As sites of action for drugs used to treat schizophrenia and Parkinson s disease, dopamine receptors are among the most validated drug targets for neuropsychiatric disorders. Dopamine receptors are also drug targets or potential targets for other disorders such as substance abuse, depression, Tourette s syndrome, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Updated from the successful first edition, "The Dopamine Receptors" serves as a reference work on dopamine receptors while also highlighting the areas of research that are most active today. To achieve this goal, authors have written chapters that set a broad area of research in its historical context, rather than focusing on the research output of their own laboratories. "

'The story of a disease that plunged its victims into a prison of viscous time, and the drug that catapulted them out of it' – Guardian Hailed as a medical classic, and the subject of a major feature film as well as radio and stage plays and various TV documentaries, Awakenings by Oliver Sacks is the extraordinary account of a group of twenty patients. Rendered catatonic by the sleeping-sickness epidemic that swept the world just after the First World War, all twenty had spent forty years in hospital: motionless and speechless; aware of the world around them, but exhibiting no interest in it – until Dr Sacks administered the then-new drug, L-DOPA, which caused them, temporarily, to awake from their decades-long slumber . . .

Neuroblastoma is the single most common solid tumor of childhood. Although children with small primary neuroblastomas alone are almost always cured by surgery, 65% of children with neuroblastoma already have large bulky tumors or metastatic disease by the time of initial diagnosis. For these children, the 5-year survival rate is only somewhere between 5% and 20% with therapies including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and bone marrow transplantation. Dr Schor outlines a new approach to these tumors in order to make a difference for these children. There is much information to support the notion that neuroblastomas represent a developmental aberration of the nervous system, rather than a de novo abnormality in a previously normal cell. While the remote, paraneoplastic effects of neuroblastoma are often the purview of the child neurologist, the neoplasm itself has been viewed and approached therapeutically in much the same manner as all other solid tumors, as the purview of the pediatric oncologist. This work takes the view that approaching neuroblastoma rather as a disorder of nervous system development offers new therapeutic possibilities for this common tumor of childhood.

Prion diseases recently have attracted interest not only scientifically but also socially because of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic and the outbreak of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in the United Kingdom. In 2004, the International Symposium of Prion Diseases for Food and Drug Safety was held October 31-November 2 in Sendai, Japan, where, 20 years earlier, arguments were first heard on whether the etiologic agent of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy was prions or scrapie-associated fibrils. This volume is a collection of current work on prion research that was presented at the 2004 symposium. Topics included range from basic research to clinical aspects of prion diseases, making the book a valuable resource for researchers and clinicians, and encouraging further developments by the next generation of researchers.

The development of new photochemical tools, some synthesized by chemists and some provided by nature, is rapidly changing the way neurobiological research is performed in the modern laboratory. In "Photosensitive Molecules for Controlling Biological Function," expert researchers in the field examine the most cutting-edge tools currently available. Divided into three sections, this detailed compendium features techniques involving natural photosensitive proteins, caged neurotransmitters, and small molecule photoswitches that bestow light sensitivity on ion channels and receptors. Written for the "Neuromethods" series, this volume features the type of meticulous description and implementation advice that is crucial for getting optimal results in the lab.

Authoritative and practical, "Photosensitive Molecules for Controlling Biological Function" provides an unbiased comparison of the various photochemical tools currently available for controlling neuronal activity in order to aid scientists in the vital goal of choosing the right tools for the right job.

The blood-brain-barrier serves to encapsulate and protect the central nervous system, but it also presents a major barricade to therapeutic drug delivery. Poor penetration is the most common hurdle to translating a promising experimental therapy that uses invasive delivery methods to a clinically useful application. In the last 10 years, intranasal delivery of various therapeutic compounds including small chemicals, large proteins, and even stem cells has proven to be very effective in bypassing the blood-brain-barrier and has led to some important advances in translational research for stroke and other neurological diseases. The proposed book will bring together reports from various labs around the world who have had successes in pre-clinical studies of intranasal therapies for various diseases including adult and perinatal stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and others.

Precision Medicine in Neurodegenerative Disorders, Part Two, Volume 193 deals with the "How" in the reconfiguration of our approach to slow the progression of those suffering from diseases of accelerated brain aging. This second Handbook of Clinical Neurology volume offers a rethinking of the animal models on which therapies are tested; outlines the progress and expected changes in biological subtyping efforts using lysosomal, endosomal, mitochondrial, immune dysregulation, and inflammatory mechanisms of disease pathophysiology; and the growing role of microbiome in shaping disease and as a future target of therapeutic efforts. The volume separates the potentially disease-modifying neurorescue and neurorestoration, (e.g., gene therapy and cell replacement therapy) from true precision medicine -matching the biology of those affected with the mechanism of the intervention of interest. Specific chapters are dedicated to the promise and challenges of extracellular vesicles for both diagnosis and treatment, the growing application of digital measures and other evaluations of clinical response, the nuts and bolts of novel adaptive clinical trial designs, and the regulatory changes needed to facilitate drug development for disease-modification purposes.

Metabolic syndrome as an important risk factor for stroke, Alzheimer disease, and depression presents readers with cutting edge and comprehensive information on relationship among metabolic syndrome, stroke, Alzheimer disease, and depression. It is hoped that this monograph will be useful to postgraduate students, faculty, research scientists, pharmacologists, nutritionists, and physicians, who are curious about the molecular mechanisms that link metabolic syndrome with stroke, Alzheimer disease, and depression.

This volume contains the proceedings of the Ninth European Conference on Eye Movements (ECEM 9), held in Ulm, Germany, on September 23-26, 1997. ECEM 9 con tinued a series of conferences initiated by Rudolf Groner of Bern, Switzerland, in 1981 which, from its very beginning, has brought together scientists from very diverse fields with a common interest in eye movements. About 40 of the papers presented at ECEM 9 have been selected for presentation in full length while others are rendered in condensed form. There is a broad spectrum of motives why people have become involved in, and fas cinated by, eye movement research. Neuroscientists have been allured by the prospect of understanding anatomical findings, single unit recordings, and the sequels of experimental lesions in terms of the clearly defined system requirements and the well documented be havioural repertoire of the oculomotor system. Others have been attracted by the richness of this repertoire and its dependence on an intricate hierarchy of factors spanning from "simple" reflexes to visual pattern recognition and spatio-temporal prediction. Neurolo gists, neuro-ophthalmologists and neuro-otologists have long standing experience with eye movements as sensitive indicators of lesions in the brain stem, the midbrain, and the cere bellum. By studying oculomotor malfunctions they have made, and are continuing to make, important contributions to our understanding of oculomotor functions."

Proceedings of Session VII of the Tenth International Symposium on Chromaffin Cell Biology, held August 25-28, 1999, in Bergen, Norway, and a post-symposium workshop on Chromogranins: from Fundamental Physiology to Clinical Aspects, held August 28, 1999, on board the coastal steamer MS Richard With. This book deals with the chromogranins, secretory prohormones from the diffuse neuroendocrine system. The current concepts of their structure, biogenesis, biosynthesis, secretion, tissue-specific distribution, and processing are presented for the first time all within one volume, with emphasis on the functional aspects of the biologically active sequences and the clinical perspectives of the circulation prohormones.

The area of spinal cord plasticity has become a very actively researched field. The spinal cord has long been known to organize reflex patterns and serve as the major transmission pathway for sensory and motor nerve impulses. However, the role of the spinal cord in information processing and in experience driven alterations is generally not recognized. With recent advances in neural recording techniques, behavioral technologies and neural tracing and imaging methods has come the ability to better assess the role of the spinal cord in behavioral control and alteration. The discoveries in recent years have been revolutionary. Alterations due to nociceptive inputs, simple learning paradigms and repetitive inputs have now been documented and their mechanisms are being elucidated. These findings have important clinical implications. The development of pathological pain after a spinal cord injury likely depends on the sensitization of neurons within the spinal cord. The capacity of the spinal cord to change as a function of experience, and adapt to new environmental relations, also affects the recovery locomotive function after a spinal cord injury. Mechanisms within the spinal cord can support stepping and the capacity for this behavior depends on behavioral training. By taking advantage of the plasticity inherent within the spinal cord, rehabilitative procedures may foster the recovery of function.

Much of the recent research in autism comes from a quantitative, researcher's viewpoint. However, this book's mission is to look at the "whole picture" in order to capture the meaning of Autism and its effects on the family. The book is written primarily for social work professionals in the field of autism and developmental disabilities, Students, individuals affected with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their families alike, and anyone who has a special interest in the ASD field. In order to capture the impact of autism, the autor utilizes her own personal and professional experience in identifying the different aspects that make up the culture of autism: its history, the biological and environmental aspects; past and present governmental and educational policies; the social impact of autism and its impact on the family unit.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the role of neuroglia in neurodegenerative diseases. Neuroglia are the most abundant cells in the nervous system and consist of several distinct cell types, such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes,and microglia. Accumulating evidence suggests that neuroglia participate in the neurodegenerative process, and as such are essential players in a variety of diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's. Intended for researchers and students, the book presents recent advances concerning the biology of neuroglia as well as their interaction with neurons during disease progression. In addition, to highlight the function of neuroglia in different types of neurodegenerative disease, it also discusses their mechanisms and effects on protecting or damaging neurons.

There are more than 100 billion brain cells in our heads, and every single one represents a fragment of thought and feeling. And yet each cell is a mystery of beauty, with branching, intricate patterns like shattered glass. Richard Wingate has been scrutinizing them for decades, yet he is still moved when he looks at one through a microscope and traces their shape by hand. With absorbing lyricism and clarity, Wingate shows how each type of cell possesses its own personality and history, illustrating a milestone of scientific discovery and exploring the stories of pioneering scientists like Ramon y Cajal and Francis Crick, and capturing their own fascinating shapes and patterns. Discover the ethereal world of the brain with this elegant little book - and find out how we all think and feel.

Dramatherapy with Elders and People with Dementia illuminates how targeted sessions of dramatherapy can improve the quality of life of elderly people with dementia. The book takes the reader through the dramatherapy experience of a group of people who display a 'feeling intelligence'; a quality that softens distress at vanishing words and clouded memories. Unique in its approach, not only to dramatherapy with elders and people with dementia, it presents an essential validation of older people's life stage development. Rather than being different or 'other', Jaaniste paints word pictures to show human qualities such people have in common with their dementia-free contemporaries. Readers will glean insights into the arts therapies, especially creative drama, meeting examples of elder wisdom, wit and resilience in dealing with life, but especially grief, loss, and deep questions that come with ageing. Enriched with vignettes and anecdotes based on rigorous research and measurement, the book will be suitable for adaptation by arts therapists and other allied health professionals who are interested in using person-centred, strengths-based approaches.

Tinnitus is a prevalent hearing disease, affecting 15% of the population, particularly hearing impaired, veterans and even young people who grow up with mp3 players and iPods. The mechanisms underlying tinnitus remain controversial. At present there is no cure for tinnitus, and treatment options are limited. Different from previous tinnitus books, including A. R. Moller's book [in press at Springer], which typically have a strong clinical flavor, the present volume focuses on neural mechanisms of tinnitus and its behavioral consequences. The proposed book starts with a general summary of the field and a short introduction on the selection and content of the remaining chapters. Chapter 2 overviews tinnitus prevalence and etiologies to set the tone for significance and complexity of this neurological disorder spectrum. Chapters 3-8 cover neuroscience of tinnitus in animal models from molecular mechanisms to cortical manifestation. Chapters 9-12 cover human brain responses to tinnitus and it clinical management.

This book highlights the behavioral and neurobiological issues relevant for drug development, reviews evidence for an innovative approach for drug discovery and presents perspectives on multiple special topics ranging from therapeutic drug use in children, emerging technologies and non-pharmacological approaches to cognitive enhancement.

This volume represents the proceedings of the third in a series of annual inter national symposia. The first, The Neuroregulation of Autonomic, Endocrine, and Immune Systems, was held in Indianapolis in the fall of 1985. The second, Psychological and Biological Approaches to the Understanding of Human Disease, was held in Bielefeld, Germany in the fall of 1986. The theme of this series concerns the communication between the central nervous system and the other major systems of the body, and the purpose is to monitor the frontiers of research into these neuronal/hormonal regulatory interactions and their application to medicine. The present volume deals with the role of peptides and amino acids in these information transfer processes. Great strides have been made in exploring the important role of amino acids and pep tides in neuroregulation, and the ongoing biotechnology revolution promises signi ficant scientific and medical advances throughout the next decade and beyond. The work described in this volume captures the great excitement and pro mise of this biomedical renaissance. This meeting was cosponsored by Searle/ Monsanto and Washington University and held in St. Louis in the early fall of 1986. A major contributor to these proceedings was Dr. Thomas O'Donohue whose chapter deals with his work in characterizing the endogenous ligands for the PCP and sigma opioid receptors. Tom's personality and career personi fied the dedication of this series to the principle of a broad multidisciplinary approach to scientific problems."

Understanding how the brain subserves, and has evolved for, seemingly complex social behavior requires an evolutionarily and psychoanalytically informed framework a framework that sets itself apart from cognitivism and speculations about conscious agency or a "self" as an actor. Any position that does not fully discard the idea that conscious phenomena can cause behavior (or that we have free will), hinders advances toward an evolutionarily feasible theory of brain mechanisms of social behavior. Accordingly, a key concern of the book is to seek clarification of the relationship between consciousness, behavior, and brain. This theme, as well as themes concerned with the constituent elements of human social behavior and personality such as aggression, avoidance, anxiety, and reward seeking run through the book, being incorporated into the discussion of the various brain structures and regulatory mechanisms.Psychoanalysis not only emphasizes the primacy of the unconscious in social behavior, it also allows us to relate all forms of social behavior, and its variations into the extremes of psychopathology, to the expression of a few behavior mechanisms that are deeply rooted in the evolution of defensive and reward-seeking behaviors of vertebrates. Advances in biological psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience, reviewed here, illustrate the functioning under extreme conditions of a system that balances and intertwines defensive, aggressive, and reward-seeking motivational processes processes that lie hidden in the interpersonal and cultural fabric of the social world that surrounds us."

The electric utility industry and its stakeholders in the.United States appear to be at a critical juncture in time. Powerful forces of global proportions are propelling the industry instinctively and in a secular fashion towards restructuring. That the industry will change is a fait accomplii. The nature and timing of the change is still a matter of intense debate, however. Because of the evolution of the industry into its present-day form, i.e. regulated local monopolies in their designated franchise service territories, the relative roles and expectations of various institutions would have to change to conform to the new state in the future. In either encouraging, or allowing this change to happen, society is essentially saying that future societal welfare would be better served by the changed structure contemplated. What that assumption translates into in more direct terms is that creation of future wealth would be better accomplished through redistribution of wealth today. Thoughtful individuals recognize the enormous responsibility placed upon the various entities empowered with jurisdiction over the timing and nature of the structural change. They are trying hard to bring analytical rigor to bear on the debate. One very critical element of this debate on restructuring is the issue of the treatment of transmission. The issue has been variously labeled transmission access, or pricing. Volumes have been written and spoken on this topic.