What will I learn about: why the human brain is the ultimate adaptable technology, constantly "livewiring" and reconfiguring itself based on your unique experiences rather than just your DNA?

Discover why the human brain is the ultimate adaptable technology, constantly "livewiring" and reconfiguring itself based on your unique experiences rather than just your DNA.

What will I learn about: how brain regions continually adjust and compete for territory, allowing individuals to repurpose unused areas to develop exceptional new skills, like heightened musical talent in the blind?

Understand how brain regions continually adjust and compete for territory, allowing individuals to repurpose unused areas to develop exceptional new skills, like heightened musical talent in the blind.

What will I learn about: Learn how your brain can process any type of sensory information it receives, enabling incredible feats like "seeing" through touch or literally feeling invisible magnetic fields?

Learn how your brain can process any type of sensory information it receives, enabling incredible feats like "seeing" through touch or literally feeling invisible magnetic fields.

What will I learn about: Explore the process of "motor babbling" to see how the brain uses trial and feedback to master complex new physical tasks, from riding reverse-steering bicycles to operating a body without arms?

Explore the process of "motor babbling" to see how the brain uses trial and feedback to master complex new physical tasks, from riding reverse-steering bicycles to operating a body without arms.

What will I learn about: how the brain's remarkable output flexibility paves the way for advanced technologies, allowing minds to effortlessly control wireless prosthetics and remote robotic limbs simply through thought?

Find out how the brain's remarkable output flexibility paves the way for advanced technologies, allowing minds to effortlessly control wireless prosthetics and remote robotic limbs simply through thought.

Livewired

The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain

David Eagleman

★ 4.7 / 5(316 ratings)

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Categories:

Science

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Did you know that your brain isn’t like a pre-programmed computer, but is actually a 'livewired' system that physically reconfigures itself every single day?
💡Have you ever wondered why we dream, and what this nightly ritual reveals about the brain’s competitive struggle for internal 'real estate'?
💡What if you could plug entirely new senses into your brain, allowing you to perceive things like data streams or invisible light as easily as you see colors?

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Key Takeaways from Livewired

✓Discover why the human brain is the ultimate adaptable technology, constantly "livewiring" and reconfiguring itself based on your unique experiences rather than just your DNA.
✓Understand how brain regions continually adjust and compete for territory, allowing individuals to repurpose unused areas to develop exceptional new skills, like heightened musical talent in the blind.
✓Learn how your brain can process any type of sensory information it receives, enabling incredible feats like "seeing" through touch or literally feeling invisible magnetic fields.
✓Explore the process of "motor babbling" to see how the brain uses trial and feedback to master complex new physical tasks, from riding reverse-steering bicycles to operating a body without arms.
✓Find out how the brain's remarkable output flexibility paves the way for advanced technologies, allowing minds to effortlessly control wireless prosthetics and remote robotic limbs simply through thought.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Livewired

Mind Map

Livewired

The Concept of Livewiring+

Sensory Processing (Inputs)+

Motor Control (Outputs)+

Rules of Adaptation+

Efficiency & Stability+

Aging & Plasticity+

Memory Mechanics+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8

What does neuroscientist David Eagleman mean by the term 'livewiring'?

A. The brain's ability to constantly reconfigure and adapt itself based on experiences and interactions.
B. The process of implanting tiny computers, like cochlear implants, into the human nervous system.
C. The brain's reliance on its fixed DNA code to pre-program all sensory and motor functions.
D. The technique of using wireless technology to control artificial limbs with brainpower.

Question 2 of 8

What did Paul Bach-y-Rita's 1960s experiment, which used a grid of Teflon tips on a blind man's back, demonstrate?

A. The brain can process sensory information fed into the skin as if it were visual information from the eyes.
B. The somatosensory cortex cannot be rewired after a person reaches adulthood.
C. Mechanical movements are processed significantly faster by the brain than visual stimuli.
D. Blind individuals naturally develop a heightened sense of touch strictly through genetic adaptation.

Question 3 of 8

According to the book, how does the brain learn to operate new physical forms or master new tasks?

A. By relying strictly on genetic blueprints inherited from parents to dictate movement.
B. Through a process called 'motor babbling,' which involves a feedback loop of trial and error.
C. By waiting for the chemical acetylcholine to permanently lock in the first successful movement.
D. Through the immediate formation of new synapses in the primary auditory cortex.

Question 4 of 8

Why does a Japanese speaker like 'Hayato' lose the ability to distinguish between the 'R' and 'L' sounds as he grows up?

A. The auditory cortex naturally degrades as a child grows older, limiting their phonetic range.
B. Japanese speakers lack the specific genetic markers required to process distinct consonant sounds.
C. The brain stops processing the sounds separately because the distinction is not useful or important in the Japanese language.
D. The brain's somatosensory cortex takes over the auditory processing areas, crowding out phonetic differentiation.

Question 5 of 8

Why did people in the 1980s mistakenly think the IBM logo had a tinge of red?

A. The brain locks down stable information, so staring at green text monitors caused people to see the complementary color red when looking away.
B. IBM subtly changed the logo's color for a brief period as a marketing stunt, which people subconsciously remembered.
C. The brain's plasticity was temporarily altered by the high-frequency radiation emitted by early computer screens.
D. Older memories endure more effectively, and people were recalling an earlier, red version of the logo from their childhood.

Question 6 of 8

What is a key reason provided in the book for why different parts of the brain solidify at different rates as we age?

A. The brain prioritizes solidifying areas related to physical movement over those related to sensory input to ensure survival.
B. The brain fixes constant, unchanging information first (like language rules) to save energy for processing things that frequently change.
C. The brain's acetylcholine production completely stops by the time a person reaches their twenties, halting all plasticity.
D. Genetic coding dictates that the somatosensory cortex must solidify before the auditory cortex regardless of environment.

Question 7 of 8

What surprising finding emerged from the 'Nun Study' regarding brain plasticity in old age?

A. The nuns had completely halted the aging process of their somatosensory cortexes through daily meditation.
B. Nuns who learned new languages were able to reverse the physical effects of missing brain hemispheres.
C. A third of the nuns had physical signs of Alzheimer's in their brains but showed no symptoms in life because their active brains kept rewiring.
D. The nuns retained perfect childhood memories because they lived in a highly stable, unchanging environment.

Question 8 of 8

How does the book describe the storage of memories in the brain?

A. Memories are stored in a single, centralized region of the brain for quick and efficient retrieval.
B. Memories are held exclusively within the synapses of the primary auditory cortex.
C. Memories are distributed across multiple areas of the brain, similar to the concept of cloud computing.
D. Memories are permanently locked into the brain's homunculus during early childhood development.

Livewired — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — Brains can rewire themselves as needed.
32 — The brain can process any kind of sensory information it receives.
43 — The brain can learn to control any body it’s connected to.
54 — The brain adapts according to what matters most to it.
65 — The brain stores stable information so we don’t have to think about it.
76 — Brain plasticity decreases as we get older.
87 — Older memories last better than newer ones.
98 — Final summary

Livewired Summary & Overview

Livewired (2020) is an exploration into how the brain is constantly reconfiguring itself. As it learns new information about the world around it, the brain changes shape. We’re always discovering more about its astonishing adaptability.

Who Should Listen to Livewired?

Fans of popular science
Students of biology and human anatomy
People keen to expand their own brains

About the Author: David Eagleman

Dr. David Eagleman is a neuroscientist and internationally best-selling author. His books include The Brain and Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain. He also created and hosted an Emmy-nominated TV series on the brain, and he runs the neuroscience hardware company NeoSensory

Livewired

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to Livewired — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from Livewired

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Livewired — Full Chapter Overview

Livewired Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to Livewired?

About the Author: David Eagleman

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