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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Life sciences: general issues > Neurosciences
Homeostasis of key metabolites and metabolic health affects all bodily systems. Not surprisingly, altered metabolic function is associated with a wide spectrum of dysfunctions in the central nervous system - including developmental disorders, acute nervous system injury, and neurodegenerative disorders. Accordingly, metabolism-based therapies offer significant promise as new category of treatment options designed to limit, delay or reverse the disease process by reconstructing homeostatic functions. Increasingly it is appreciated that restoring metabolic health could promote normal nervous system activity, and improve behavior and cognition. Adenosine: A Key Link Between Metabolism and Central Nervous System Activity focusses on diverse aspects of adenosine, an evolutionarily conserved homeostatic bioenergetic regulator in the central nervous system. Because of its interrelationship with ATP (adenosine triphosphate), adenosine is integral to cell metabolism. At the same time, adenosine influences neuronal activity directly via receptors, and is involved in biochemical processes related to gene expression. Thus, adenosine is uniquely placed as a reciprocal and rapid link between changes in metabolism and changes in neuronal activity, and, on a longer time scale, to changes in gene expression and long term changes in cell function. Leaders in the field feature basic research on adenosine at the cellular level in the central nervous system, and relate these findings to its recognized potential in diverse acute and chronic disorders. This comprehensive overview of adenosine also highlights emerging adenosine-based treatments and associated opportunities for central nervous system disorders.
In the World Library of Psychologists series, international experts present career-long collections of what they judge to be their most interesting publications - extracts from books, key articles, research findings, and practical and theoretical contributions. Marc H. Bornstein has published widely in experimental, methodological, comparative, developmental, and cultural science as well as neuroscience, pediatrics, and aesthetics. In this volume, he has collected an integrated series of his papers on parenting. Many disciplines over many centuries have expounded on parenting, but theory and opinion have prevailed. Bornstein initiated efforts to make parenting an evidence-based field of study through his journal Parenting: Science and Practice, the Handbook of Parenting, and two monograph series, Monographs in Parenting and Studies in Parenting. In addition, Bornstein has undertaken empirical studies that address the determinants, nature, scope, and consequences of parenting. The writings selected for this collection symbolize the development of an empirical parenting science and the meaning and importance of parenting for the lives and well-being of children, parents, and society. Including a specially written introduction, in which Marc Bornstein reflects on the importance of parenting and contextualizes both the field and the evolution of his wide-ranging career, this collection will serve as a valuable resource for students and researchers of parenting, developmental science, and all disciplines from anthropology to zoology concerned with nurturing, socializing, and educating the next generation.
Discusses the applications of the conscious system that indicate broad areas of acceptability Proposes a conscious system that also serves as a bridge to human psychiatry Presents a consciousness model possessing the well-known multiple personality disorder, which is an advanced mental disorder
This book, the third and final volume in the Meaning of Pain series, describes what pain means to people with pain in "vulnerable" groups, and how meaning changes pain - and them - over time. Immediate pain warns of harm or injury to the person with pain. If pain persists over time, more complex meanings can become interwoven with this primitive meaning of threat. These cognitive meanings include thoughts and anxiety about the adverse consequences of pain. Such meanings can nourish existential sufferings, which are more about the person than the pain, such as loss, loneliness, or despair. Although chronic pain can affect anyone, there are some groups of people for whom particular clinical support and understanding is urgently needed. This applies to "vulnerable" or "special" groups of people, and to the question of what pain means to them. These groups include children, women, older adults, veterans, addicts, people with mental health problems, homeless people, or people in rural or indigenous communities. Several chapters in the book focus on the lived experience of pain in vulnerable adults, including black older adults in the US, rural Nigerians, US veterans, and adults with acquired brain injury. The question of what pain experience could mean in the defenceless fetus, neonate, pre-term baby, and child, is examined in depth across three contributions. This book series aspires to create a vocabulary on the "meanings of pain" and a clinical framework with which to use it. It is hoped that the series stimulates self-reflection about the role of meaning in optimal pain management. Meanings of Pain is intended for people with pain, family members or caregivers of people with pain, clinicians, researchers, advocates, and policy makers. Volume I was published in 2016; Volume II in 2019.
This latest volume of Advances in Neurobiology deals with the Neurochemistry of disease. Written by experts in the field, its chapters cover both human diseases and animal model diseases, through research on human and animal tissues.
The only book to take a really broad look at literature and emotion from a variety of perspectives including neuroscience Section on theory introduces the more complex areas of affect theory and cognitive science so people can understand throughout the book Looks at a wide variety of literature but also features commonly studied writers such as Shakespeare, Chaucer, Austen and Woolf
Recent developments in lesion-symptom mapping (LSM) have spurred rapid growth. This volume provides comprehensive coverage of the steps and considerations involved in LSM. The chapters cover the definition and types of brain lesions, how to prepare them for analysis, standard LSM methods, network-based LSM methods, and approaches of transient lesions induced by brain stimulation. These chapters are supplemented by practical, hands-on mini tutorials on implementing the different analyses using freely-available software. In the Neuromethods series style, chapters include the kind of detail and key advice from the specialists needed to get started using LSM in your laboratory. Cutting-edge and thorough, Lesion-to-Symptom Mapping: Principles and Tools connects core conceptual issues with available tools, making it a valuable resource for experienced and new researchers.
If you're like most people, you probably believe that your identity is stable. But in fact, your identity is constantly changing - often outside your conscious awareness and sometimes even against your wishes - to reflect the interests of the groups of which you're a part. And that fluid identity has a powerful influence over your feelings, beliefs, and behaviours. In THE POWER OF US, psychologists Packer and Van Bavel integrate their own cutting-edge research in psychology, neuroscience and economics to explain what identity really is and show how to harness its dynamic nature to: Increase our productivity - Improve physical and psychological health - Overcome our individual prejudice - Unlock our altruism - Break the political gridlock - Galvanize others to solve controversial global problems Along the way, they explain such seemingly unrelated phenomenon as why men cry at football games but not funerals, why the history of slavery in U.S. counties is one of the best predictors of current day racism, and why Canada keeps a national reserve of maple syrup. Packed with fascinating insights, vivid case studies, and pioneering research, THE POWER OF US will change the way you understand yourself - and those around you - forever.
As her mother slips into the fog of dementia, a philosopher grapples with the unbreakable links between our bodies and our sense of self. Vanessa wakes from a coma having forgotten ten years of her life. Toussaint, is haunted by voices. Thomas no longer knows how to answer questions and Claire, a retired teacher loses the use of her right hand because of an inexplicable pain. Noga Arikha began studying these patients and their confounding symptoms in order to explore how our physical experiences inform our identities. Soon after she began her work, the question took on unexpected urgency, as Arikha's own mother began to show signs of Alzheimer's disease. Weaving together stories of her subjects' troubles and her mother's decline, Arikha searches for some meaning in the science she has set out to study. She explores how the self studies itself and how it loses itself, delving into the scientific research that can help us understand how deeply interconnected are our minds and bodies. The result is an unforgettable journey across the ever-shifting boundaries between ourselves and each other.
Motivation provides an accessible introduction to motivation and emotion, combining classic studies with current research and uses numerous real-world examples to engage the student and make, often difficult, theoretical concepts come to life. By understanding and applying the principles of motivation described in the text, students will not only discover insights into what motivates their own behavior but also how to instigate self-change through goal-setting. Throughout the book the author adopts an evolutionary approach to explore the effect of interpersonal relationships, food preferences, fear, music, and the emotions on motivation, at the same time considering how personality traits and psychological needs are essential for understanding why people are motivated by different things. The motivation of compulsive behavior from addictions, such as drugs, gambling, Internet gaming, and obsessive exercise is also considered, providing a truly comprehensive overview of biological, psychological, and environmental sources of motivation. The sixth edition has been thoroughly updated throughout and is accompanied by an instructor's manual that contains multiple choice questions, essay questions with answers, websites related to motivation and emotion, power point slides, in-class activities, and discussion questions. It is an essential read for all students of motivation.
Motivation provides an accessible introduction to motivation and emotion, combining classic studies with current research and uses numerous real-world examples to engage the student and make, often difficult, theoretical concepts come to life. By understanding and applying the principles of motivation described in the text, students will not only discover insights into what motivates their own behavior but also how to instigate self-change through goal-setting. Throughout the book the author adopts an evolutionary approach to explore the effect of interpersonal relationships, food preferences, fear, music, and the emotions on motivation, at the same time considering how personality traits and psychological needs are essential for understanding why people are motivated by different things. The motivation of compulsive behavior from addictions, such as drugs, gambling, Internet gaming, and obsessive exercise is also considered, providing a truly comprehensive overview of biological, psychological, and environmental sources of motivation. The sixth edition has been thoroughly updated throughout and is accompanied by an instructor's manual that contains multiple choice questions, essay questions with answers, websites related to motivation and emotion, power point slides, in-class activities, and discussion questions. It is an essential read for all students of motivation.
Electric currents and electromagnetic fields have been applied to biological systems, particularly humans, with both therapeutic and pathological results. Applied Bioelectricity discusses biological responses to electric currents and electromagnetic fields, including medical applications and shock hazards. The book covers fundamental physical and engineering principles of responses to short-term electrical exposure and emphasizes human reactions, although animal responses to electricity are considered as well. The treatment covers reactions from the just-detectable to the clearly detrimental. An important new chapter discusses standards for human exposure to electromagnetic fields and electric current and demonstrates how these standards have been developed based on the principles treated in earlier chapters. J. Patrick Reilly is a member of the principal staff of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and is President of Metatec Associates.
Improvisation informs a vast array of human activity, from creative practices in art, dance, music, and literature to everyday conversation and the relationships to natural and built environments that surround and sustain us. The two volumes of the Oxford Handbook of Critical Improvisation Studies gather scholarship on improvisation from an immense range of perspectives, with contributions from more than sixty scholars working in architecture, anthropology, art history, computer science, cognitive science, cultural studies, dance, economics, education, ethnomusicology, film, gender studies, history, linguistics, literary theory, musicology, neuroscience, new media, organizational science, performance studies, philosophy, popular music studies, psychology, science and technology studies, sociology, and sound art, among others.
This unique book brings a fresh interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of ancient Chinese history, creating a historical model for the emergence of cultural mainstays by applying recent dramatic findings in the fields of neuroscience and cultural evolution. The centrality in Chinese culture of a deep reverence for the lives of preceding generations, filial piety, is conventionally attributed to Confucius (551-479 B.C.), who viewed hierarchical family relations as foundational for social order. Here, Porter argues that Confucian conceptions of filiality themselves evolved from a systemized set of behaviors and thoughts, a mental structure, which descended from a specific Neolithic mindset, and that this psychological structure was contoured by particular emotional conditions experienced by China's earliest farmers. Using case study analysis from Neolithic sky observers to the dynastic cultures of the Shang and Western Zhou, the book shows how filial piety evolved as a structure of feeling, a legacy of a cultural predisposition toward particular moods and emotions that were inherited from the ancestral past. Porter also brings new urgency to the topic of ecological grief, linking the distress central to the evolution of the filial structure to its catalyst in an environmental crisis. With a blended multidisciplinary approach combining social neuroscience, cultural evolution, cognitive archaeology, and historical analysis, this book is ideal for students and researchers in neuropsychology, religion, and Chinese culture and history.
This book describes some of the many different disciplines that are involved in investigations of neuroendocrine control mechanisms. It is intended for students, pre- and post-doctoral fellows, medical residents and others who are interested in neuroendocrine research.
Phytochemicals Signal Transduction and Neurological Disorders Phytochemicals are heterogeneous group of bioactive compounds produced by plants, which are extensively researched by scientists for their health-promoting potentials in human diseases. Unlike vitamins and minerals, phytochemicals are not required for sustaining cell viability, but they play an important role in protecting tissues and cells from the harmful effects of oxidative stress and inflammation. Examples of phytochemicals include catechins, resveratrol, ginkgo biloba, curcumin, and sulfur compounds found in garlic. Although, the precise molecular mechanisms associated with beneficial effects of phytochemicals still remain the subject of intense investigations, but it is becoming increasingly evident that phytochemicals mediate their effects by counteracting, reducing, and repairing the damage caused by oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. In addition, phytochemicals also stimulate the synthesis of adaptive enzymes and proteins through the stimulation of a transcription factor called Nrf2 and induction of phase II detoxifying enzymes. Consumption of phytochemicals induces neurohormetic response that results in the expression of adaptive stress-resistance genes that are responsible for encoding antioxidant enzymes, protein chaperones, and neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Based on the stimulation of signal transduction network and adaptive stress-resistance genes, it is proposed that the use of phytochemicals from childhood to old age along with regular exercise is an important strategy for maintaining normal aging and delaying onset of age-related neurological disorders (stroke, Alzheimer disease, and Parkinson disease). Phytochemicals Signal Transduction and Neurological Disorders presents readers with cutting edge and comprehensive information not only on bioavailability, and mechanism of action of phytochemicals in the brain, but also provides the molecular mechanism associated with beneficial effects of phytochemicals in neurotraumatic (stroke, spinal cord trauma, and traumatic brain injury) and neurodegenerative (Alzheimers disease, Parkinson disease, Huntington disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) diseases.
Throughout history, humans have been fascinated by their origins. The evolutionary development of the human brain has been of particular interest since our intellectual, emotional, and cultural capacities are considered to be unique among animals. This book brings together a group of eminent scientists from the fields of evolutionary biology, anthropology, neuroscience, and psychology. Their views provide a starting point for a debate based on the most recent scientific data relating to the evolutionary origins of the human brain, drawing together knowledge from sciences of the past (paleontology, archaeology) and those of the present and future (molecular neurobiology, population genetics). The result is a lively, informative, and valuable synthesis that will interest a wide range of students and researchers in these fields.
Functional lateralization in the human brain was first identified in the classic observations by Broca in the 19th century. Only one hundred years later, however, research on this topic began anew, discovering that humans share brain lateralization not only with other mammals, but with other vertebrates and even invertebrates. Studies on lateralization have also received considerable attention in recent years due to their important evolutionary implications, becoming an important and flourishing field of investigation worldwide among ethnologists and psychologists. The chapters of this book concern the emergence and adaptive function of lateralization in several aspects of behavior for a wide range of vertebrate taxa. These studies span from how lateralization affects some aspects of fitness in fishes, or how it affects the predatory and the exploratory behavior of lizards, to navigation in the homing flights of pigeons, social learning in chicks, the influence of lateralization on the ontogeny process of chicks, and the similarity of manual lateralization (handedness) between humans and apes, our closest relatives.
The book comprehensively reviews the role of nutrition in psychiatric disorders. It provides mechanistic insights into the effects of nutrition on metabolic pathways, mitochondrial nutrients, neurodegeneration and CNS disorders, cell signaling, and neuronal functions. The book further highlights the role of diet in preventing and treating mental health and modifying drug treatment effects. Further, it explores the relationship between nutrition and psychiatric disorders, including depression, autism, anxiety, Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder, and OCD. The book further explores the recent advancements in understanding the important role of nutrients as therapeutics in various psychiatric disorders. Lastly, it presents an overview of nutrients as neuroprotective agents along with the main principles of nutrigenomics. The book is essential reading for neuroscientists interested interest in food therapeutic strategies.
The earliest human known to have the capability of walking erect on two legs is Sahelanphropus, who lived 6 million years ago. The ability to stand erect led to required extensive changes in the human skeleton, including significant changes in the cervical spine. In modern humans, the cervical spine holds the head upright and gives it great mobility. The combination of great mobility in this spinal segment combined with the requirement that it carry significant weight makes the cervical spine susceptible to a wide variety of pathologies. The cervical spine not only supports the head upright, but acts as a channel for the full set of neural elements connecting the brain with all near and distant parts of the body; thus, pathologies involving the spinal column in this segment directly affect the cervical spinal cord and exiting nerve roots. Today, excellence in spine surgery requires a thorough understanding of spinal anatomy, relevant neurology, and biomechanics, as well as skilled use of a variety of surgical techniques. The surgeon must master the ability to effectively select from a wide and constantly changing variety of alternative instrumentations and surgical approaches. In addition, the trend towards reducing the invasiveness of surgical procedures has led to the use of smaller and smaller tools and smaller surgical incisions with more limited views of the relevant anatomy. As a result of the rapid pace of change, the choice of an optimal technique in any given situation is increasingly complex. In this book, we begin with a basic review of anatomy, neurology, neurophysiology, and biomechanics. We also discuss clinical and radiological assessment required for a differential diagnosis, and present a thorough discussion of the importance of sagittal alignment of the spine and the utility of gait analysis. We proceed with a thorough discussion of nontraumatic pathologies causing cervical myelopathy, beginning with the craniocervical junction down through the subaxial spine, in pediatric and adult populations. This discussion includes steps in the differential diagnosis for specific pathologies, surgical techniques and nuances, radiation-based treatment alternatives, and special topics ranging from the use of stem cells to robotics and endoscopic surgery. We have attempted to provide both fundamental and state-of-the-art knowledge and to share the rich experience of some of the leading spine surgeons worldwide, with the aim of enabling surgeons at all levels to advance their own capabilities for performing safe and successful procedures in this area of complex anatomy.
* Part of the new Essays in Social Neuroscience series which features cutting-edge research in this growing field * Includes chapters from leading international contributors using social neuroscientific methods to provide a global view of intergroup relations * Ideal for students and researchers examining intergroup relations from a social neuroscientific perspective, or who are using social neuroscience methods for the first time
Attention refers to our ability to selectively process the vast array of stimuli impinging upon our senses at every moment. The mental processes of attention are critical for allowing us to maintain focus and complete tasks efficiently, even within distracting environments. The brain mechanisms of attention have been studied for decades, yet much still remains unknown, and consensus on core issues remains elusive. A unique aspect of this book are chapters that highlight recent debates on critical issues in attention research. Each of these chapters includes a comprehensive discussion paper that is followed by peer commentaries and an authors' responses. These debates include whether attention can modulate activity of even the earliest cortical processing region and whether changes in white matter are critical for plasticity-related effects of attention training. In addition to these discussion chapters, the book presents cutting-edge research on some of the newest theories of attentional control and selective attention, including the influence of practice, epigenetics, reward, social interaction, and distractor suppression. These studies employ advanced cognitive neuroscience methods such as neurostimulation, functional neuroimaging pattern analysis, and the evaluation of oscillatory brain activity to shed light on the brain mechanisms underlying attention. The chapters in this book were originally published as articles in various issues of the journal Cognitive Neuroscience.
This book addresses the central role played by development in cognition. The focus is on applying our knowledge of development in natural cognitive systems, specifically human infants, to the problem of creating artificial cognitive systems in the guise of humanoid robots. The approach is founded on the three-fold premise that (a) cognition is the process by which an autonomous self-governing agent acts effectively in the world in which it is embedded, (b) the dual purpose of cognition is to increase the agent's repertoire of effective actions and its power to anticipate the need for future actions and their outcomes, and (c) development plays an essential role in the realization of these cognitive capabilities. Our goal in this book is to identify the key design principles for cognitive development. We do this by bringing together insights from four areas: enactive cognitive science, developmental psychology, neurophysiology, and computational modelling. This results in roadmap comprising a set of forty-three guidelines for the design of a cognitive architecture and its deployment in a humanoid robot. The book includes a case study based on the iCub, an open-systems humanoid robot which has been designed specifically as a common platform for research on embodied cognitive systems .
Improvisation informs a vast array of human activity, from creative practices in art, dance, music, and literature to everyday conversation and the relationships to natural and built environments that surround and sustain us. The two volumes of the Oxford Handbook of Critical Improvisation Studies gather scholarship on improvisation from an immense range of perspectives, with contributions from more than sixty scholars working in architecture, anthropology, art history, computer science, cognitive science, cultural studies, dance, economics, education, ethnomusicology, film, gender studies, history, linguistics, literary theory, musicology, neuroscience, new media, organizational science, performance studies, philosophy, popular music studies, psychology, science and technology studies, sociology, and sound art, among others. |
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