Product Overview
In this groundbreaking work, neurologist Antonio Damasio challenges the long-standing dualism between the mind and the body. Through meticulous clinical case studies—most notably the modern forensic analysis of Phineas Gage—Damasio demonstrates that emotion is not a luxury, but a biological necessity for rational thought.
Core Research Themes
- The Somatic Marker Hypothesis: An exploration of how the brain utilizes "gut feelings" (bioregulation) to filter high-stakes decision-making.
- Prefrontal Cortex Architecture: Detailed analysis of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and its role in integrating emotional signaling with logical reasoning.
- The Body-Mind Feedback Loop: Understanding how peripheral nervous system states (homeostasis) dictate the "window of focus" for the central nervous system.
- Neural Basis of the Self: A neuroanatomical look at how the brain constructs a sense of subjectivity through constant monitoring of the body's internal milieu.
Specifications:
- Title: Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain
- Author: Antonio Damasio
- Publisher: Penguin Books
- Publication Date: September 27, 2005
- ISBN 10: 014303622X
- ISBN 13: 978-0143036227
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 336
- Language: English
- Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 7.7 inches
