Connections

Since the dawn of humankind, mental illness has been one of our greatest causes of suffering. But for the majority of our history, its causes have remained a mystery. Professor Karl Deisseroth - whose breakthrough discovery, Optogenetics, allows us to decipher the brain's workings using light - reveals what mental illnesses really are, why we suffer from them, and the unexpected role they have played in our evolution.

With moving and revelatory stories from personal and professional experience, Deisseroth takes us on a dazzling journey through the depths of emotion, illuminating the roots of depression and schizophrenia while shedding new light on dementia and psychosis. Connections will transform the way we understand the brain - and our very selves.