After providing all the funding for The Brain from Top to Bottom for over 10 years, the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction informed us that because of budget cuts, they were going to be forced to stop sponsoring us as of March 31st, 2013.

We have approached a number of organizations, all of which have recognized the value of our work. But we have not managed to find the funding we need. We must therefore ask our readers for donations so that we can continue updating and adding new content to The Brain from Top to Bottom web site and blog.

Please, rest assured that we are doing our utmost to continue our mission of providing the general public with the best possible information about the brain and neuroscience in the original spirit of the Internet: the desire to share information free of charge and with no adverstising.

Whether your support is moral, financial, or both, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Bruno Dubuc, Patrick Robert, Denis Paquet, and Al Daigen




Tuesday, 14 February 2023
Brain in pieces versus brain-body-environment resulting from a long evolutionary process

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In 2021, Dr. Casey Henley, an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology at Michigan State University, published a free online book entitled Foundations of Neuroscience, intended for university undergraduate students. She deserves much credit for this initiative to make basic knowledge about neuroscience and the human brain available to this audience, as well as for the clarity of this book’s content and illustrations, which is exceptional for an introductory textbook in this field. This clarity carries over into the book’s overall structure, which follows a traditional model. It starts with chapters on the anatomy of the neuron, the ionic mechanisms of action potentials and the basics of synaptic integration. Next come chapters on the more general organization of the nervous system, including the various “sensory systems” and then the “motor system.” Lastly, there are chapters on “behaviour”, including phenomena such as motivation and reward, fear, stress and the behaviours associated with sexual differentiation. (more…)

From the Simple to the Complex | Comments Closed


Monday, 10 October 2022
A free neuroscience textbook

Today I want to tell you about an excellent neuroscience textbook that you can read online absolutely for free! Neuroscience: Canadian 2nd Edition Open Textbook” is a very complete, typical undergraduate-level treatment of its subject, divided into four units: 1. Neuroscience: The Basics; 2. Neurodegeneration; 3. Fundamental Neuroscience Techniques (and when to use them); and 4. Emergent Topics in Neuroscience. Unit 1 covers not only the anatomy and physiology of the entire nervous system, but also those of the system, which is so closely linked to it. Unit 3, on neuroscience techniques, is fairly extensive, explaining highly complex techniques such as optogenetics. Unit 4 delves into subjects that are getting a lot of attention from cognitive scientists today and that you’d never have seen in a neuroscience textbook 10 or 20 years ago, such as the beneficial effects of art, exercise and meditation on the brain. The book also includes quiz questions and links to videos on other websites. (more…)

From the Simple to the Complex | Comments Closed