I used the Gazzaniga when I taught Intro to Cognitive Neuroscience even as I wasn't super impressed (which is a common complaint - tolerance, not true acceptance). I know some folks like the Banich book instead.
If, with your Math background, you're interested in neural computation and modeling there are also some good books along those lines. Just let me know and I'll hunt down the links.
Happy to help. Focus on ions and channels if you're interested in neuron functions. That's a typical hangup for those new to biology. Some knowledge of the vascular system also helps. Otherwise, it mostly comes down to classifying cell types then brain and body regions.
For neuroscience first-year grad students, the gold standard is:
http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Neural-Science-Eric-Kandel/...
The fourth edition does a good job at higher-level stuff. But be forewarned: It is biology intensive.
For less biology and more cognitive neuroscience, you can try:
http://www.amazon.com/Cognitive-Neuroscience-Second-Michael-...
or
http://www.amazon.com/Cognitive-Neuroscience-Neuropsychology...
I used the Gazzaniga when I taught Intro to Cognitive Neuroscience even as I wasn't super impressed (which is a common complaint - tolerance, not true acceptance). I know some folks like the Banich book instead.
If, with your Math background, you're interested in neural computation and modeling there are also some good books along those lines. Just let me know and I'll hunt down the links.