Starting with the earliest hint of neurological development, we explore the terrain of the infant brain. Because of the brain's basic plasticity at this and other stages, if you change the experiences, you change the brain. Equal parts fragile and tenacious, development continues unabated across the entire life span through five specific stages: gestation, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. In each of these phases, the opportunities are abundant, while the dangers remain equally apparent. Like a muscle in our arms or legs, if we ignore the brain, leave it untended, it becomes flaccid and slow.

The Secret Life of the Brain explores each of these five stages in detail. Like the PBS series of the same name, the complex subject of leading-edge brain science is presented in terms accessible to all and brought to life through anecdotes and real-life stories. Told by best-selling author Dr. Richard Restak, the majesty and the mystery of human intelligence are unveiled.Full-color photographs and original illustrations adorn each page, bringing the science to life in grand and glorious ways.