The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery - Barbara K. Lipska (with Elaine McArdle) (Book)

Title: The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery

Author: Barbara K. Lipska (with Elaine McArdle)

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Publication Date: April 3, 2018

ISBN: 9781328787309

The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind is a compelling memoir by Barbara K. Lipska, a renowned neuroscientist and director of the Human Brain Collection Core at the National Institute of Mental Health. In 2015, Lipska was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma that had spread to her brain’s frontal lobe. As the cancer progressed, she began experiencing profound behavioral and cognitive changes, including symptoms resembling mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and dementia.

Lipska’s journey is uniquely insightful, as she applies her extensive knowledge of neuroscience to understand and interpret her own descent into mental illness. Her experiences offer a rare, first-person perspective on the fragility and resilience of the human brain. Through aggressive treatment, including immunotherapy, she eventually regained her mental faculties and returned to her professional and athletic pursuits.

This memoir not only chronicles Lipska’s personal battle with brain cancer but also provides valuable insights into the workings of the brain, the nature of mental illness, and the challenges of recovery. It’s a testament to human resilience and the intricate connections between brain function and identity.