Until about fifty years ago the human brain was a black box. In recent years, a few windows in the black box have been opened, and through them we can peer in and see how the brain functions. This is the brain revolution.

This book examines the brain revolution from several perspectives. We will see how neurons in our brain talk to each other, we will examine how communication in the nervous system affects mental illnesses and generates them, and we will understand the great importance of this communication to an understanding of the influence of drugs on the human brain and on human behavior.

The book is based on two series of lectures for the general public in recent years, on the Army Radio station and at the Van leer Jerusalem Institute.