Hunger, Thirst, Sex, and Sleep (eBook)

How the Brain Controls Our Passions

John K. Young (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2012
175 Seiten
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (Verlag)
978-1-4422-1825-3 (ISBN)

Infos

In this fascinating tour of the way our brains control our most basic drives, John Young takes a small part of the human anatomy and explains its role in the regulation of our basic needs and desires, including sex, sleep, thirst, hunger and more. Drawing on the latest research, he conveys even complex ideas in accessible and enjoyable fashion.

---

Sensations of hunger, thirst, sexual attraction, and love can dominate our thoughts to the exclusion of almost everything else, but until the last 10 years or so, the precise reasons why these passions arise have not been understood very well. We now know that these, and other drives like the urge to sleep, are controlled by a small portion of the brain called the hypothalamus. This book presents the latest information about how the brain controls our most basic drives. In a series of fascinating anecdotes, Young tells the tale of how scientists have discovered the role of the hypothalamus in our basic drives and in medical conditions in which these drives are drastically altered. Covering our need for food, water, sex, sleep, and other life essentials, he reveals the brain's part in how we provide for each, and how in some cases, those needs can swing wildly out of control resulting in problems such as obesity, diabetes, insomnia, or narcolepsy. He shows how regulating body temperature can affect the lifespan, how the aging process affects sexual behavior, how empathy and love develop in relationships with family members or with love interests, and how all these functions and more can go awry. Like other science writers before him, Young illuminates even the complex inner workings of the brain in a way that anyone can understand, so that readers are treated to a tour of a tiny part of the brain that is responsible for so many fundamental aspects of life.

Autor

John K. Young, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, D.C. He has published his work in scientific journals and has written or edited several books.

Inhalt

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. The Anatomy of the Hypothalamus and the Control of Hunger2. The Hypothalamus and the Control of Thirst and Body Temperature3. The Hypothalamus and the Control of Sex and Emotions4. The Hypothalamus and the Control of Sleep5. The hypothalamus and the Secretion of Hormones.6. Some Final Thoughts on Mice and MenNotesIndexAbout the Author

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 9.8.2012
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Gesundheit / Leben / Psychologie ► Lebenshilfe / Lebensführung
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Biopsychologie / Neurowissenschaften
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Sexualität / Partnerschaft
• Themenwelt: Medizin / Pharmazie ► Medizinische Fachgebiete ► Neurologie
• ISBN-10: 1-4422-1825-8 / 1442218258
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4422-1825-3 / 9781442218253