Review of Norman DoidgeÕs ÒThe brain that changes itself: Stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science.Ó (Penguin Books, 2007) by Steve M. Potter June 1, 2008 This book could easily be mistaken for a self-help book. It may serve that purpose for some readers, but it is actually more of a science documentary about the amazing learning powers of the human brain, complete with fascinating and well-written interviews of a number of influential brain scientists, and comprehensive end notes. Doidge is an excellent writer, making his complex subject matter very understandable and down-to-earth by adding personal touches here and there. He manages to do this without being obtrusive or annoying as some authors with an agenda do. His agenda is pretty simple: donÕt believe the saying, ÒYou canÕt teach an old dog new tricks.Ó He details a wide variety of cases where one would assume that the brain is finished learning and improving, but - surprise! - it learns. He explores the concept of Òbrain plasticity,Ó meaning its ability to be molded like plasticine modeling clay that never hardens. Here are some examples, each of which takes up most of a chapter: Paul Bach-y-Rita developed devices that allow the blind to see again via their tactile sense, and to restore the sense of balance to people who have damage to their vestibular system. Accelerometers send tiny electrical stimuli to the patientÕs tongue, training them to walk gracefully without falling again. Michael Merzenich developed auditory training systems that speed up processing in the brains of dyslexics and autistic children, and it seems, in anyone who goes through the course. This allows them not only to read and write better, but to listen and communicate better. Jeffrey Schwartz developed cognitive training, based on brain scans of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, that allows patients to Òshift the gearÓ out of their brain-lock by practicing new thoughts, and new actions, instead of repeating compulsions. Edward Taub developed Òconstraint-induced therapyÓ for people paralyzed by stroke. By constraining the good limb and forcing patients to use the affected limb, new brain circuits can be called into service to replace lost brain tissue and restore movement and sensation. For someone whose arm has been amputated, using the affected limb is not an option...or is it? V. S. Ramachandran helps patients who have pain or other annoying feelings coming from their phantom (imagined) limb, by having them practice moving their good arm next to a mirror that somehow tricks the brain into thinking the phantom limb can move, too. After enough mirror-box training with symmetrical orchestra-conductor movement commands to their phantom and real arms, the phantom problems vanish. There are accurate descriptions of basic science research highlighting different aspects of brain plasticity, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation by Alvaro Pascual-Leone, and adult neurogenesis by Fred Gage. Doidge describes a few of his own psychotherapy cases that take advantage of brain plasticity, and reviews a number of concepts from Freud that remain useful today in getting patients to change unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors. This is the best book on brain plasticity that I know of, a topic that is often given marginal coverage in otherwise good neuroscience textbooks. He has done a good job of gathering and explaining a spectrum of examples showing that this is what the brain, especially the human brain, does well: change itself. Important historical context is included, showing us how the notion of functional remodeling in the brain has met with much resistance in the neuroscience community for decades. The interviewees Doidge chose are neuroscience pioneers that I often speak of in neuroscience courses I teach at Georgia Tech. My only criticism with the book is the inclusion of some material in the chapter on sexual attraction and love, about deviant sexual behavior. Not for kids, or the squeamish. It seems out of place, as if the editors felt it would boost sales by giving it an NC-17 rating. He did not have to appeal to our prurient side, since the book has so much else to offer. Readable by lay people and scientists alike, the index and end notes allow this book to serve as a starting point for further reading on all of its topics.