Creativity and the Brain

Kenneth M. Heilman received his M.D. degree from the University of Virginia in 1963. He joined the faculty at the University of Florida in 1970 and was promoted to Professor in 1975. He received an endowed chair in 1990, making him the first James E. Rooks, Jr. Professor of Neurology. In 1998, he was awarded the title of Distinguished Professor. He is also a Professor of Clinical and Health Psychology. He is the author or co-author nine texts, and has a total of more than 400 chapters and articles in peer reviewed journals. He is a past President of the International Neuropsychology Society and the Society for Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology. This latter organization also gave him the "Outstanding Achievement Award" for his research and educational contributions to Neurology.

• Definitions. Intelligence. Knowledge and Talents. Cellular Organization. Neuronal Representations. Modularity and Connectivity. Procedural Knowledge. Imagery. Visual Perception. Visual Recognition. Visual Imagery. Handedness. Genesis of Hand Preference. Creativity and Left Hand Preference. Sex. Psychopathology. Intelligence. Laterality and Modularity. Dorsal verses Ventral Systems. Brain Size. Bird Brains. Hormones. Neurological Disorders. Focal Lesions. Epilepsy. Dementia. Developmental Learning Disability. Autism. Neurotransmitters. Relaxation and Sleep. Psychopathology. Subconscious Incubation. The Frontal Lobes. Risk Taking and Substance Abuse. Motivation and Persistence. Divergent Thinking. Aging. Changes of Creativity. Changes in Intelligence. The Aging Brain. The Frontal Lobes. Right Hemispheric Deterioration. Depth of Processing. Hormones. Nurture. The Archimedes Misconception. The Influence of Society. Domains of Creativity. Cultural and Religious Influences. Training. Anxiety.

"The author reviews some of the most important central concepts for anyone interested in the broad field of neuropsychology ... This book is an entertaining and informative read. It provides a rather thorough overview of the theoretical and empirical domain of creativity. Thus this book would be helpful for researchers in many areas of social science, and for anyone interested in creative aspects of human behaviour and the neurophysiological architecture that supports creative behaviour." – Ruth Ann Atchley, University of Kansas, in Laterality"This book discusses how brain mechanisms might be involved in human creativity,artistic and otherwise, and begins with a chapter examining the difficulties in earlier attempts to define creativity. Continuing chapters deal with intelligence, handedness, gender, neurological disorders and aging, among other topics. The very readable text is illustrated with black-and-white diagrams and photographs and also includes many of the author's personal anecdotes. The book will be of interest to people without a background in neuroscience as well as to those in specifically related disciplines." - Booknews.co.uk"Recommended to all college-level libraries for its long-term reference value in multiple disciplines - including Psychology and Neurology. Further recommended to Psychology instructors as a primary text for all courses that examine how the mind develops the individual." - John Aiello, The Electric Review