Book Description | has an Achilles' heel: the molecules that give us life can also sabotage our minds. This book contains fascinating stories of molecules gone wild and the diseases that have arisen in their wake. A college student can't remember whether she ate breakfast, and by dinnertime she's confined to a hospital bed, convinced she's fighting a zombie apocalypse. A man who wants to propose to his girlfriend has violent rages and convulsions so severe he nearly bites off his tongue. One by one, poor farmers in South Carolina are falling victim to a mysterious epidemic of dementia. With a fascinating blend of history and suspense, Peskin invites readers to play medical detective, following each diagnosis from the patient to his ailing nervous system. Every now and then, she throws along delightful tales of scientists who were sometimes eccentric, sometimes criticized and ridiculed, but who remained dedicated to the end. And never lose sight of the human impact of the disease. Alzheimer’s, for example, is not just the gradual loss of a loved one; it can be a curse that is passed down through generations of families. The proteins in every cell in our bodies are not just strands of oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon; they are the building blocks of our personalities and relationships. “A Molecule from Madness” is an unforgettable journey into the deepest secrets of our brain |