Star Trek on the brain

by Robert Sekuler

It's the twenty-third century, and something has gone terribly wrong. A transporter mishap has cleaved Captain Kirk in two, leaving the U.S.S. Enterprise in the unsteady hands of both the rash and impulsive Kirk I and the meek and indecisive Kirk II. In neurological terms, the accident has damaged the Captain's prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain that stores memories crucial to decision making. ("The Enemy Within" from the original Star Trek series). Such is the stuff of Robert Sekuler and Randolph Blake's splicing of Star Trek and up-to-date research in psychology and neuroscience in Star Trek on the Brain. The authors' continuing mission: to boldly lead an expedition through the brain and the mind, using anecdotes from Star Trek movies and episodes of the original Star Trek series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager.