Build Better Brains

CHAPTER 2

Neuroscience Through the Looking Glass

Neuroscience is a baby science, a mere century old, and our scientific understanding of the brain is nowhere near where we’d like it to be. We know more about the moons of Jupiter than what is inside of our skulls.

—Matt Haig, novelist

I was a typical medical student in the 1990s; I worked hard, studied long hours, and partied late into the night. However, I was terrified because I had read that many thousands of brain cells die every time you drink too much alcohol. Of course, it didn’t stop me at the time, as I always hoped there would be enough brain cells left to pass the exams.

Up until 1998, everybody was clear that the brain was static. You are born with a certain number of neurons and ...