain.

A Beautiful Retelling of a Personal and Scientific Quest ****

Nobel Prize winner Eric R. Kandel is perhaps one of the most insightful and visionary scientists in the field of neurology today. In his book, In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind, Kandel weaves his own autobiography in with an explanation of his discoveries about the nature of memory from the standpoints of history, molecular biology, psychology, and anatomical neuroscience. Kandel begins the book as an exploration of his childhood, explaining his roots in Nazi-occupied Austria and his subsequent move to America. There, he began researching at Columbia University, which is when he began to be interested in neuroscience. Kandel's initial motivation, which is eloquently described by him as a call to action rather than simply an academic drive, was to biologically explain Freud's structural theory of psychology. That is, Kandel sought to describe the ego, superego, and id, and their interactions with consciousness from a purely neurological perspective.
In the course of his early research, Kandel encountered the hard realization that he had to study the brain and its functions "one cell at a time." He, along with many others in the 1950s, began studying the basic physiology of the brain in an attempt to explain basic neurological phenomena which previously were never explained. Using large crayfish axons, Kandel began to study brain function with the express goal of finding the locus of memory in the cerebral cortex on the surface of the brain. He realized that there was no anatomical center for memory storage in the cerebral cortex. In the advent of this defeat, he joined the Laboratory of Neurophysiology at the National Institutes of Health in 1957 and experimented on hippocampal neurons with two other colleagues. They noticed that there were spontaneous action potentials that didn't necessarily correspond to normal brain activity, but couldn't draw a conclusion as to what this indicated. Ultimately, they concluded that although there was no direct electrophysiological evidence that memory storage occurs in the hippocampus, there was still possibility of further experimentation before the hippocampus could be ruled out.
It was around this time that Kandel's real work began. He theorized that memory and learning are directly dependent on inter-neuronal communication; that is, he believed that, in his own words, "...learning modifies the strength of the synaptic connections between neurons." Kandel decided to study invertebrates, specifically, Aplysia californica, a mollusk. In 1981, he and many colleagues at New York University studied the behavior and all type of neuronal communications in Aplysia, which ultimately provided a solid basis for understanding learning as an increase in the strength of synaptic connections and excitatory nerve impulses. Simultaneously, Kandel and his colleagues concluded that there were also changes in protein composition of ganglions in long-term memory formation. This lead to the fundamental and final conclusion that short-term memory stemmed from changes in existing neurons, while long-term memory was derived from an increase in the number of synaptic connections between ganglion cells.
Kandel's endeavors and the method by which he approached them are to be admired. The way in which he constructed his book, half scientific treatise and half memoir, is beautiful in its own right because it provides insight into a life guided first by self-fulfillment, and second by the quest for knowledge. I found his book important and timely, especially because the field of neuroscience is expanding so fast, largely based on discoveries that Kandel made. Because of Dr. Kandel, we now know how much further we must go before we have a true understanding of the human brain.

Thirty years studying a snail's neuron. *****
I don't believe many people would choose to give up a promising career as psychiatrist in order to spend their life studying the reaction of a snail neuron to electrical shocks, even though that particular snail might be quite gigantic. But Dr. Kandel did exactly this and, what is even more astonishing, succeeded in writing a very readable book about it. At first glance, the findings of his research seem to be of even more limited scope than one would expect from the previous description. If an electric charge is applied to one end of a neuron how, and under what conditions, is a related charge transmitted to neurons located near its other end? Equally important, how do such events change the system so that successive stimulation events cause later results to differ from earlier ones? This last effect is where memory comes in. Dr. Kandel's research discovered what makes this process work and how the "synapses" between adjoining neurons physically change with successive charge transmittals. But the existence of the process itself had been theoretically predicted decades earlier by the psychologist D. Hebb. His ideas formed the basis of computer science's early artificial intelligence programs that did not wait for experimental proof of the theory's correctness. Nevertheless, as Dr. Kandel himself admits, knowing how neuron synapses change with use cannot explain anything about how our brain remembers aunt Thelma and her idiosyncrasies. Although he takes a few pages to discuss the modern treatments for dementia and Alzheimer disease, he admits that an entirely different approach will be needed to experimentally study the actual functioning of the brain and its memory. But the book is not a dull relating of experiments. Interspersed through its pages we find the story of the author growing from a child in pre-Nazi Vienna to a Nobel laureate and a colorful description of the award ceremonies. (Be careful, however, when reading his discussion of the finances of the Nobel Foundation on pages 396 and 397. Poor editing, probably, has confused the data valid at the time of the Foundation's inception with those applicable when he received his own prize.) He takes time to proudly describe the mental excellence of his children, from the remarkable poem that his six-year-old daughter wrote about his snail to the adult achievements of his children and their spouses. And every now and then, his anger at the Nazis and the world's indifference to their treatment of the Jews peeks out of his writing. This is a remarkable book and, considering the difficulty of the subject, a very readable one. I recommend it to all who are interested in how the brain works. (The writer is the author of "The Way of the Butterfly: A Scientific Speculation on God and the Hereafter," and of "Christianity Without Fairy Tales: When Science And Religion Merge .")

Thirty years studying a snail's neuron. *****

I don't believe many people would choose to give up a promising career as psychiatrist in order to spend their life studying the reaction of a snail neuron to electrical shocks, even though that particular snail might be quite gigantic. But Dr. Kandel did exactly this and, what is even more astonishing, succeeded in writing a very readable book about it. At first glance, the findings of his research seem to be of even more limited scope than one would expect from the previous description. If an electric charge is applied to one end of a neuron how, and under what conditions, is a related charge transmitted to neurons located near its other end? Equally important, how do such events change the system so that successive stimulation events cause later results to differ from earlier ones? This last effect is where memory comes in.

Dr. Kandel's research discovered what makes this process work and how the "synapses" between adjoining neurons physically change with successive charge transmittals. But the existence of the process itself had been theoretically predicted decades earlier by the psychologist D. Hebb. His ideas formed the basis of computer science's early artificial intelligence programs that did not wait for experimental proof of the theory's correctness. Nevertheless, as Dr. Kandel himself admits, knowing how neuron synapses change with use cannot explain anything about how our brain remembers aunt Thelma and her idiosyncrasies. Although he takes a few pages to discuss the modern treatments for dementia and Alzheimer disease, he admits that an entirely different approach will be needed to experimentally study the actual functioning of the brain and its memory.

But the book is not a dull relating of experiments. Interspersed through its pages we find the story of the author growing from a child in pre-Nazi Vienna to a Nobel laureate and a colorful description of the award ceremonies. (Be careful, however, when reading his discussion of the finances of the Nobel Foundation on pages 396 and 397. Poor editing, probably, has confused the data valid at the time of the Foundation's inception with those applicable when he received his own prize.) He takes time to proudly describe the mental excellence of his children, from the remarkable poem that his six-year-old daughter wrote about his snail to the adult achievements of his children and their spouses. And every now and then, his anger at the Nazis and the world's indifference to their treatment of the Jews peeks out of his writing.

This is a remarkable book and, considering the difficulty of the subject, a very readable one. I recommend it to all who are interested in how the brain works.

(The writer is the author of "The Way of the Butterfly: A Scientific Speculation on God and the Hereafter," and of "Christianity Without Fairy Tales: When Science And Religion Merge
.")

very informative and even entertaining *****
A fabulous book from a distinguished scientist who has spent his career in search of memory. Part memoir, part history of neuroscience, and part pop science account, this is definitely an informative and even an entertaining read. It is filled with colorful characters from the past and present of neuroscience, some famous, some primarily known within their particular field of research. One of these colorful characters was Alden Spencer, who was one of Kandel's colleagues, who had a sharp mind and died at a tragically young age. The book also contains some very interesting information about the brain basis of mental illness, including some interesting rodent studies. Also discusses a merging of biological and psychoanalytical thought, plus some recent ideas about consciousness. Overall, a very worthwhile and enjoyable read, for the scientist and general reader alike, delivered with the same thoughtfulness and attention to detail as in his co-authored textbook, Principles of Neural Science. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

very informative and even entertaining *****

A fabulous book from a distinguished scientist who has spent his career in search of memory. Part memoir, part history of neuroscience, and part pop science account, this is definitely an informative and even an entertaining read. It is filled with colorful characters from the past and present of neuroscience, some famous, some primarily known within their particular field of research. One of these colorful characters was Alden Spencer, who was one of Kandel's colleagues, who had a sharp mind and died at a tragically young age. The book also contains some very interesting information about the brain basis of mental illness, including some interesting rodent studies. Also discusses a merging of biological and psychoanalytical thought, plus some recent ideas about consciousness. Overall, a very worthwhile and enjoyable read, for the scientist and general reader alike, delivered with the same thoughtfulness and attention to detail as in his co-authored textbook, Principles of Neural Science. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

A pleasure and an education. *****
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The combination of autobiography and science makes it unique. The author acts as an enthusiastic guide to a fascinating area of scientific research. Perhaps there are too many reminiscences about Kandel's colleagues but this adds to the humanity of the story. In no way does it resemble a textbook but this book taught me more about the biology of the brain than any other. I wish I had read it when I was considering university options.

A pleasure and an education. *****

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The combination of autobiography and science makes it unique. The author acts as an enthusiastic guide to a fascinating area of scientific research. Perhaps there are too many reminiscences about Kandel's colleagues but this adds to the humanity of the story. In no way does it resemble a textbook but this book taught me more about the biology of the brain than any other. I wish I had read it when I was considering university options.

Science and autobiography ****
Kandel's book is a mixture of science and autobiography, beginning with the flight of his family from Nazi Vienna and concluding with his Nobel Prize and current scientific interests. His writing is at its best when dealing with science. For a non-scientist, such as myself, his explanations are mercifully clear. The frequent diagrams also help. Although there were passages dealing with the mammalian brain that I found tough going these were few, and leavened by episodes of personal history and anecdote. Ultimately my expectations created by the book title were not fully borne out. I will not be the only one to wonder whether the sea snail results, however fascinating, really do tell us much about what we commonly think of as memory. Overall I benefited greatly from the investment of time the book requires.

Science and autobiography ****

Kandel's book is a mixture of science and autobiography, beginning with the flight of his family from Nazi Vienna and concluding with his Nobel Prize and current scientific interests.
His writing is at its best when dealing with science. For a non-scientist, such as myself, his explanations are mercifully clear. The frequent diagrams also help. Although there were passages dealing with the mammalian brain that I found tough going these were few, and leavened by episodes of personal history and anecdote.
Ultimately my expectations created by the book title were not fully borne out. I will not be the only one to wonder whether the sea snail results, however fascinating, really do tell us much about what we commonly think of as memory. Overall I benefited greatly from the investment of time the book requires.

In search of the facts ****
I enjoyed this unique blend of biography and science discourse, but found the detail devoted to the personalities and individuals surrounding each new discovery, tedious. There is a good index, and glossary, if you are searching for the essential facts. For someone who is interested in knowing more about neurology and brain science, this is a good book, but a slow building plot! I found there was little said about addictions or the numerous lessons learnt about brain neurology as a result of drug abuse and addiction (LSD is a noteable exception which Kandel does devote some time to). The sections on mental illness will leave physicians a little low on new facts. Interesting historical facts about the Jews in Austria around the time of Hitler.

In search of the facts ****

I enjoyed this unique blend of biography and science discourse, but found the detail devoted to the personalities and individuals surrounding each new discovery, tedious. There is a good index, and glossary, if you are searching for the essential facts. For someone who is interested in knowing more about neurology and brain science, this is a good book, but a slow building plot! I found there was little said about addictions or the numerous lessons learnt about brain neurology as a result of drug abuse and addiction (LSD is a noteable exception which Kandel does devote some time to). The sections on mental illness will leave physicians a little low on new facts. Interesting historical facts about the Jews in Austria around the time of Hitler.