This book explores the methodological strategies for linking philosophy and neuroscience concerning the study of the conscious brain. The author focuses on four distinct methods for relating these two academic disciplines: isolationist, reductionist, neurophenomenological, and non-reductionist. After analyzing the pros and cons of these approaches, Steven S. Gouveia applies them to the concept of Qualia and Information to understand how the metaphilosophical assumptions of each approach influence the definitions of those specific concepts. Gouveia argues for an approach that conceives the interdisciplinarity of both philosophy and neuroscience, in a particular and sound methodology, offering empirical examples of the explanatory power of this methodology over the others. Additionally, he shows how the metaphilosophical assumptions of each methodology-usually taken by researchers implicitly and unconsciously-influence their own approach to the methodological problem.

For 31 years, "Progress in Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology" has provided cutting-edge literature to behavioral neuroscience research. The current volume provides new research on satiety, the neuroendocrinology of fear, sleep regulation, and the stress response.

Opioid Receptors: Methods and Protocols serves as a comprehensive guide to both key new techniques and established methods for the investigation of genetics, structural biology, transcription, and post-transcriptional events of opioid receptors. Other methods cover the cellular detection and trafficking of opioid receptors in vitro and in vivo. Procedures aimed to investigate signaling pathways modulated by opioid receptors and model systems to study opioid receptor-mediated functions are also included. Finally, methods to assay behavioral effects mediated by opioid receptors are described. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective introductions, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Wide-ranging and authoritative, Opioid Receptors: Methods and Protocols will help both experienced and new entrants in this field to carry out their experiments successfully and with new inspiration.

Neuroscience and Behavioral Neuroscience offered by many universities, and coursework has historically been very technical/scientific, now there is increasing demand within these programs for showing application. This book fills this gap in the market. Looks to dispel myths as well as reinforcing careful application of behavioral neuroscience. Spans many areas and gives a broad overview of BN careers: from clinical practice, forensics, consumer psychology, economics, leadership, education, health and robotics.

This contributed volume reviews the latest advances in all the new technologies currently developed for MagnetoEncephaloGraphy (MEG) recordings, as well as sensor technologies and integrated sensor arrays for on-scalp MEG. The book gives an account of the first MEG imaging studies and explores the new field of feasible, experimental paradigms of on-scalp MEG. This is an ideal book for engineers, researchers, and students in the neurosciences interested in MEG imaging.

This new volume, a part of the Proteomics, Metabolomics, Interactomics and Systems Biology series, will explain how proteomic studies of post-translational modifications (PTMs) can be applied to neurodegenerative diseases and relevant studies. The goal of the book is to increase awareness among researchers about how PTMs may be helpful in understanding mechanisms in various neurodegenerative diseases through proteomic studies. This book will serve as a tool for those who want to begin work in the proteomics field and explore how to implement PTMs studies into their work. Chapter authors will describe different PTMs enrichment methods developed by experts in the field so that researchers may learn to apply these methods and techniques to new studies. Divided into three sections, chapters will cover sample preparation, data quality, enrichment techniques, guidelines on how to analyze PTMs, and explain the role of PTMs and different brain diseases. Among those topics includes will be brain cancer, SLA disease, Parkinsons disease, muscular dystrophies, and schizophrenia. This volume will be useful for researchers and students studying brain and neurodegenerative diseases who are interested in delving into work with proteomic studies and PTMs.

Humans have a unique ability to understand the beliefs, emotions, and intentions of others-a capacity often referred to as mentalizing. Much research in psychology and neuroscience has focused on delineating the mechanisms of mentalizing, and examining the role of mentalizing processes in other domains of cognitive and affective functioning. The purpose of the book is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current research on the mechanisms of mentalizing at the neural, algorithmic, and computational levels of analysis. The book includes contributions from prominent researchers in the field of social-cognitive and affective neuroscience, as well as from related disciplines (e.g., cognitive, social, developmental and clinical psychology, psychiatry, philosophy, primatology). The contributors review their latest research in order to compile an authoritative source of knowledge on the psychological and brain bases of the unique human capacity to think about the mental states of others. The intended audience is researchers and students in the fields of social-cognitive and affective neuroscience and related disciplines such as neuroeconomics, cognitive neuroscience, developmental neuroscience, social cognition, social psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and affective science. Secondary audiences include researchers in decision science (economics, judgment and decision-making), philosophy of mind, and psychiatry.

This edited book offers a broad selection of interdisciplinary studies within cognitive science. The book illustrates and documents how cognitive science offers a unifying framework for the interaction of fields of study focusing on the human mind from linguistics and philosophy to psychology and the history of science. A selection of renowned contributors provides authoritative historical, theoretical and empirical perspectives on more than six decades of research with a special focus on the progress of cognitive science in Central Europe. Readers encounter a bird's eye view of geographical and linguistic diversity brought about by the cognitive revolution, as it is reflected in the writings of leading authors, many of whom are former students and collaborators of Csaba Pleh, a key figure of the cognitive turn in Central Europe, to whom this book is dedicated. The book appeals to students and researchers looking for the ways various approaches to the mind and the brain intersect.

What if there were a pill for love? Or an anti-love drug, designed to help us break up? This controversial and timely new book argues that recent medical advances have brought chemical control of our romantic lives well within our grasp. Substances affecting love and relationships, whether prescribed by doctors or even illicitly administered, are not some far-off speculation - indeed our most intimate connections are already being influenced by pills we take for other purposes, such as antidepressants. Treatments involving certain psychoactive substances, including MDMA-the active ingredient in Ecstasy-might soon exist to encourage feelings of love and help ordinary couples work through relationship difficulties. Others may ease a breakup or soothe feelings of rejection. Such substances could have transformative implications for how we think about and experience love. This brilliant intervention into the debate builds a case for conducting further research into "love drugs" and "anti-love drugs" and explores their ethical implications for individuals and society. Rich in anecdotal evidence and case-studies, the book offers a highly readable insight into a cutting-edge field of medical research that could have profound effects on us all. Will relationships be the same in the future? Will we still marry? It may be up to you to decide whether you want a chemical romance. -- .

The Cerebellum: From Embryology to Diagnostic Investigations, Volume 154 is designed to update the reader on the latest and clinically relevant advances in the study of cerebellar diseases in children and adults. It is organized into sections detailing: (1) Embryology, Anatomy and Function, and (2) Diagnostic investigations: Neuroimaging, and includes content on conventional sequences, diffusion tensor imaging, functional MRI, and connectivity studies. Its companion volume, The Cerebellum: Disorders and Treatment, describes disorders (starting from the fetal cerebellum, to adult cerebellum) encountered during daily practice and therapy (including insights into innovative drug and rehabilitative approaches to treat children and adults with cerebellar disorders).

This book illustrates the importance and significance of regenerative medicine in stroke recovery. It discusses stem-cell-based treatment strategies and offers mechanistic insights into their role in neurological recovery. It also examines the challenges and advances in using adult stem cells for enhanced therapeutic efficacy. Further, it presents the strategies as well as the strengths and weaknesses of various delivery methods to administer stem cells in ischemic stroke. It examines the role of non-coding RNA in our understanding the stroke pathogenesis, their regulatory role in ischemic stroke and potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Lastly, it explores exosomes in the treatment of stroke, and the underlying mechanism of their action as therapeutic vectors for stroke. Given its scope, it is an excellent resource for neurologists, neuroscientists and researchers involved in regenerative therapy for stroke.

This book provides an introduction to nineteen popular multiple intelligences. Part One discusses general intelligence, psychological testing, naturalistic intelligence, social intelligence, emotional intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and cultural intelligence. Part Two tackles machine intelligence, the development of artificial intelligence, computational intelligence, and digital intelligence, or the ability for humans to adapt to a digital environment. Finally, Part Three discusses the role of intelligence in business development, using technology to augment intelligence, abstract thinking, swarm and animal intelligence, military intelligence, and musical intelligence. A Primer on Multiple Intelligences is a must-read for graduate students or scholars considering researching cognition, perception, motivation, and artificial intelligence. It will also be of use to those in social psychology, computer science, and pedagogy. It is as a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning more about the multifaceted study of intelligence.

This volume explores the latest techniques used to study the human brain towards understanding Alzheimer's Disease and related neurodegenerative disorders. Contributed to by world-renowned experts, the chapters in this book are divided into five parts. Part One discusses human post-mortem brain preparations including single-cell isolation and use of specialized imaging. Part Two talks about neural cellular models using primary and human induced pluripotent stem cells to model aspects of the human brain. Part Three details nucleic acid analyses including transcriptomic and somatic genomic changes, and Part Four discusses lipid analyses via mass spectrometry. Lastly, Part Five covers protein analyses, particularly A and Tau. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and thorough, Alzheimer's Disease: Methods and Protocols is a valuable tool for all researchers who want to expand their knowledge and understanding of this disease and other related dementias.

This volume brings together new papers advancing contemporary debates in foundational, conceptual, and methodological issues in cognitive neuroscience. The different perspectives presented in each chapter have previously been discussed between the authors, as the volume builds on the experience of Neural Mechanisms (NM) Online - webinar series on the philosophy of neuroscience organized by the editors of this volume. The contributed chapters pertain to five core areas in current philosophy of neuroscience. It surveys the novel forms of explanation (and prediction) developed in cognitive neuroscience, and looks at new concepts, methods and techniques used in the field. The book also highlights the metaphysical challenges raised by recent neuroscience and demonstrates the relation between neuroscience and mechanistic philosophy. Finally, the book dives into the issue of neural computations and representations. Assembling contributions from leading philosophers of neuroscience, this work draws upon the expertise of both established scholars and promising early career researchers.

This volume introduces engineers and healthcare professionals to the latest in neurosurgical robotic technology. The chapters in this book are organized into two parts and cover basic engineering concepts that underpin surgical robotics; various robotic platforms and how these systems make their way to the clinic; popular applications of surgical robots in neurosurgery within subspecialties; and a discussion on the future development of neurosurgical robotic systems. In the Neuromethods series style, chapters include the kind of detail and key advice from the specialists needed to get successful results in your clinic. Cutting-edge and thorough, Neurosurgical Robotics is a valuable resources for scientists and engineers interested in learning more about this fascinating and developing field.

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.

This book is the outcome of a decade of research on the neu roanatomical mechanisms of learning in the young laboratory rat. It is essentially a discourse on the functional organization of the brain in relation to problem-solving ability and intelli gence. During the period between 1980 and 1989, well over 1000 weanling albino rats were subjected to localized brain damage (or sham operations in the case of the controls) under deep anesthesia and aseptic surgical conditions, were allowed tore cover, and subsequently were tested on a wide variety of prob lems designed to measure general learning ability. Since vir tually every part of the brain rostral to the medulla has been explored with lesions, it has become possible not only to map a number of "putative" brain systems underlying the acquisition of distinctive problem-solving tasks, but to isolate several neu roanatomical mechanisms that appear to be selectively in volved in the acquisition of particular kinds of goal-directed learned activities. Of particular interest was the discovery of a "nonspecific mechanism" (previously referred to in our re search reports as the "general learning system") inhabiting the interior parts of the brain. One objective of this volume was to make these maps available in a single source. Another was to provide a descrip tion of learning syndromes arising from local lesions to differ ent parts of the brain."

Urban parks and gardens are where people go to reconnect with nature and destress. But do they all provide the same benefits or are some better than others? What specific attributes set some green spaces apart? Can we objectively measure their impact on mental health and well-being? If so, how do we use this evidence to guide the design of mentally healthy cities? The Contemplative Landscape Model unveils the path to answer these questions. Rooted in landscape architecture and neuroscience, this innovative concept is described for the first time in an extended format, offering a deep dive into contemplative design and the science behind it. In the face of the global mental health crisis, and increasing disconnection from nature, design strategies for creating healthier urban environments are what our cities so sorely need. The book delves into the neuroscience behind contemplative landscapes, their key spatial characteristics, and practical application of the Contemplative Landscape Model through case studies from around the world. Landscape architects, urban planners, students, land managers, and anyone interested in unlocking the healing power of landscapes will find inspiration here.

Given the very limited capacity of regeneration in the brain, protecting neurons that are on the brink of death is a major challenge for basic and clinical neuroscience, with implications for a broad spectrum of acute and chronic neurological and psychiatric diseases. This book brings together leading experts from neurobiology, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, neuroimmunology and clinical neuroscience to highlight the most recent milestones in this rapidly evolving field. The book will serve as a reference for both basic neuroscientists and clinicians interested in an authoritative update on the molecular and cellular biology of neuroprotection and its promises for new therapeutic strategies.

Although collective emotions have a long tradition in scientific inquiry, for instance in mass psychology and the sociology of rituals and social movements, their importance for individuals and the social world has never been more obvious than in the past decades. The Arab Spring revolution, the Occupy Wall Street movement, and mass gatherings at music festivals or mega sports events clearly show the impact collective emotions have both in terms of driving conflict and in uniting people. But these examples only show the most obvious and evident forms of collective emotions. Others are more subtle, although less important: shared moods, emotional atmospheres, and intergroup emotions are part and parcel of our social life. Although these phenomena go hand in hand with any formation of sociality, they are little understood. Moreover, there still is a large gap in our understanding of individual emotions on the one hand and collective emotional phenomena on the other hand. This book presents a comprehensive overview of contemporary theories and research on collective emotions. It spans several disciplines and brings together, for the first time, various strands of inquiry and up-to-date research in the study of collective emotions and related phenomena. In focusing on conceptual, theoretical, and methodological issues in collective emotion research, the volume narrows the gap between the wealth of studies on individual emotions and inquiries into collective emotions. The book catches up with a renewed interest into the collective dimensions of emotions and their close relatives, for example emotional climates, atmospheres, communities, and intergroup emotions. This interest is propelled by a more general increase in research on the social and interpersonal aspects of emotion on the one hand, and by trends in philosophy and cognitive science towards refined conceptual analyses of collective entities and the collective properties of cognition on the other hand. The book includes sections on: Conceptual Perspectives; Collective Emotion in Face-to-Face Interactions; The Social-Relational Dimension of Collective Emotion; The Social Consequences of Collective Emotions; Group-Based and Intergroup Emotion; Rituals, Movements, and Social Organization; and Collective Emotions in Online Social Systems. Including contributions from psychologists, philosophers, sociologists, and neuroscience, this volume is a unique and valuable contribution to the affective sciences literature.

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.

This book comprehensively reviews the relationship between micronutrients and brain in health and diseases. It explains the relationship between micronutrients and brain functions, neurogenesis, and cognitive functions. The book also explores the relationship between micronutrients and brain disorders including depression, epilepsy, PD, and Autism. It further explores the recent advancements in understanding the important role of micronutrients as therapeutics in various brain disorders like TBI and AD. Lastly, it presents an overview of micronutrients as neuroprotective agents along with the main principles of nutrigenomics.

This volume discusses current research on glial-neuronal interactions in several neuroendocrine systems. Glial-neuronal bidirectional transmission represents one of the fastest-growing areas of investigation in neuroscience today. Unraveling the interactions and signaling synergy between glial cells and neurons is critical to advancing our understanding of brain function. Consequently, this book summarizes the latest findings on the roles of astrocytes, microglia and tanycytes in the control of synaptic transmission, synaptic plasticity, blood-brain signaling, neuroinflammation and immune signaling. In addition, leading experts in the field discuss how reproductive function, the stress response and energy homeostasis are regulated by glial-neuronal communication. Given its scope, the book is essential reading for undergraduate and graduate students in the neurosciences, as well as postdoctoral fellows and established researchers who are looking for a comprehensive overview of glial-neuronal crosstalk in neuroendocrine systems. This is the eleventh volume in the International Neuroendocrine Federation (INF) Masterclass in Neuroendocrinology series (Volumes 1-7 published by Wiley), which aims to illustrate the highest standards and highlight the latest technologies in basic and clinical research, and aspires to provide inspiration for further exploration into the exciting field of neuroendocrinology.

This book proposes a novel view to explain how we as humans -- contrary to current robots -- can have the impression of consciously feeling things: for example the red of a sunset, the smell of a rose, the sound of a symphony, or a pain.
The book starts off by looking at visual perception. Our ability to see turns out to be much more mysterious than one might think. The eye contains many defects which should seriously interfere with vision. Yet we have the impression of seeing the world in glorious panavision and technicolor. Explaining how this can be the case leads to a new idea about what seeing really is. Seeing is not passively receiving information in the brain, but rather a way of interacting with the world. The role of the brain is not to create visual sensation, but to enable the necessary interactions with the world.
This new approach to seeing is extended in the second part of the book to encompass the other senses: hearing, touch, taste and smell. Taking sensory experiences to be modes of interacting with the world explains why these experiences are different in the way they are. It also explains why thoughts or automatic functions in the body, and indeed the vast majority brain functions, are not accompanied by any real feeling.
The "sensorimotor" approach is not simply a philosophical argument: It leads to scientifically verifiable predictions and new research directions. Among these are the phenomena of change blindness, sensory substitution, "looked but failed to see," as well as results on color naming and color perception and the localisation of touch on the body.
The approach is relevant to the question of what animals and babies can feel, and to understanding what will be necessary for robots to become conscious.