Brain Under Attack

Does your child have rages, OCD, tics, aggressive behavior, prolonged tantrums and/or anxiety? Is your child exhibiting sudden behavioral changes or a developmental regression? Your child may have PANS. PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) is an umbrella term which includes diagnoses such as PANDAS, PITANDS, and Autoimmune Encephalitis--all of which describe a condition marked by concerning psychiatric and physical symptoms that often appear suddenly. Children in the US are being diagnosed with PANS at a very concerning rate. What is behind this epidemic? What makes a child vulnerable to these conditions? Most importantly, what can be done to bring to bring our kids back to good health? In this book you will learn:

1 in 6 people suffer from brain diseases like MS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Now, a Harvard neurologist takes you inside the brain under attack—and illuminates the path to a cure. Multiple Sclerosis. Parkinson’s Disease. Alzheimer’s. ALS. Chances are, you know someone with a neurologic disease. Because the brain controls so much and is integral to our identity, the diseases that affect it are uniquely devastating both to patients and families. And because it remains the most mysterious of our vital organs, treating the brain is an ongoing puzzle. In The Brain Under Siege, Howard Weiner likens the brain to a crime scene, showing readers how “clues” point to causes and suggest paths to a cure. He takes readers on a journey through the latest technological advances, exploring which routes of investigation have gone cold and which have led to breakthroughs. Readers couldn’t ask for a better guide: A professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic diseases, Weiner is an internationally renowned expert, who pioneered immunotherapy in MS and is currently investigating an Alzheimer’s vaccine. Informative and engaging, this groundbreaking book tells the story behind the science—painting a picture of the discoveries, setbacks, false leads, and victories on the front lines of brain research. Weiner also offers unique insight by exploring the experiences of the brave patients and families who make cutting-edge clinical trials possible. Both a clear-eyed assessment of where the science stands and a gripping and poignant narrative of the dramatic pursuit for a cure, The Brain Under Siege is a must-read for patients, families, and anyone interested in unraveling the mysteries of the brain.

1 in 6 people suffer from brain diseases like MS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Now, a Harvard neurologist takes you inside the brain under attack—and illuminates the path to a cure. Multiple Sclerosis. Parkinson’s Disease. Alzheimer’s. ALS. Chances are, you know someone with a neurologic disease. Because the brain controls so much and is integral to our identity, the diseases that affect it are uniquely devastating both to patients and families. And because it remains the most mysterious of our vital organs, treating the brain is an ongoing puzzle. In The Brain Under Siege, Howard Weiner likens the brain to a crime scene, showing readers how “clues” point to causes and suggest paths to a cure. He takes readers on a journey through the latest technological advances, exploring which routes of investigation have gone cold and which have led to breakthroughs. Readers couldn’t ask for a better guide: A professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic diseases, Weiner is an internationally renowned expert, who pioneered immunotherapy in MS and is currently investigating an Alzheimer’s vaccine. Informative and engaging, this groundbreaking book tells the story behind the science—painting a picture of the discoveries, setbacks, false leads, and victories on the front lines of brain research. Weiner also offers unique insight by exploring the experiences of the brave patients and families who make cutting-edge clinical trials possible. Both a clear-eyed assessment of where the science stands and a gripping and poignant narrative of the dramatic pursuit for a cure, The Brain Under Siege is a must-read for patients, families, and anyone interested in unraveling the mysteries of the brain.

'My first serious blackout marked the line between sanity and insanity. Though I would have moments of lucidity over the coming days and weeks, I would never again be the same person ...' Susannah Cahalan was a happy, clever, healthy twenty-four-year old. Then one day she woke up in hospital, with no memory of what had happened or how she had got there. Within weeks, she would be transformed into someone unrecognizable, descending into a state of acute psychosis, undergoing rages and convulsions, hallucinating that her father had murdered his wife; that she could control time with her mind. Everything she had taken for granted about her life, and who she was, was wiped out. Brain on Fire is Susannah's story of her terrifying descent into madness and the desperate hunt for a diagnosis, as, after dozens of tests and scans, baffled doctors concluded she should be confined in a psychiatric ward. It is also the story of how one brilliant man, Syria-born Dr Najar, finally proved - using a simple pen and paper - that Susannah's psychotic behaviour was caused by a rare autoimmune disease attacking her brain. His diagnosis of this little-known condition, thought to have been the real cause of devil-possessions through history, saved her life, and possibly the lives of many others. Cahalan takes readers inside this newly-discovered disease through the progress of her own harrowing journey, piecing it together using memories, journals, hospital videos and records. Written with passionate honesty and intelligence, Brain on Fire is a searingly personal yet universal book, which asks what happens when your identity is suddenly destroyed, and how you get it back. 'With eagle-eye precision and brutal honesty, Susannah Cahalan turns her journalistic gaze on herself as she bravely looks back on one of the most harrowing and unimaginable experiences one could ever face: the loss of mind, body and self. Brain on Fire is a mesmerizing story' -Mira Bartók, New York Times bestselling author of The Memory Palace Susannah Cahalan is a reporter on the New York Post, and the recipient of the 2010 Silurian Award of Excellence in Journalism for Feature Writing. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, and is frequently picked up by the Daily Mail, Gawker, Gothamist, AOL and Yahoo among other news aggregrator sites.

Deliverance of the Brain is without a doubt, a masterpiece. Reading it will add value to your brain. It brings to the fore, the depth of your intellectual endowment and shows you what it takes to obtain, and experience and retain sound mental health. While this book will show you how to maximize your mental capacity, it will also lead you unto deliverance from every form of mental affliction. This book will move every reader forward. It will put an end to every activity of the enemy in the area of the brain

"Tell the doctor where it hurts." It sounds simple enough, unless the problem affects the very organ that produces awareness and generates speech. What is it like to try to heal the body when the mind is under attack? In this book, Reaching Down the Rabiit Hole, Dr. Allan H. Ropper and Brian David Burrell take the reader behind the scenes at Harvard Medical School's neurology unit to show how a seasoned diagnostician faces down bizarre, life-altering afflictions. Like Alice in Wonderland, Dr. Ropper inhabits a world where absurdities abound: • A figure skater whose body has become a ticking time-bomb • A salesman who drives around and around a traffic rotary, unable to get off • A college quarterback who can't stop calling the same play • A child molester who, after falling on the ice, is left with a brain that is very much dead inside a body that is very much alive • A mother of two young girls, diagnosed with ALS, who has to decide whether a life locked inside her own head is worth living How does one begin to treat such cases, to counsel people whose lives may be changed forever? How does one train the next generation of clinicians to deal with the moral and medical aspects of brain disease? Dr. Ropper and his colleague answer these questions by taking the reader into a rarified world where lives and minds hang in the balance.

Previously published in hardcover: New York: Free Press, 2010.

Most of us have no idea what’s really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know—like the need for physical activity to get your brain working its best. How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget—and so important to repeat new knowledge? Is it true that men and women have different brains? In Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule—what scientists know for sure about how our brains work—and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives. Medina’s fascinating stories and infectious sense of humor breathe life into brain science. You’ll learn why Michael Jordan was no good at baseball. You’ll peer over a surgeon’s shoulder as he proves that most of us have a Jennifer Aniston neuron. You’ll meet a boy who has an amazing memory for music but can’t tie his own shoes. You will discover how: Every brain is wired differently Exercise improves cognition We are designed to never stop learning and exploring Memories are volatile Sleep is powerfully linked with the ability to learn Vision trumps all of the other senses Stress changes the way we learn In the end, you’ll understand how your brain really works—and how to get the most out of it.

Two books in one tell of sixteen-year-old friends Russel, who is gay, and Min, who is bisexual, as they face separate romantic troubles while working as extras on the set of a horror movie.

BRAIN PRESCRIPTIONS THAT REALLY WORK In this breakthrough bestseller, you'll see scientific evidence that your anxiety, depression, anger, obsessiveness, or impulsiveness could be related to how specific structures in your brain work. You're not stuck with the brain you're born with. Here are just a few of neuropsychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen's surprising--and effective--"brain prescriptions" that can help heal your brain and change your life: To Quell Anxiety and Panic: ¸ Use simple breathing techniques to immediately calm inner turmoil To Fight Depression: ¸ Learn how to kill ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) To Curb Anger: ¸ Follow the Amen anti-anger diet and learn the nutrients that calm rage To Conquer Impulsiveness and Learn to Focus: ¸ Develop total focus with the "One-Page Miracle" To Stop Obsessive Worrying: ¸ Follow the "get unstuck" writing exercise and learn other problem-solving exercises