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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Life sciences: general issues > Neurosciences
It's a Jungle in There pursues the hypothesis that the overarching
theory of biology, Darwin's theory, should be the overarching
theory of cognitive psychology. Taking this approach, David
Rosenbaum, a cognitive psychologist and former editor of the
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and
Performance, proposes that the phenomena of cognitive psychology
can be understood as emergent interactions among dumb neural
elements all competing and cooperating in a kind of inner jungle.
Rosenbaum suggests that this perspective allows for the
presentation of cognitive psychology in a new way, both for
students (for whom the book is mainly intended) and for seasoned
investigators (who may be looking for a fresh way to approach and
understand their material). Rather than offering cognitive
psychology as a rag-tag collection of miscellaneous facts, as has
generally been the case in cognitive-psychology textbooks, this
volume presents cognitive psychology under a single rubric: "It's a
jungle in there." Written in a light-hearted way with continual
reference to hypothetical neural creatures eking out their livings
in a tough environment, this text is meant to provide an
over-arching principle that can motivate more in-depth study of the
mind and brain.
This book summarizes the latest research findings in the
neurocircuitry of innate behaviors, covering major topics such as
innate fear, aggression, feeding, reward, social interaction,
parental care, spatial navigation, and sleep-wake regulation. For
decades, humans have been fascinated by wild animals' instincts,
like the annual two-thousand-mile migration of the monarch
butterfly in North American, and the "imprint" behavior of newborn
birds. Since these instincts are always displayed in stereotypical
patterns in most individuals of a given species, the neural
circuits processing such behaviors must be genetically hard-wired
in the brain. Recently, with the development of modern techniques,
including optogenetics, retrograde and anterograde virus tracing,
and in vivo calcium imaging, researchers have been able to
determine and dissect the specific neural circuits for many innate
behaviors by selectively manipulating well-defined cell types in
the brain. This book discusses recent advances in the investigation
of the neural-circuit mechanisms underlying innate behaviors.
This book presents a theoretical critical appraisal of the
Mechanistic Theory of Human Cognition (MTHC), which is one of the
most popular major theories in the contemporary field of cognitive
science. It analyses and evaluates whether MTHC provides a unifying
account of human cognition and its explanation. The book presents a
systematic investigation of the internal and external consistency
of the theory, as well as a systematic comparison with other
contemporary major theories in the field. In this sense, it
provides a fresh look at more recent major theoretical debates in
this area of scientific research and a rigorous analysis of one of
its most central major theories. Rigorous theoretical work is
integrated with objective consideration of relevant empirical
evidence, making the discussions robust and clear. As a result, the
book shows that MTHC provides a significant theoretical
contribution for the field of cognitive science. The content is
useful for those interested in theoretical and empirical issues
concerning major theories in the contemporary field of cognitive
science.
The most comprehensive and practical guide available for caregivers
of children who have seizures and epilepsy, now completely updated.
For more than 30 years, parents, caregivers, and health care
providers have trusted Seizures and Epilepsy in Children to provide
comprehensive, science-based information and practical answers to
the most common questions about these conditions. In this new
edition, completely revised and updated, a team of experts from
Johns Hopkins Medicine offers guidance on: * diagnostic testing and
the latest treatments * recommendations for the best devices, apps,
and websites * driving, health insurance, and playing sports *
navigating school and other environments * mental health issues and
counseling * coping with disability * side effects from medications
This new edition also features dedicated chapters on diet,
complementary and alternative medicine, and rescue medicines.
Seizures and Epilepsy in Children is the go-to resource for
caregivers and families with children who have epilepsy and
seizures.
The Oxford Handbook of Language Production provides a
comprehensive, multidisciplinary review of the complex mechanisms
involved in language production. It describes what we know of the
computational, linguistic, cognitive, and brain basis of human
language production - from how we conceive the messages we aim to
convey, to how we retrieve the right (and sometimes wrong) words,
how we form grammatical sentences, and how we assemble and
articulate individual sounds. Contributions from leading
psycholinguists, cognitive linguists, and neuroscientists offer
readers a broad perspective on the latest research, highlighting
key investigations into core aspects of human language processing.
The Handbook is organized into three sections: speaking, written
and sign languages, and how language production interfaces with the
wider cognitive system, including control processes, memory,
non-linguistic gestures, and the perceptual system. These chapters
discuss a wide array of levels of representation, from sentences to
individual words, speech sounds and articulatory gestures,
extending to discourse and the broader social context of speaking.
Detailed supporting chapters provide an overview of key issues in
linguistic structure at each level of representation. Authoritative
yet concisely written, the volume will be of interest to scholars
and students working in cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics,
cognitive neuroscience, computer science, audiology, and education,
and related fields.
When we speak, we configure the vocal tract which shapes the
visible motions of the face and the patterning of the audible
speech acoustics. Similarly, we use these visible and audible
behaviors to perceive speech. This book showcases a broad range of
research investigating how these two types of signals are used in
spoken communication, how they interact, and how they can be used
to enhance the realistic synthesis and recognition of audible and
visible speech. The volume begins by addressing two important
questions about human audio-visual performance: how auditory and
visual signals combine to access the mental lexicon and where in
the brain this and related processes take place. It then turns to
the production and perception of multimodal speech and how
structures are coordinated within and across the two modalities.
Finally, the book presents overviews and recent developments in
machine-based speech recognition and synthesis of AV speech.
AN INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE TO THE EVOLUTION OF THEORY AND
METHODOLOGY WITHIN COGNITIVE INTERVIEW PROCESSES Providing a
comprehensive approach to cognitive interviewing in the field of
survey methodology, Cognitive Interviewing Methodology delivers a
clear guide that draws upon modern, cutting-edge research from a
variety of fields. Each chapter begins by summarizing the
prevailing paradigms that currently dominate the field of cognitive
interviewing. Then underlying theoretical foundations are
presented, which supplies readers with the necessary background to
understand newly-evolving techniques in the field. The theories
lead into developed and practiced methods by leading practitioners,
researchers, and/or academics. Finally, the edited guide lays out
the limitations of cognitive interviewing studies and explores the
benefits of cognitive interviewing with other methodological
approaches. With a primary focus on question evaluation, Cognitive
Interviewing Methodology also includes: * Step-by-step procedures
for conducting cognitive interviewing studies, which includes the
various aspects of data collection, questionnaire design, and data
interpretation * Newly developed tools to benefit cognitive
interviewing studies as well as the field of question evaluation,
such as Q-Notes, a data entry and analysis software application,
and Q-Bank, an online resource that houses question evaluation
studies * A unique method for questionnaire designers, survey
managers, and data users to analyze, present, and document survey
data results from a cognitive interviewing study An excellent
reference for survey researchers and practitioners in the social
sciences who utilize cognitive interviewing techniques in their
everyday work, Cognitive Interviewing Methodology is also a useful
supplement for courses on survey methods at the upper-undergraduate
and graduate-level.
This book provides an essential overview of the broad range of
functional brain imaging techniques, as well as neuroscientific
methods suitable for various scientific tasks in fundamental and
clinical neuroscience. It also shares information on novel methods
in computational neuroscience, mathematical algorithms, image
processing, and applications to neuroscience. The mammalian brain
is a huge and complex network that consists of billions of neural
and glial cells. Decoding how information is represented and
processed by this neural network requires the ability to monitor
the dynamics of large numbers of neurons at high temporal and
spatial resolution over a large part of the brain. Functional brain
optical imaging has seen more than thirty years of intensive
development. Current light-using methods provide good sensitivity
to functional changes through intrinsic contrast and are rapidly
exploiting the growing availability of exogenous fluorescence
probes. In addition, various types of functional brain optical
imaging are now being used to reveal the brain's microanatomy and
physiology.
The Textbook of Ion Channels is a set of three volumes providing a
wide-ranging reference source on ion channels for students,
instructors, and researchers. Ion channels are membrane proteins
that control the electrical properties of neurons and cardiac
cells, mediate the detection and response to sensory stimuli like
light, sound, odor, and taste, and regulate the response to
physical stimuli like temperature and pressure. In non-excitable
tissues, ion channels are instrumental for the regulation of basic
salt balance that is critical for homeostasis. Ion channels are
located at the surface membrane of cells, giving them the unique
ability to communicate with the environment, as well as the
membrane of intracellular organelles, allowing them to regulate
internal homeostasis. Ion channels are fundamentally important for
human health and diseases, and are important targets for
pharmaceuticals in mental illness, heart disease, anesthesia, pain
and other clinical applications. The modern methods used in their
study are powerful and diverse, ranging from single ion-channel
measurement techniques to models of ion channel diseases in
animals, and human clinical trials for ion channel drugs. All three
volumes give the reader an introduction to fundamental concepts
needed to understand the mechanism of ion channels, a guide to the
technical aspects of ion channel research, offer a modern guide to
the properties of major ion channel families, and include coverage
of key examples of regulatory, physiological, and disease roles for
ion channels.
This book provides an overview of the key theoretical and empirical
issues relating to autobiographical memory: the extraordinarily
complex psychological activity that enables us to retrieve, relive
and reappraise our pasts. The first part of the book retraces the
genesis and historical development of the psychology of
autobiographical memory, from the pioneering contributions of
Francis Galton, Victor Henri and Sigmund Freud, to the most recent
research in the fields of cognitivism, cognitive science and
neuroscience. The author then moves on to two key topics in the
contemporary panorama: the content and organisation of
autobiographical memory (what we remember from our lives and how we
link together specific segments of our personal pasts) and the
functions of autobiographical memory (why we remember our pasts).
This book will provide a valuable scholarly overview for cognitive
psychologists and an authoritative critical introduction to the
field for students and scholars from across psychology, philosophy,
literary criticism, sociology and law.
How do electrical activity and calcium signals in neurons influence
the secretion of peptide hormones? This volume presents the current
state of knowledge regarding the electrical, calcium signaling and
synaptic properties of neuroendocrine systems from both vertebrate
and invertebrate systems. The contributions span in vivo and in
vitro studies that address: state-dependent plasticity, relevance
of firing patterns, membrane properties, calcium flux (including
dynamic imaging and homeostasis), and molecular mechanisms of
exocytosis, including from non-neuronal secretory cells. The
chapters focus not only on research results but also on how
experiments are conducted using state-of-the-art techniques, and
how the resulting data are interpreted. While there are many books
on the secretory properties of neurons, this is the first to focus
on the distinctive secretory properties of neuroendocrine neurons.
Accordingly, it offers an important text for undergraduate and
graduate neuroscience students, and will also appeal to established
scientists and postdoctoral fellows. This is the eighth volume in
the Masterclass in Neuroendocrinology series* - now a
co-publication between Springer Nature and the INF (International
Neuroendocrine Federation). *Volumes 1-7 published by Wiley
This volume aims at presenting the latest international research
and discoveries in the neurocognitive aspects and complications in
HIV/AIDS, and how this understanding can shape and inform how we
think about clinical practice and patient care in HIV/AIDS as well
as lead to a better understanding of the underlying
neuropathogenesis. The chapter, "Metabolic Syndrome and
Cardiovascular Disease Impacts on the Pathophysiology and Phenotype
of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders", of this book is
available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at
link.springer.com
State of the art reviews by experts in the fields of neuroscience,
immunology, microbiology/infectious diseases and pharmacology
addressing the convergence of the immune system (neuroinflammation)
and the loss of neurons (neurodegeneration). Many of the diseases
that are discussed in the book are of epidemic proportion, e.g.,
Alzheimer s disease, Parkinson s disease, stroke, viral
encephalitides and substance abuse. In addition to discussions of
the involvement of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in these
disorders, scientific reviews are presented on the cells and
mediators that participate in defense of and damage to the nervous
system. With rare exception, no or inadequate treatment exists for
the diseases discussed in this book. An underlying premise of the
book is that understanding of their shared pathogenic mechanisms
will lead to improved therapies. Given the rapid evolution of the
field of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, readers will find this book to
be the most timely and authoritative reference on the subject of
each of its chapters."
This contributed volume provides a complete overview of
Neuro-Behcet's disease (NBD), one of the most serious
manifestations of Behcet's disease. It serves as a comprehensive
and critical review of the current scientific literature regarding
NBD, covering the epidemiology, pathology, prognosis, and treatment
of the disease. This book is an essential resource for both
researchers and physicians working on neurology, rheumatology, and
internal medicine fields.
This book provides the first presentation of the state-of-the-art
in the application of modern Neuroscience research in predicting,
preventing and alleviating the negative sequelae of
neurodevelopmental, acquired, or neurodegenerative brain
abnormalities on speech and language. To this end, this edited
volume brings together contributions from several leading experts
in a markedly broad range of disciplines, comprising Neurology,
Neurosurgery, Genetics, Engineering, Neuroimaging and
Neurostimulation, Neuropsychology, and Speech and Language Therapy.
Utilizing the flood of information derived from the Human Genome
Project and corresponding efforts to elucidate the mouse genome,
Genetic Influences on Neural and Behavioral Functions provides a
scholarly catalog, organized logically, of relations between the
expression of specific genes, nerve cell biology and behavior,
normal and abnormal, in animals AND humans. Sample topics include
genes in relation to schiziphrenia, panic disorder, epilepsy,
alcoholism, sleep, eating disorders, and more.
This book examines what seems to be the basic challenge in
neuroscience today: understanding how experience generated by the
human brain is related to the physical world we live in. The 25
short chapters present the argument and evidence that brains
address this problem on a wholly trial and error basis. The goal is
to encourage neuroscientists, computer scientists, philosophers,
and other interested readers to consider this concept of neural
function and its implications, not least of which is the conclusion
that brains don't "compute."
This book takes an in depth and hard look at the current status and
future direction of treatment predictive markers in Personalized
Medicine for the brain from the perspectives of the researchers on
the cutting edge and those involved in healthcare implementation.
The contents provide a comprehensive text suitable as both a pithy
introduction to and a clear summary of the "science to solutions"
continuum in this developing field of Personalized Medicine and
Integrative Neuroscience. The science includes both measures of
genes using whole genome approaches and SNIPS as well as
BRAINmarkers of direct brain function such as brain imaging,
biophysical changes and objective cognitive and behavioral
measurements. Personalized Medicine for Brain Disorders will soon
be a reality using the comprehensive quantitative and standardized
approaches to genomics, BRAINmarkers and cognitive function. Each
chapter provides a review of recent relevant literature; show the
solutions achieved through integrative neuroscience and
applications in patient care thus providing a practical guide to
the reader. The timeliness of this book's content is propitious
providing bottom line information to educate practicing clinicians,
health care workers and researchers, and also a pathway for
undergraduate and graduates interested in further their
understanding of and involvement in tailored personal solutions.
Magnetic resonance imaging methods have taken a commanding position
in brain studies because they allow scientists to follow brain
activities in the living human. The ability to measure cerebral
anatomy, neuronal firing and brain metabolism has extended and
re-invigorated hopes of understanding the role that brain activity
plays in human life. The brain has assumed a central role in our
thinking of the world that can be traced back to the philosophies
that are expressed in psychology, religion, literature, and
everyday life. Brain scientists, planning and measuring brain
activities by imaging methods, have consciously or unconsciously
been influenced by these philosophical views. This book, in
describing the experiments using imaging methods, traces how
assumptions about the nature of brain function made in planning
scientific experiments are the consequences of philosophical
positions. Experiments that relate brain activities to observable
behavior are shown to avoid the philosophical and psychological
assumptions about mental processes that have been proposed to
underlie these behaviors. These promising, empirical experiments
are consistent with the philosophy of Pragmatism which, in judging
hypotheses about understanding by their consequences, has
questioned the value of everyday conceptualizations of brain
activity for imaging studies.
Groping around a familiar room in the dark, or learning to read
again after a traumatic brain injury; navigating a virtual
landscape through an avatar, or envisioning a scene through the
eyes of a character-all of these are expressions of one fundamental
property of life, Alain Berthoz argues. They are instances of
vicariance, when the brain sidesteps an impasse by substituting one
process or function for another. In The Vicarious Brain, Creator of
Worlds, Berthoz shows that this capacity is the foundation of the
human ability to think creatively and function in a complex world.
Vicariance is often associated with proxies and delegates, but it
also refers to a biological process in which a healthy organ takes
over for a defective counterpart. Berthoz, a neuroscientist,
approaches vicariance through neuronal networks, asking how, for
example, a blind person can develop a heightened sense of touch. He
also describes how our brains model physical reality and how we use
these models to understand things that are foreign to us. Forging
across disciplinary boundaries, he explores notions of the
vicarious in paleontology, ethology, art, literature, and
psychology. Through an absorbing examination of numerous facets of
vicariance, Berthoz reveals its impact on an individual's daily
decision making and, more broadly, on the brain's creation of
worlds. As our personal and social lives are transformed by virtual
realities, it is more crucial than ever before that we understand
vicariance within our increasingly complex environment, and as an
aspect of our own multiplying identities.
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