About

I started Neuroscientifically Challenged in 2008 on the Blogger platform as a means of exploring my growing interest in neuroscience. From 2009-2013, I took a break from the blog while I completed a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. After finishing my Ph.D., I began teaching in the health sciences at the university level, but found that I missed writing about neuroscience. So, I started neuroscientificallychallenged.com (no longer on Blogger) in 2014.

The website is now an outlet for me to do some of my favorite things: learn, teach, draw, and talk about neuroscience. Almost all of the images on the site are hand-drawn, and I am the sole creator of all of the articles, videos, etc. The information on the site is supported by valid academic sources, which mainly consist of peer-reviewed journal articles and reputable neuroscience textbooks. Most articles include a general reference as well as numerous instances of text that links out to source material (this material may sometimes be blocked by a paywall). References for videos can be found in the video description on YouTube.

Citing

You are welcome to reuse images and videos from this site for non-commercial educational purposes. If you would like the use any of the material on this site for commercial purposes, please contact me at neurochallenged@gmail.com to discuss licensing options.

If you are wondering how to cite information from this site, below is a format you could follow. (It's AMA format, so you should adjust according to your requirements.) My name, and thus the author name, is Marc Dingman. This is how you could, for example, cite the article Know Your Brain: Telencephalon:

Dingman M. Know Your Brain: Telencephalon. Neuroscientifically Challenged. http://www.neuroscientificallychallenged.com/blog/know-your-brain-telencephalon. Published July 7, 2017. Accessed July 27, 2017.

Book

My first book, Your Brain, Explained, was published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing in September 2019. The book was written as an introduction to neuroscience that can be understood by anyone—even those without any neuroscience background at all. My second book, Bizarre, was published in February 2023. Bizarre is an exploration of the strangest conditions and behaviors to emerge from the brain and the neuroscience that underlies them. You can find ordering links for both books here.

Contact

Have comments, questions, or suggestions? Feel free to contact me using the form below or email me at neurochallenged@gmail.com.

YOUR BRAIN, EXPLAINED

Sleep. Memory. Pleasure. Fear. Language. We experience these things every day, but how do our brains create them? Your Brain, Explained is a personal tour around your gray matter. Building on neuroscientist Marc Dingman’s popular YouTube series, 2-Minute Neuroscience, this is a friendly, engaging introduction to the human brain and its quirks using real-life examples and Dingman’s own, hand-drawn illustrations.

Dingman weaves classic studies with modern research into easily digestible sections, to provide an excellent primer on the rapidly advancing field of neuroscience. - Moheb Costandi, author, Neuroplasticity and 50 Human Brain Ideas You Really Need to Know
Reading like a collection of detective stories, Your Brain, Explained combines classic cases in the history of neurology with findings stemming from the latest techniques used to probe the brain’s secrets. - Stanley Finger, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University (St. Louis), author, Origins of Neuroscience
...a highly readable and accessible introduction to the operation of the brain and current issues in neuroscience... a wonderful introduction to the field. - Frank Amthor, PhD, Professor of Psychology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, author, Neuroscience for Dummies
An informative, accessible and engaging book for anyone who has even the slightest interest in how the brain works, but doesn’t know where to begin. - Dean Burnett, PhD, author, Happy Brain and Idiot Brain

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BIZARRE

This book shows a whole other side of how brains work by examining the most unusual behavior to emerge from the human brain. In it, you'll meet a woman who is afraid to take a shower because she fears her body will slip down the drain, a man who is convinced he is a cat, a woman who compulsively snacks on cigarette ashes, and many other unusual cases. As uncommon as they are, each of these cases has something important to teach us about everyday brain function.

Dingman brings the history of neuroscience back to life and weaves in contemporary ideas seamlessly. Readers will come along for the ride of a really interesting read and accidentally learn some neuroscience along the way. - Erin Kirschmann, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology & Counseling, Immaculata University
Bizarre is a collection of stories of how the brain can create zombies, cult members, extra limbs, instant musicians, and overnight accents, to name a few of the mind-scratching cases. After reading this book, you will walk away with a greater appreciation for this bizarre organ. If you are a fan of Oliver Sacks' books, you're certain to be a fan of Dingman's Bizarre. - Allison M. Wilck, PhD, Researcher and Assistant Professor of Psychology, Eastern Mennonite University
A unique combination of storytelling and scientific explanation that appeals to the brain novice, the trained neuroscientist, and everyone in between. Dingman explores some of the most fascinating and mysterious expressions of human behavior in a style that is case study, dramatic novel, and introductory textbook all rolled into one. - Alison Kreisler, PhD, Neuroscience Instructor, California State University, San Marcos
Through case studies of both exceptional people as well as those with disorders, Bizarre takes us on a fascinating journey in which we learn more about what is going on in our skull. - William J. Ray, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, author, Abnormal Psychology