Trimble, Michael R. 1946- (M.R. Trimble)

PERSONAL:

Born May 20, 1946. Education: Obtained M.Phil. and M.D.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Department of Clinical Neurology, Institute of Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, Queen Sq., London WC1N 3BG, England; fax: 020-7833-8658. E-mail—email.michael.trimble@expertsearch.co.uk.

CAREER:

Psychiatrist and academic. Institute of Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, London, England, consultant physician, beginning 1976, then senior lecturer, then professor of behavioral neurology, chair of behavioral neurology, 1994—. Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Psychiatrists.

WRITINGS:

(Editor, with E.H. Reynolds) Epilepsy and Psychiatry, Churchill Livingstone (New York, NY), 1981.

Neuropsychiatry, Wiley (New York, NY), 1981.

Post-traumatic Neurosis: From Railway Spine to Whiplash, Wiley (New York, NY), 1981.

(Editor) Benzodiazepines Divided: A Multidisciplinary Review, Wiley (New York, NY), 1983.

(Editor, with E. Zarifian) Psychopharmacology of the Limbic System, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 1984.

(Editor) The Psychopharmacology of Epilepsy, Wiley (New York, NY), 1985.

(Editor, with Tom G. Bolwig) Aspects of Epilepsy and Psychiatry, Wiley (New York, NY), 1986.

(Editor) New Brain Imaging Techniques and Psychopharmacology, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 1986.

(Editor, with E.H. Reynolds) What Is Epilepsy? The Clinical and Scientific Basis of Epilepsy, Churchill Livingstone (New York, NY), 1986.

Biological Psychiatry, Wiley (New York, NY), 1988, 2nd edition, J. Wiley (New York, NY), 1996.

(Editor) Chronic Epilepsy: Its Prognosis and Management, Wiley (New York, NY), 1989.

(Editor, with E.H. Reynolds) The Bridge between Neurology and Psychiatry, foreword by Denis Williams, Churchill Livingstone (New York, NY), 1989.

(Editor, with Tom G. Bolwig) The Clinical Relevance of Kindling, Wiley (New York, NY), 1989.

(With Robert M. Post and C.E. Pippenger) Clinical Use of Anticonvulsants in Psychiatric Disorders, Demos (New York, NY), 1989.

Epilepsy, Behaviour and Cognitive Function, 1990.

(Editor) Women and Epilepsy, Wiley (New York, NY), 1991.

(Editor, with Dennis B. Smith and David M. Treiman) Neurobehavioral Problems in Epilepsy, Raven Press (New York, NY), 1991.

The Psychoses of Epilepsy, Raven Press (New York, NY), 1991.

(Editor, with Tom G. Bolwig) The Temporal Lobes and the Limbic System, Wrightson Biomedical (Petersfield, Hampshire, England), 1992.

(Editor, with W. Edwin Dodson) Epilepsy and Quality of Life, Raven Press (New York, NY), 1994.

(Editor) New Anticonvulsants: Advances in the Treatment of Epilepsy, J. Wiley (New York, NY), 1994.

(With Jeffrey L. Cummings) Concise Guide to Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology, American Psychiatric Press (Washington, DC), 1995, 2nd edition, American Psychiatric Press (Washington, DC), 2002.

(Editor, with Jeffrey L. Cummings) Contemporary Behavioral Neurology, Butterworth-Heinemann (Boston, MA), 1997.

(Editor, with Bettina Schmitz) Forced Normalization and Alternative Psychoses of Epilepsy, Wrightson Biomedical (Bristol, PA), 1998.

(Editor, with Ian Hindmarch) Benzodiazepines, Wrightson Biomedical (Philadelphia, PA), 2000.

(Editor, with Bettina Schmitz) The Neuropsychiatry of Epilepsy, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2002.

Somatoform Disorders: A Medicolegal Guide, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2004.

The Soul in the Brain: The Cerebral Basis of Language, Art, and Belief, Johns Hopkins University Press (Baltimore, MD), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Michael R. Trimble is a psychiatrist and academic. He has been associated with the Institute of Neurology at London's National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery since 1976. Trimble's research focuses primarily on neuropsychiatry and behavioral neurology. Trimble edited his first book, Epilepsy and Psychiatry, in 1981 with E.H. Reynolds.

Trimble published The Psychoses of Epilepsy in 1991. The book, geared towards students in related scientific fields, explains the process of classifying the different forms of epilepsy, covers an historical approach showing how doctors and scientists have dealt with epilepsy in the past, and updates anatomical and physiological aspects of the disease to prove his hypothesis on psychoses as demonstrated through depression and epilepsy's schizophrenia-like psychosis. David C. Taylor, writing in the Lancet, called the historical background supplied "helpful." Taylor observed that a number of "important matters are discussed in the book in an even-handed, very well researched, manner." Taylor was concerned, however, that "many of the most distressing relations between psychosis and epilepsy are unmentioned."

With Jeffrey L. Cummings, Trimble edited Contemporary Behavioral Neurology in 1998. The book examines developments fairly new to the field of neurobehavior at the time of publication. Jane Epstein, writing in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, commented that the book "provides a clear, concise, and highly informative guide to recent developments in neurobehavior, presenting an impressive amount of information in a relatively limited space."

In 2000 Trimble edited Benzodiazepines with Ian Hindmarch. The pair looks at the clinical and pharmacological aspects of benzodiazepines usage. They argue how benzodiazepines were overlooked in treating patients with neurological disorders due to the problems the drug faced among psychiatrists. Seven of the thirteen chapters cover the positive aspects of using benzodiazepines for treating epilepsy. Epilepsy is, however, the primary medical condition examined in this account of the benefits of benzodiazepines. Christopher Bench, writing in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, found the book's title misleading, noting that the subject matter "is heavily weighted" in favor of epilepsy treatment. Bench also commented that the chapters "are not all written with equal objectivity." Bench concluded by describing the book as "a specialist text with a general title that is most relevant for and likely to be read by clinicians treating patients with epilepsy."

In 2007 Trimble published The Soul in the Brain: The Cerebral Basis of Language, Art, and Belief. The book covers how brain disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders in particular, give scientists and doctors a window into looking into the behaviors associated with religion and artistic and musical expression. Trimble also covers the neuroanatomy of emotion, music and the brain, language and the brain, and neurotheology. Trimble collected much of the information for the book based on experiences he encountered with his patients (put in writing by the patients themselves). A contributor to the Midwest Book Review described the book as "an intriguing, lively survey."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Journal of Psychiatry, May, 1992, Jordi E. Obiols, review of The Clinical Relevance of Kindling, p. 705; October, 1992, Nashaat N. Boutros, review of The Psychoses of Epilepsy, p. 1401; April, 1996, Stephen Salloway, review of Epilepsy and Quality of Life, p. 570; April, 1998, Philip G. Janicak, review of Biological Psychiatry, 2nd edition, p. 568.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, October, 2007, S.A. Huettel, review of The Soul in the Brain: The Cerebral Basis of Language, Art, and Belief, p. 308.

Contemporary Psychology, April, 1990, review of Epilepsy, Behaviour and Cognitive Function, p. 406; May, 1990, review of Biological Psychiatry, p. 458.

Hindu (Chennai, India), April 11, 1998, Asha Krishnakumar, author interview.

JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, August 22, 2007, Mark H. Fleisher, review of The Soul in the Brain, p. 930.

Journal of Forensic Sciences, October, 1984, Franklin Drucker, review of Post-traumatic Neurosis: From Railway Spine to Whiplash, p. 1266.

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, December, 2001, Christopher Bench, review of Benzodiazepines, p. 822.

Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, fall, 1998, Jane Epstein, review of Contemporary Behavioral Neurology, pp. 470-471.

Journal of the Forensic Science Society, September 1, 1984, Alistair R. Brownlie, review of Post-traumatic Neurosis, p. 529.

Lancet, July 14, 1990, David Hilton-Jones, review of Chronic Epilepsy: Its Prognosis and Management, p. 84; September 7, 1991, David C. Taylor, review of The Psychoses of Epilepsy, p. 620.

Medicine, Science, and the Law, October, 1982, Gillian Waldron, review of Post-traumatic Neurosis, p. 294.

Medico-Legal Journal, January, 1982, J.J. Bradley, review of Post-traumatic Neurosis, p. 38.

Midwest Book Review, September, 2007, review of The Soul in the Brain.

Quarterly Review of Biology, December, 1995, Allan F. Mirsky, review of Epilepsy and Quality of Life, p. 539.

SciTech Book News, October, 1986, review of New Brain Imaging Techniques and Psychopharmacology, p. 22; June, 1991, review of The Psychoses of Epilepsy, p. 24; March, 1993, review of The Temporal Lobes and the Limbic System, p. 25; November, 1994, review of Epilepsy and Quality of Life, p. 26; November, 1996, review of Biological Psychiatry, 2nd edition, p. 41; December, 1998, review of Forced Normalization and Alternative Psychoses of Epilepsy, p. 65; September, 2007, review of The Soul in the Brain.

ONLINE

Institute of Neurology Web site,http://www.ion.ucl.ac.uk/ (February 11, 2008), author profile.