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Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist)

Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) rather than just read about it. In short: Patrick McNamara (born 1956) is an American neuroscientist and an Associate Professor of Neurology at the Department of Neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine and the VA New England HealthCare System. His work has centered on three major topics: sleep and dreams, religion, and mind/brain.

Key takeaways

  • Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Patrick McNamara (born 1956) is an American neuroscientist and an Associate Professor of Neurology at the Department of Neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine and the VA New England HealthCare System. His work has centered on three major topics: sleep and dreams, religion, and mind/brain.

Biography In 2022, McNamara, along with Dr. Jordan Grafman of Northwestern University, received a major award from the John Templeton Foundation for his seminal contributions to the emerging scientific field of the cognitive neuroscience of religion (See: Cognitive Neuroscience of Religious Cognition)

Books

Published Patrick McNamara, The cognitive neuroscience of religious experience. 2nd edition; Cambridge University Press, 2022, ISBN 978-1108833172 Patrick McNamara, The neuroscience of sleep and dreams. 2nd edition; Cambridge University Press, 2022, ISBN 978-1316629741 Patrick McNamara, The cognitive neuropsychiatry of Parkinson's Disease, MIT Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-262-01608-7 Patrick McNamara, The neuroscience of religious experience, Cambridge University Press, 2009, ISBN 978-0521889582 Patrick McNamara, An evolutionary psychology of sleep and dreams. Cambridge University Press, 2004. ISBN 9780275978754 Patrick McNamara and Wesley J. Wildman, Science and the world's religions, Praeger, 2012, ISBN 978-0313387326 Patrick McNamara, Where God and science meet : how brain and evolutionary studies alter our understanding of religion, Praeger Publishers, 2006, ISBN 0275987884 Patrick McNamara, Nightmares : the science and solution of those frightening visions during sleep, Praeger, 2008, ISBN 978-0313345128 Patrick McNamara, Spirit possession and history: History, psychology, and neurobiology. Westford, CT: ABC-CLIO. 2011. Patrick McNamara, Mind and variability: Mental Darwinism, memory and self. Westport, CT: Praeger/Greenwood Press. 1999.

Edited Deirdre Barrett and Patrick McNamara, Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreams, Greenwood, 2012, ISBN 978-0313386640

References

External links Official page at Boston University

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist)

In research
Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1956 births, American neuroscientists, Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) in simple terms?

Patrick McNamara (born 1956) is an American neuroscientist and an Associate Professor of Neurology at the Department of Neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine and the VA New England HealthCare System. His work has centered on three major topics: sleep and dreams, religion, and mind/b…

Why does Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist) matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Patrick McNamara (neuroscientist).

Tags

  • 1956 births
  • American neuroscientists
  • Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni
  • Boston University faculty
  • Living people
  • Neuroimaging researchers
  • University of Massachusetts Boston alumni

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