The Human Illnesses

The genetic correlates of neuropsychiatric disorders are now known, but none have come close to explaining the great variety of human psychiatric illnesses. This volume, written by a neuropsychiatrist and an evolutionary biologist, offers a new paradigm for understanding these disorders. Proposing that neuronal pathways which underlie neuropsychiatric conditions mirror unique human capabilities, the authors iterate a new paradigm by which to understand human psychiatric illnesses. Human capabilities such as theory of mind, language, and complex social behaviors are explored through their histological, neuroanatomical and functional brain imaging correlates.The capacity for representation, the authors suggest, is central to the understanding of the human brain. Brain structures such as the frontal pole, temporal pole, and fronto-insular cortex are highly developed in humans and are associated with representation. Other brain regions, including the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, auditory cortex, and hippocampus, are linked with directed effort while the ventral anterior cingulate cortex, orbital frontal cortex, and amygdala are related to emotional encoding. Both networks interact with representional regions and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Conditions like schizophrenia may result, in part, from a failure of the networks associated with directed effort while bipolar disorders may arise from a failure of networks associated with emotional encoding. Similarly, autism may result from a failure of representational brain regions; frontotemporal dementia may be associated with failure of several discrete networks in later life. From this perspective, neuropsychiatric disorders are selective failures of brain networks involved in the integration of cognition, affect and perception. A better understanding of these brain networks will assist psychiatric and mental health researchers in the search for environmental factors and genetic correlates of disorders as well as aid in the development of more effective treatments for these diseases. This volume will be of interest to psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, biologists, and imaging scientists--anyone who has ever wondered what makes the human brain human.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Chapter 1- The Human Illnesses John Hughlings Jackson (1835-1911) Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926) Leo Kanner (1894-1981) Arnold Pick (1851-1924) Current DSM-IV-TR Classification Debates about the Usefulness of Current Classifications Could the Human Brain Tell Us Something about these Disorders? Overview of the Volume Chapter 2- Background on the Brain Brain Development Relevant Brain Regions Neuronal Circuits Related to Learning New Behaviors Neuronal Circuits Related to Emotional Regulation Summary Chapter 3- Unique Aspects of the Human Brain The Emergence of Homo Sapiens Brain Size and Morphology Are There Unique Cell Types? Genetic Studies Human Cognition Compared to Non-human Cognition Consciousness Summary Chapter 4- Schizophrenia Epidemiology and Natural Course Neuropsychological Findings Electrophysiological Findings Neurotransmitter Abnormalities Neuropathological Studies Genetic Investigations Brain Imaging Studies Schizophrenia, Increased Apolipoprotein L-1, and Resistance to Trypanosome Brain Infection Overview Chapter 5- Bipolar Disorders Epidemiology and Natural Course Neuropsychological Findings Psychophysiological Findings Neurotransmitter Abnormalities Neuropathological Studies Genetic Investigations Brain Imaging Studies Depression and Inflammation Overview Chapter 6- Autism, ADHD and Anorexia Nervosa Autism - Epidemiology and Natural Course Neuropsychological Findings Psychophysiological Findings Neurotransmitter Abnormalities Neuropathological Studies Genetic Investigations Brain Imaging Studies Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Anorexia Nervosa, Self-awareness and Autism Spectrum Disorders Overview Chapter 7- Frontotemporal Dementia Epidemiology and Natural Course Neuropsychological Findings Neuropathological Studies Genetic Investigations Brain Imaging Studies Overview Chapter 8- Self-monitoring Systems Self-monitoring Systems Brain Imaging Studies of Self-awareness Corollary Discharge Systems Theory of Mind Default Network Overview Chapter 9- Language Systems The Nature of Language Do primates have language? Imaging Language Language Anomalies in Neuropsychiatric Disorders Language Cannot Be Considered in Isolation Chapter 10- Affective Processing and the Social Brain Emotional Processing in Animals Neurobiology of Emotions in Humans The Social Brain Self-awareness, Empathy and Intuition Eating Together and the Complex Social Emotions Implications for Neuropsychiatric Disorders Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Genetic Imprining Overview Chapter 11- Why Do We Have These Disorders? Representation in the Human Brain Schizophrenia Bipolar Disorder Autism Frontotemporal Dementia Neuropsychiatric Disorders and the Representional Brain Genetic Correlates Overview Chapter 12- Implications The Search for Final Common Pathways Should We Give Up on Gene Studies? What do Neuropsychiatric Disorders Tell Us About the Human Brain? What about Other Neuropsychiatric Disorders? The Default Network and the Representational Brain The Represenational Brain, Attentional Networks and Human Awareness How Do the Representional Brain Control Systems Work? Is the Represenational Brain Unique to Humans? Von Economo Neurons and Brain Development Some Limitations of Current Brain Imaging A Final Thought

About the Author :
Peter Williamson: Tanna Schulich Chair in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Schulich School of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario; author of Mind, Brain, and Schizophrenia (OUP, 2006) John M. Allman: Hixon Professor of Neurobiology, California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology Pasadena, CA

Review :
The thesis of the book is reasonable and there is a need to integrate findings from genetics, imaging, neuroscience, and neurocognition into a comprehensive model. Regardless of whether readers agree or disagree with the premise, this will certainly be a step in the right direction. --S. Kristian Hill, PhD Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Neuropsychologist Department of Psychiatry and Center for Magnetic Resonance Research University of Illinois at Chicago "The thesis is certainly provocative, worth elaborating in a book." --Gunvant Thaker, MD Professor of Psychiatry University of Maryland School of Medicine Chief, Schizophrenia Disorders Maryland Psychiatric Research Center Associate Editor, Schizophrenia Bulletin "This spellbinding new book, which presents an important theory of the etiology of the major neuropsychiatric disorders, may be a significant contribution, particularly since the hypotheses are testable. However, only studies and time will tell. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in the brain and the mind." -- Doody's "Williamson and Allman provide an array of current research findings on the neurophysiology, anatomy, and genetics of common mental disorders as well as evolutionary explanations of the neuroscience underlying cognitive processes such as language, representational thought, and the theory of mind." -- PsycCRITIQUES "The volume is a compact, captivating, and current update of vital scientific advances that reflect upon the uniqueness of the human brain, mind, and condition. I highly recommend this book to students and practioners of neurology, psychiatry, and neuropsychiatry as well as to others interested in understanding the unique nature of the remarkable human brain." -- Stuart C. Yudofsky, M.D. The American Jouranl of Psychiatry