NONFICTION - Jan. 21, 1996

BRAINSCAPES: An Introduction to What Neuroscience Has Learned About the Structure, Function and Abilities of the Brain by Richard Restak, M.D. (Hyperion: $19.95; 149 pp.). It’s a little scary--the idea that “we essentially create our own brains by means of the choices that we make about how we will live our lives.” How so? In essence, because of the brain’s “use it or lose it” constitution: “Certain connections among neurons are strengthened or weakened” according to activity or inactivity, with the result that genetically identical twins (for example) can have totally different personalities. Richard Restak, a neurologist and author of numerous popular science books on the brain, here provides an overview of his field, and if “Brainscapes” is too once-over-lightly, it’s engaging nonetheless. Researchers have begun to isolate the brain receptors associated with certain types of behavior, meaning that some day there may be a “cure,” say, for shyness or pessimism; they’ve also found that nicotine stimulates the generation of receptors--meaning that smoking is in one way actually good for your health, since those receptors are associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Restak is a lucid guide to the frontiers of brain science, but in the end “Brainscapes” reads more like an extensive magazine article than a book--not surprisingly, since it’s being published in conjunction with Discover magazine.