"Here, Northoff considers the much-discussed issue of the resting state in a novel light: in the context of the neural code. Many features and functions of the resting state as well as of the neural code are still unclear, but by connecting these issues, Northoff creates a highly fruitful discussion of consciousness. This is an excellent book-unique in its scope and breadth. It could become a landmark publication with a major and lasting impact on neuroscientists working in different fields." Simone Grimm, Neuropsychologist and Neuroscientist, Psychiatric University Hospital in Zurich, Charité Berlin "Georg Northoff, an eminent neuroscientist with a solid base in philosophy and psychiatry, takes upon himself a huge conceptual task-presenting a theory of brain function which will be able to explain the origin and nature of mental states. At the basis of Northoff's proposal is the belief that the brain (and mind) cannot be explained by merely referring to higher-level animals. Such an assumption may hinder the possibility of explaining the generation of mental states, since some of them can be found in lower-level animals. This approach provides many original insights which may give us a new and more plausible picture of the brain and the mind.

" Aaron Ben-Ze'ev, Professor of Philosophy, President, University of Haifa "Georg Northoff's Unlocking the Brain presents a deeply missing link between philosophy and neuroscience. His critical neurophilosophic ansatz is intensely wanted by neuroscientists, since most of them have a strong feeling that something like this landmark study has been missing. If only for the observation that even at rest our 'selfish' brain consumes twenty to thirty percent of all our body's energy, Northoff's 'resting state' and neural coding ideas are as evident as they are fascinating. The book itself is well-structured, easy to read, well-figured, well-presented and, last but not least, convincing." Prof. Alexander Sartorius, Head, Research Group Translational Imaging and ECT Supervision and Research, Senior Psychiatrist, University of Heidelberg "Northoff's is a unique and thrilling book. After discussing different concepts involved in the neural code like sparse and predictive coding, the author suggests an alternative concept: difference-based coding as distinguished from stimulus-based coding. The result, based on a wide and detailed amount of data, is a sometimes unorthodox but highly illuminating interdisciplinary perspective.

" Xuchu Weng, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, Founding Director, Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders Northoff's two volumes constitute profound accounts of brain functions, especially emergence of consciousness. Rather than just focusing on environmentally responsive senorimotor and cognitive functions, he considers brains' endogenous activities as the critical starting point, for explaining how brain functions become conscious. While linking cellular and network neuroscience, Northoff integrates phenomenal and philosophical frameworks, offering abundant and unique testable hypotheses. His groundbreaking arguments illuminate obscure brain functions, especially consciousness, with affect and emotion at the very core. Prof. Jaak Panksepp, Baily Endowed Chair of Animal Well-Being Science, Washington State University. Author of "Affective Neuroscience" and the "Archaeology of Mind". "This intriguing book is the author's magnum opus on the fundamental properties of the brain and how the brain, from its fundamental properties, produces consciousness.

This book is extremely scholarly with voluminous citations of the scientific literature. The indexes of the two volumes are very helpful." --Michael Joel Schrift, Doody's.