Richard Restak has published twenty-five books on the human brain, with three of them New York Times bestsellers. His essays and articles have appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, London Observer, Huffington Post, Vogue, and the American Scholar. He has been profiled in the Washington Post, the New York Times, The Guardian, and The Times (London). He is a past recipient of the Claude Bernard Science Journalism Award, given by the National Society for Medical Research. He is as a former president of the American Neuropsychiatric Association.

He has lectured on brain and behavior to groups as varied as the Smithsonian; the 92nd Street Y; the Library of Congress; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Goddard Space Flight Center; the Society of Statesmen, US Capitol, Washington, DC; the National Security Agency; the Central Intelligence Agency; the Department of State; the Foreign Service Institute, Washington, DC; the Pentagon; Renaissance Weekend (multiple times); Aspen Institute; Ruben Museum of Art; and the Brookings Institute.

Richard Restak's media appearances have included the Today Show, Good Morning America, NPR Weekend Edition, Larry King Weekend, the Discovery Channel, the One-on-One Show with John McLaughlin, the Diane Rehm Show innumerable times, the Jim Bohannon Show, the Charlie Rose Show, and All Things Considered (NPR).