Food and water are necessary for survival, but can only be obtained via ingestive behavior (feeding, drinking, and moving). Survival thus depends on the ability of the brain to coordinate the need for water and energy with appropriate behaviors to modify their intake as necessary for homeostasis. However, the balance of these behaviors also inherently determines body weight, and imbalances contribute to the development of weight disorders, such as obesity and anorexia nervosa. The lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) of the brain is anatomically positioned to coordinate the sensation of osmotic and energy status with goal-directed ingestive behaviors necessary to maintain homeostasis and body weight, and, hence, may hold insight into the potential treatment for energy balance disorders. This volume reviews the essential role of the LHA for the control of body weight, from its historical description as a ""feeding center"" to the current view of this LHA as a cellularly heterogeneous hub that regulates multiple aspects of physiology to influence body weight. Furthermore, we evaluate how specific LHA populations coordinate certain metabolic cues and behaviors, which may guide the development of pathway-specific interventions to improve the treatment of energy balance disorders.

As humans interact more often and more intimately with computers, and as computational systems become an ever more important element of our society, playing roles in education, the production of culture and goods, and management, it is inevitable that we should seek to interact with these systems in ways that take advantage of our powerful emotional capabilities. Creating Synthetic Emotions through Technological and Robotic Advancements compiles progressive research in the emerging and groundbreaking fields of artificial emotions, affective computing, and sociable robotics that allow humans to begin the once impossible-seeming task of interacting with robots, systems, devices, and agents. This landmark volume brings together expert international researchers to expound upon these topics as synthetic emotions move toward becoming a daily reality.

A provocative and fascinating look at new discoveries about the brain that challenge our ethics

The rapid advance of scientific knowledge has raised ethical dilemmas that humankind has never before had to address. Questions about the moment when life technically begins and ends or about the morality of genetically designing babies are now relevant and timely. Our ever-increasing knowledge of the workings of the human brain can guide us in the formation of new moral principles in the twenty-first century. In The Ethical Brain, preeminent neuroscientist Michael S. Gazzaniga presents the emerging social and ethical issues arising out of modern-day brain science and challenges the way we look at them. Courageous and thought-provoking -- a work of enormous intelligence, insight, and importance -- this book explores the hitherto uncharted landscape where science and society intersect.

This is the first book on X and Y chromosomal disorders to address these common but rarely diagnosed conditions. This book seeks to present the latest in research and clinical care addressing neuroimaging, the interaction between hormones, brain development, and neurodevelopmental progression. This book will primarily focus on 47, XXY (Klinefelter syndrome, or KS), 47, XYY (Jacobs' syndrome), and 47, XXX (Triple X). More variant disorders such as 48, XXXX, 48, XXXY and 49, XXXXY will be discussed. Topics of interest include neurological functioning, neuroimaging, social language, and the evolving perspectives of these XY chromosomal disorders. The effects of testosterone supplementation in males with 47, XXY will also be examined.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of Alexander disease, a rare and devastating neurological disorder that often affects the white matter of the brain and spinal cord. Its distinctive neuropathology consists of abundant Rosenthal fibers within astrocytes (one of the four major cell types of the central nervous system). Nearly all cases are caused by variants in the gene encoding the intermediate filament protein GFAP, but how these changes in GFAP lead to the widespread manifestations of disease is poorly understood. Astrocytes, while discovered over a century ago, are themselves still much of a mystery. They exhibit considerable diversity, defy precise definition, and yet actively regulate many aspects of nervous system functioning. We also have incomplete understanding of Rosenthal fibers, odd structures that contain GFAP as just one of many components. Whether they are toxic or protective is unknown. Moreover, Rosenthal fibers are not absolutely unique to Alexander disease, and are seen sporadically in a wide variety of other conditions, including brain tumors and multiple sclerosis. GFAP is the third unknown. It is an ancient protein, arising early in the evolution of vertebrates, but its role in normal biology is still a matter of debate. Yet Alexander disease shows, without a doubt, that changing just a single of its 432 amino acids can lead to catastrophe, not just in the astrocytes where GFAP is produced but also in the other cells with which astrocytes interact. Despite all of the unknowns, much has been learned in the past 20 years, and it is time to share this knowledge. This book is intended for recently diagnosed patients and families, as well as non-specialist researchers interested in this neurological disease. It covers historical origins, the state of current knowledge, and prospects for what lies ahead, with citations to the primary literature given throughout.

Regular physical exercise is associated with substantial health benefits. Recent evidence not only holds for cardiovascular effects promoting "physical health," but also for the central nervous system believed to promote "brain health." Moderate physical exercise has been found to improve learning, memory, and attentional processing, with recent research indicating that neuroprotective mechanisms and associated plasticity in brain structure and function also benefit. Physical exercise is also known to induce a range of acute or sustained psychophysiological effects, among these mood elevation, stress reduction, anxiolysis, and hypoalgesia. Today, modern functional neuroimaging techniques afford direct measurement of the acute and chronic relation of physical exercise on the human brain, as well as the correlation of the derived physiological in vivo signals with behavioral outcomes recorded during and after exercise. A wide range of imaging techniques have been applied to human exercise research, ranging from electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to positron emission tomography (PET). All of these imaging methods provide distinct information, and they differ considerably in terms of spatial and temporal resolution, availability, cost, and associated risks. However, from a "multimodal imaging" perspective, neuroimaging provides an unprecedented potential to unravel the neurobiology of human exercise, covering a wide spectrum ranging from structural plasticity in gray and white matter, network dynamics, global and regional perfusion, evoked neuronal responses to the quantification of neurotransmitter release. The aim of this book is to provide the current state of the human neuroimaging literature in the emerging field of the neurobiological exercise sciences and to outline future applications and directions of research.

Information molecules, such as Cortico-Releasing Factor (CRF), are ancient and widely distributed across diverse organs, playing various regulatory roles. CRF has been associated with a range of human conditions, including fear and anxiety, social contact, and most recently, addiction - in particular the euphoric feelings associated with alcohol consumption. Since its original discovery, research has unearthed that the role of this molecule is much broader than first thought. The scientific community now knows that CRF is a dynamic and diversely widespread peptide hormone that plays many roles and has many functions, in addition to its role as a releasing factor in the brain. This book explores the role of CRF, examining the relationship between location and function. It considers recurrent features that are linked to CRF - movement and change. CRF expression in regions of the brain is tied to paying attention to novel events and invoking movement in response to those events. Indeed, CRF provokes simple organized rhythmic behavior and can be mobilized under diverse conditions, including adversity. Examining the evolutionary origins of CRH, its neural functions, and its role in a variety of human characteristics and social behaviors, this book provides unique insights into CRF, and will be of interest to students and researchers in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Biology.

This contributed volume discusses the multiple roles of astrocytes, which determine the progression and outcome of neuropsychiatric diseases. This emerging area of study examines the ways in which astrocytes are involved in various aspects of disease initiation, progression and resolution. This monograph aims to integrate the body of information that has accumulated in recent years revealing the active role of astrocytes in neuropsychiatric pathology and in psychiatric disorders. Understanding roles of astrocytes in pathology will provide new targets for medical intervention and aid the development of much needed therapeutics. This book will be valuable for researchers and workers in the fields of neurobiology, neurology, and psychiatry, as well as fill the need for a textbook used in advanced courses/graduate seminars in glial pathophysiology.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Essential reading' SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE 'A book of hope' OBSERVER 'A marvellous tour of insights' THE TIMES 'A must-read . . . I couldn't recommend it higher' MICHAEL BALL What can a diseased brain tell us about being human, living our own lives better and helping those with dementia get the best from theirs? When Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with young-onset dementia at the age of fifty-eight, her brain was overwhelmed with images of the last stages of the disease - those familiar tropes, shortcuts and cliches that we are fed by the media, or even our own health professionals. But her diagnosis far from represented the end of her life. Instead, it was the start of a very different one. Wise, practical and life affirming, What I Wish People Knew About Dementia combines anecdotes, research and Wendy Mitchell's own brilliant wit and wisdom to tell readers exactly what she wishes they knew about dementia.

This Book is comprised of solutions for the treatment of cognitive diseases with Bionics or Bioinspired Algorithms using future technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), data science, and more. Studying the behavior of nature and providing the medical engineering solutions would not only be unique but would result in substantial contribution in solution of so many cognitive disease problems which are not detected correctly in initial stages. This publication would be a breakthrough in the field of medical science, especially in the field of cognitive diseases by providing solutions in the form of algorithms and devices that could be useful for the brain disease patient for early detection. This book is essential for various medical research centers, engineering institutions across the world, medical colleges, biomedical research centers, and electronics and communication research centers.

This book offers a series of perspectives on the therapeutic potential of the ritual and clinical use of the Amazonian hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca in the treatment and management of various disorders. This book presents biomedical and anthropological data on the use of ayahuasca and provides critiques on how it is used for treating depression, PTSD, anxiety, substance dependence, and eating disorders. The volume also explores ayahuasca's role in the psychological well-being and quality of life of humans, and discusses possibilities of it enhancing cognition and coping with grief. The book examines ayahuasca's association with psychotherapy and also highlights the challenges of integrating plant medicines into psychiatry. Further, the book expands on some preliminary research with animals, suggesting that ayahuasca acts at multiple levels of neural complexity. The study on the neurogenic effects of ayahuasca alkaloids opens a new avenue of research with potential applications ranging from psychiatric disorders to brain damage and dementia. Psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals will find this book relevant to their work regarding substance abuse and alternative medicine.

A prominent geriatric psychiatrist details the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of places where those with dementia are treated-from emergency rooms and psychiatric hospitals to assisted living facilities and nursing homes. The Harsh Realities of Alzheimer's Care: An Insider's View of How People with Dementia Are Treated in Institutions is the first book of its kind. Written by an eminent geriatric psychiatrist who has worked with dementia patients in more than 70 facilities, the book distills all he has learned about dementia care, for better and, more often, for worse. Both a shocking expose and a practical guide, the book takes readers into nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospitals. It reveals the inadequacies and dangers of these institutions, detailing issues that result in poor care including federal standards for minimum staff training that are, in some cases, lower than those established for dog groomers. The author cites improvements that must be made in emergency rooms and inpatient psychiatric facilities treating victims of dementia, and he documents the downside of memory clinics. But there are steps caregivers can take to protect their loved ones-and themselves. Each chapter concludes with "reality lessons" that offer practical, affordable strategies for coping with dementia's many challenges. Vignettes and experiences from author's practice illustrate strategies that will improve quality of life for caregivers and their loved ones

his is a wonderful true story about one family's life as they grew up and grew old. It was filled with love, laughter, trials, and the challenges that life gives.

The biggest challenge came when she found herself with both parents in various stages of dementia. At times she felt helpless, but also knew that it was up to her to attempt to fulfill their needs, wants and desires.

Time moved on and her father passed away, leaving her with her mom to care for. What would she do? What did she do? Most important, what will you do?