Dana Foundation’s list of books about the brain as of November 2010 on “the great books, past and present, that capture the unfolding story of the brain and how brain research is changing our ideas about memory and emotion, life span and language, neurological disorders and psychiatric syndromes.”

To draw out the best current and classic books from the crowded field, we selected 10 categories, based on our earlier list. Then we opened up a poll to Dana.org readers, asking them to nominate their favorites in as many of the categories as they wished.

The Great Brain Books, Revisited

By: Johanna Goldberg,  M.S.L.I.S.  11/10/10

1. General Books About the Brain

The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science By Norman Doidge. Viking, 2007.

This book was far and away the most popular choice of Dana.org readers. Exploring the plasticity of the brain—something that was only recently proven to exist—Dr. Doidge uses case studies to discuss how people remember, recovery from injury, love, and learn.

Rhythms of the Brain By Gyorgy Buzsaki. Oxford University Press, 2006.

How ...

Some of the best selling “neuroscience” books on Amazon in 2015:

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife

by Eben Alexander

A Scientist’s Case for the Afterlife…

Thousands of people have had near-death experiences, but scientists have argued that they are impossible. Dr. Eben Alexander was one of those scientists. A highly trained neurosurgeon, Alexander knew that NDEs feel real, but are simply fantasies produced by brains under extreme stress.

Then, Dr. Alexander’s own brain was attacked by a rare illness. The part of the brain that controls thought and emotion—and in essence makes us human—shut down completely. For seven days he lay in a coma. Then, as his doctors considered stopping treatment, Alexander’s eyes popped open. He had come back.

Alexander’s recovery is a medical miracle. But the real miracle of his story lies elsewhere. While his body lay in coma, Alexander journeyed beyond this world and encountered an angelic being who guided him into the deepest realms of super-physical existence. There he met, and spoke with, the Divine source of the universe itself.

Alexander’s story is not a fantasy. Before he underwent his journey, he could not reconcile his knowledge of neuroscience with any ...