In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind

By Eric R. Kandel

Book Overview

Memory binds our mental life together. We are who we are in large part because of what we learn and remember. But how does the brain create memories? Nobel Prize winner Eric R. Kandel intertwines the intellectual history of the powerful new science of the mind--a combination of cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and molecular biology--with his own personal quest to understand memory. A deft mixture of memoir and history, modern biology and behavior, In Search of Memory brings readers from Kandel's childhood in Nazi-occupied Vienna to the forefront of one of the great scientific endeavors of the twentieth century: the search for the biological basis of memory.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393329372
• ISBN13: 9780393329377
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

An interwoven tale of science, history, and art

Eric Kandel is one of the biggest icons in modern Neuroscience. His work on the sea slug, Aplysia, has given us the first glimpse on how nerve cells store memories. In over 30 years of hard work and creativity, Dr Kandel and his colleagues gave the scientific community a mechanistic understanding of how key molecules in nerve cells act during learning and how they might contribute to memory storage. Dr Kandel recieved the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2000 as an acknowledgement for his monumental contributions. When I picked up this book, I was familiar with most of that. I was introduced to Eric Kandel, the scientist, through neuroscience coursework. I was quite familiar with his work both on Aplysia and mice. I thought that reading this book will be more of that; an overview of the science that lead to such discoveries. I quickly realized, flipping through its pages at a local bookshop, that "In Search of Memory" was much more. A few minutes after I started reading it, I decided to buy it. I could hardly put down afterwards; it was very captivating. This book is an elegant synthesis of Eric Kandel's personal life and scientific career. It is very well written in a style that, at times, allows the reader to feel that he or she is part of a particular experience that Dr Kandel describes. Reading this book, one is introduced to Eric Kandel's early childhood in Vienna at the time when Hitler's army had just invaded the city. His memories of the time deftly describe not only his suffering as a Jew, but also reflect on an ideology of hate (Nazism) that allowed its followers to undertake the biggest genocide of modern history: The holocaust, which "Erich" and his family narrowly escaped. The fact that people can behave in such a manner sparked Dr Kandel's interest in human psychology and behavior, an interest that later made him seek training as a psychoanalyst. From psychoanalysis, Dr Kandel sought a more fundamental understanding of the mind, which turned him into an experimental neuroscientists and later into one of the major contributors to the "New Science of Mind". Reading this book was a very rewarding experience. One clearly sees how working on a boundary of two disciplines can lead to many new insights. Dr Kandel used the technical advances laid down by giants like Hodgkin, Huxley, Katz, Eccles, and Sherrington along with his knowledge of behaviorist methodology to ask questions on how simple neural circuits learn and store memories. One thing that I particularly gained from reading this book is the distinction made between "day science" and "night science". Day science is the kind of science that one undertakes when the scientific problem is clear and the methods to investigate it have been developed. Night science, on the other hand, involves thinking of what is far beyond our current understanding; a grand problem that will advance our knowledge of a poorly understood but a very important problem (like memory for instance

A twin- journey in Memory

Eric Kandel is a Nobel Prize winning neuroscientist whose pioneering researches helped further the understanding of the biological basis of Memory. In this work which has been described by a number of reviewers as certain to take it place on the shelf of the great scientific biographical literature , Kandel tells the story of his own scientific development as part of the larger story of the twentieth - century development of Brain Science. He also tells the story of how his own personal journey as a refugee from Nazi - taken- over Vienna through rescue and education in New York, and then at Harvard and Columbia . Kandel is one of those kinds of scientists whose aim is a fundamental understanding of their area of study. He originally at Harvard aimed to be a historian, but then thought to be a Freudian psychoanalyst. At Columbia however he met with the then Dean of American Neuroscients Harry Grundfest who instead of rejecting outright the grandiose plans of his young student to provide the biological basis for Freudian theories , instructed him that he had to begin to work a 'cell at a time.' This approach eventually led Kandel when in Paris to begin working with the Aphylsia , whose neurons are larger than any other living being. Through this work Kandel came to develop an understanding of the biological basis of memory which would center on neural networks and their connections. For his discoveries in this area Kandel would later go on to win a Nobel Prize. But Kandel, as his autobiography makes clear is one of those special Scientists, like Freud himself, who had broad interest in other areas of Life and Mind, including Music and Art. And the deep Culture and broad intellectual scope is reflected throughout this volume. For those who would understand the development of one of the most exciting areas of present Scientific research, and one of its most able practicioneers this is a highly recommended work.

An inspiring look at the emergence of a new science

"In Search of Memory" deftly mixes auto-biography with history of neuroscience and selected summaries of the cellular bases of learning and memory. It traces the life of famed neuroscientist, Eric Kandel, beginning with his early childhood in Vienna, his expatriation following Nazi takeover, his prosperous scientific career in the States and ending with his invitation to Stockholm to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Kandel tells us how he switched interests early on in his life, from history to psychoanalysis (which continued to serve as a foundation for his future scientific endeavors) and finally, to the molecular bases of behavior. As a young medical student, entering a research laboratory for the first time, Kandel was initially disappointed that he could not immediately look for a neuroanatomical basis of Freud's structural psychic apparatus. Instead, Kandel began studying nervous systems in a piecemeal fashion - one cell at a time. Moving from mammalian to invertebrate specimens, Kandel finally settled on his model organism, Aplysia californica (a sea snail), in order to pursue his studies on the cellular foundations of learning and memory. This line of research would eventually lead Kandel to make groundbreaking discoveries in the field and decades later, to set up a biotechnology firm (`Memory Pharmaceuticals'), to explore ways of chemically improving memory in human subjects. Throughout the book, Kandel offers the reader a unique and intimate look into how the emerging fields of molecular biology, neuroscience and psychology were coalescing and contributing to the emergence of a new science of mind. For anyone with interest and a background in this field, Kandel's book is a fascinating history lesson and an important source of inspiration. However, the book is also accessible to general, educated readers. The science is not likely to be too overwhelming for someone without a background and Kandel eases the reader into it gently.

Pure candy for us science types

"The search for memory" is the best book I've read this year. I've studied Artificial Intelligence in the early 90's, and love science, and a good story. For someone with this background, this book is pure candy. Kandel's life is intertwined with his attempt to understand what makes us tick. He writes about the scars that Nazi occupation has left on a young Jewish boy in Vienna. These scars lead to a passionate quest for "why", why do people act as they do. Luckily for us, Kandel's attempt to answer this question leads him on a quest that has him surfing the perfect wave of the brain research his whole life. And in this book, we get to experience the wave with him. For me, science books are often either too technical, or too mushy. This one manages to hit the golden middle ground. After reading it, I have a lot better understanding of the brain & memory in general, and some topics I was not really looking to understand: genetics & cell biology. The book is well organized. Kandel's personal memories mix with science and keep things from being too dry. The discoveries he describes come alive with the personalities that made them. And when you forget the exact meaning of some technical term such as "modulating circuit", there is a great glossary appendix to refresh your memory. And the topic of the book is so fascinating. Memory is at the core of who we are, why do remember our summer holiday from 1972 so well, and forget what we had for breakfast today. Science, that invites you to think those grand philosophical thoughts. The book ends around 2004 with author applying his work to Alzeheimer's disease. From Kristalnacht to biotech in a lifetime, what a journey. The only thing I wanted to ask Mr. Kandel was how do we manage to store so many memories. I understand how a single experience is stored, but what ties a sequence of experiences together? Highly recommended for science types, and those who like to mix biology & philosophy.