'I loved it. She is in my view the best science writer around - a true descendant of Oliver Sacks' Sathnam Sanghera, author of The Boy with the Topknot


The brain is the most complex structure in the universe.

In Brainstorm the Wellcome Prize-winning author of It's All in Your Head uncovers the most eye-opening symptoms medicine has to offer.

'Powerfully life-affirming... Brainstorm is testament to O'Sullivan's unshowy clarity of thought and her continued marvelling at the mysteries of the brain' Guardian


Brainstorm examines the stories of people whose symptoms are so strange even their doctor struggles to know how to solve them. A man who sees cartoon characters running across the room; a teenager who one day arrives home with inexplicably torn clothes; a girl whose world turns all Alice in Wonderland; another who transforms into a ragdoll whenever she even thinks about moving.


The brain is the most complex structure in the universe, and neurologists must puzzle out life-changing diagnoses from the tiniest of clues - it's the ultimate in medical detective work. In this riveting book, one of the UK's leading neurologists takes you with her as she follows the trail of her patients' symptoms: feelings of deja vu lead us to a damaged hippocampus; spitting and fidgeting to the right temporal lobe; fear of movement to a brain tumour; a missed heart beat to the limbic system.


It's a journey that will open your eyes to the unfathomable intricacies of the brain, and the infinite variety of human capacity and experience.

The brain is the most complex structure in the universe. Accompany one of the UK's top neurologists as she tries to puzzle out some of the most eye-opening symptoms medicine has to offer

About the Author
Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan has been a consultant in neurology since 2004, first working at The Royal London Hospital and now as a consultant in clinical neurophysiology and neurology at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and for a specialist unit based at the Epilepsy Society. She specialises in the investigation of complex epilepsy and also has an active interest in psychogenic disorders. Suzanne's book about psychosomatic illness, It's All in Your Head, won both the Wellcome Book Prize and the Royal Society of Biology Book Prize.

Reviews
Powerfully life-affirming... Brainstorm is testament to O'Sullivan's unshowy clarity of thought and her continued marvelling at the mysteries of the brain -- Colin Grant * Guardian *
A fascinating attempt to draw the lay reader into understanding more about the function and malfunction of the brain by using real-life stories... O'Sullivan is a good, clear writer, lacks pomposity and avoids cliche -- her first book, It's All in Your Head, won the Wellcome Prize -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *
O'Sullivan writes beautifully and is full of wonder... a pleasure -- John Preston * Mail on Sunday *
A tremendously interesting work of medical humanity... The main effect of this fascinating collection of clinical stories, by the end, is to make any reader without brain dysfunction exceedingly grateful for the fragile miracle going in inside their own skull every second -- Steven Poole * Daily Telegraph *
I loved it. She is in my view the best science writer around - a true descendant of Oliver Sacks * Sathnam Sanghera, author of The Boy with the Topknot *



Book Information
ISBN 9781784704995
Author Suzanne O'Sullivan
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Vintage
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 245g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 21mm