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The Limbic System
by Robert Isaacson
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Springer (1982-07-01)
ISBN: 0306408740
EAN: 9780306408748
Dewy Decimal #: 599.0188
Hardcover: 327 pages
Edition: 1
SKU: T071050-7324
Condition: Very Good
Comments: Ex-university library (few marks). Very good overall condition. No writing, very tight binding. No dust cover. Ships same day or next in a bubble mailer. Enjoy.
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Customer Reviews
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Important classic
Rating  (5)
Date: 2000-10-11
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
This was the classic work on the limbic system when I was a doctoral student in neurobiology. After about 50 pages of pretty intense neuroanatomy on the various areas, the author gets into the real meat of the book, discussing the functional aspects of this important area. Many of the studies concern results from classical ablation-type and electrophysiological experiments.
The concluding and final chapter of the book is the most interesting, because here Isaacson proposes a general theory of the limbic system and what it really does. His idea is very subtle--the limbic system is concerned with the selective inhibition of retroactive interference. This means it is involved with an extremely pervasive but subtle aspect of learning. He mentions Lethe, who was the Greek god of forgetfulness. He suggests the limbic system has a comparable role in the overall functioning brain. I thought this was very interesting idea.
I have been out of the field for some years now. At the time I predicted that the limbic system and cognitive neuroscience would become a big area. This was back in the late 70's. I can only say that this prediction was right on, based on what has happened since, what with books like Joseph Ledoux's The Emotional Brain and others having been written since that time.
But back when I was a grad student Isaacson's book was the only general survey of limbic system research I could find, and it made for fascinating reading. It was through this great book that I first acquired a detailed understanding of structures such as the amygdala, hippocampus, septal nucleus, cingulate gyrus, and the other important limbic system areas.
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