David BearNeuroscience: International Edition: International Edition

Since this edition is brand new at this writing, I'm taking the time to compare it to the wonderful third edition of the same text. The reason is simple: the old edition is now available for $3 US used, and the new is over $110. Even a completely sealed, code unused with CD of the third can be had for under $20 US from marketplace sellers from time to time, so the cost investment difference is significant.Two reasons why some might try to sell you on this vs. the third: 1. It is for a class and the teacher insists that some of the exercises or animations are more up to date here or 2. You agree with the publisher that a "lot" has happened in Neuroscience since 2006.I've gone page for page over the exercises, and unless your teacher is a real butthead, or paid by the publisher, they really are not that different in this edition! Besides, this is NOT a deeply technical text, it is a very student friendly overview that actually is a real pleasure to read. The authors are such good writers, that it reads like a novel, and both editions have been praised for making reading/studying a dopamine studded pleasurable experience, not a painful chore.As far as all the new science: well, hmmm. There IS a lot of new research, which you can look up on the web. BUT, the genome stuff, and functional MRI, were abundantly present 9 years ago, and the fine illustrations in the Third (as well as this) can't be much improved by animation. The requests for "internalization" of brain images were not really changed in this edition, and the online material is updated, but the third's online is/was so good, as well as the CD for you auditory folk, that it was a hard act to follow.Unlike many rushed out "new" editions, there IS significant work put into this new edition; it is not a scam like many other texts that rip us off every other year with "new." However, if you're reading it for self study, or even to augment a class with another primary text, the third should definitely be considered given the price difference. I write here for readers on a budget like me, if money is no object, I'd get this book over the third in a heartbeat, just for some of the web extras and some of the newer illustrations.My two main interests, intelligence and pharmacokinetics of the brain, weren't expanded much between the two, so consider my biases in this regard also. I don't really get the publishers "DNA sequencing" comments, because most of the molecular presentation is very similar, and the new web references to newer research is, well, on the web! Again, if money is not a consideration, the new web material and citations ARE great, more up to date, and worth it. The real issue is that both of these fine editions are treasured NOT for their research depth but for their readability, and you can't improve much on that with the fine third.For reference, I'm a roboticist and a member of the NENGO team in neural research. I use the third edition of this text in online neuro classes, then specific other texts in areas this introduces. IF YOU TEACH I will guarantee you one thing for sure: your students will LOVE you for EITHER edition of this text, as it is one of the most well written, enjoyable books in ANY field. It's like Bob Spetzler meets John Grisham, a real page turner. How many texts can you honestly say that about? Enjoy!

This is an excellent textbook! It is actually a pleasure to read. I have read (or attempted to read) other neuroscience textbooks, but have found them boring and at times confusing. This book is neither, though it contains more detailed and in depth information than the other texts did. The authors have written a text that makes complex material easily understandable. The text is enhanced by what the authors describe as "special interest" boxes "designed to illuminate the relevance of the material to the students' everyday lives", "brain food" boxes that contain more advanced material for students who want to understand the material in more depth than might be presented in an introductory course, and "path of discovery" boxes, which provide fascinating histories of how the discoveries were made and make the text more relevant and meaningful. There are also figures illustrating the material throughoutthe text.Learning from this textbook has been easy because it has been based on understanding, whereas with other texts I struggled with memorizing what felt like disparate facts (at least to me). It could be that this is because I came to this textbook with some rudimentary knowledge that I did not have when approaching some of the other texts, but I don't think so. I think that learning has been so mucheasier because of the way the authors have presented the material. It almost reads like a mystery novel.I picked this book up two days ago and have had trouble pulling myself away from it. This is the best neuroscience textbook I have ever encountered. Many thanks to the authors!

Very approachable language, lots of graphics as visual aids, incredibly informative. Quality outstanding - beautifully bound, paper glossy of very high quality. Pleasure to read and to hold. Just know, it is heavy, and thus hard to keep in your hands - a lap cushion-stand may come in useful, but that's what you get with such a load of knowledge packed into the single volume. Entirely worth the money. Gonna last for ages.

I never knew it was possible to love a textbook before! I got both the Kindle version and the paper version. The Kindle version is amazing with the easy searching and the X-ray flashcards. The book itself is great as well. Instead of just presenting the brain as a giant wiring diagram, it does a good job of bringing in the psychological concepts associated with each area. The questions at the end of each chapter, with the answers available online, were a tremendous help as well.

I've been mainly using Kandel's giant book but a neurobio class I'm taking right now required this book since its about building a solid foundation on the fundamentals. This book is a pleasure to read and does not hurt my head like the other ones do sometimes (Kandel, Nestler, Purves, Gazzaniga, Barres, etc) although I love their work so much. It's more up to date then Kandel's 5th edition too in my opinion. I made friends with a pharmacist recently who graduated with a B.S in neuroscience and he said this was the most important textbook they had him read during his degree program. Sometimes it reads more like a story then a textbook. Also the more I read this the easier it makes the higher level books. My neuroscience teacher said its all about mastery of the fundamentals and basics. Then the advanced stuff comes easy.

Great book, I bought it because my son is studying Neuroscience at Kings College in London. I thought it would allow me to have an intelligent conversation with him. It did and does. Well written and many helpful diagrams. overall a good book.

This is an excellent textbook of neuroscience covering both the anatomy and physiology. The forth edition has kept many chapters mainly unchanged. But part 3 "Brain and Behavior" has been expanded in line with new developments.Those readers mainly interested in neuroanatomy and neuphysiology of the sensory and motor systems may consider getting a copy of the third edition.

This book is targeted for people who would want to grasp a general knowledge on neuroscience, I would say it is very introductory but they do provide the best references to go on and read more on certain topics.On top of that, perfect for scientist who would like to understand how the findings were discovered, they have stories on their path of discovery. But, if you are not studying medicine, then this book is not recommended for you.

Just what she wanted

Really useful! Colourful pictures that make the learning easy