Why is it that some people breeze through life with the mental clarity of a chess grandmaster, while others struggle to organize their thoughts or even remember where they left their keys?

Our brains are miraculous things. Through a set of processes called executive functions, they drive everything over the course of our lives, allowing us to create and retrieve memories, understand our own and others' emotions, plan our short- and long-term goals, and much more.

Drawing on gripping case studies and cutting-edge research, acclaimed neuroscientist Adrian Owen maps out the architecture of our brains and these executive functions. From encounters with memory champions, athletes who have suffered multiple concussions and patients with conditions such as ADHD, autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, he reveals the importance of these functions not only for the potential of our brains but to our very ways of being.

Think Before You Think presents a remarkable picture of both the brain's brilliance and its fragility, providing practical advice on maintaining our executive functions at every stage of our lives. In doing so, it brings readers to a closer understanding of what it is that makes each of us human.