While the field of vision science has grown significantly in the past three decades, there have been few comprehensive books that showed readers how to adopt a computional approach to understanding visual perception, along with the underlying mechanisms in the brain. Understanding Vision explains the computational principles and models of biological visual processing, and in particular, of primate vision. The book is written in such a way that vision scientists, unfamiliar with mathematical details, should be able to conceptually follow the theoretical principles and their relationship with physiological, anatomical, and psychological observations, without going through the more mathematical pages. For those with a physical science background, especially those from machine vision, this book serves as an analytical introduction to biological vision. It can be used as a textbook or a reference book in a vision course, or a computational neuroscience course for graduate students or advanced undergraduate students. It is also suitable for self-learning by motivated readers. in addition, for those with a focused interest in just one of the topics in the book, it is feasible to read just the chapter on this topic without having read or fully comprehended the other chapters. In particular, Chapter 2 presents a brief overview of experimental observations on biological vision; Chapter 3 is on encoding of visual inputs, Chapter 5 is on visual attentional selection driven by sensory inputs, and Chapter 6 is on visual perception or decoding. Including many examples that clearly illustrate the application of computational principles to experimental observations, Understanding Vision is valuable for students and researchers in computational neuroscience, vision science, machine and computer vision, as well as physicists interested in visual processes.

This edited volume presents fundamentals as well as applications of oculomotor methods in industrial and clinical settings. The topical spectrum covers 1.) basics and background material, 2.) methods such as recording techniques, markov models, Levy flights, pupillometry and many more, as well as 3.) a broad range of applications in clinical and industrial settings. The target audience primarily comprises research experts and practitioners, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

The brain is a cognitive organ, and regions of the brain that traverse brainstem and cortical sites orchestrate the expression of bodily sensibility: intelligent action. They can appear perfunctory or intimate, calculating a sum or selecting a mate. Schulkin presents neuroscientific research demonstrating that thought is not on one side and bodily sensibility on the other; from a biological point of view, they are integrated. Schulkin further argues that this integration has important implications for judgements about the emotions, art and music, moral sensibilities, attraction and revulsion, and our perpetual inclination to explain ourselves and our surroundings. He begins the book by setting forth a view of the emotions not as a bodily burden to be borne, but rather as a great source of information. He then moves on to other domains, claiming that underlying the experience of aesthetics in at least some instances is the interplay between expectation and disappointment from its infraction, and suggesting that, among other things, repulsion and attraction to the cries and joys of others consitutes moral responsiveness. This book should appeal to researchers in behavioral neuroscience, emotion, and psychophysiology, as well as cognitive and social psychologists and philosophers of mind.

In the tradition of My Stroke of Insight and Brain on Fire, this powerful memoir recounts Barbara Lipska's deadly brain cancer and explains its unforgettable lessons about the brain and mind. Neuroscientist Lipska was diagnosed early in 2015 with metastatic melanoma in her brain's frontal lobe. As the cancer progressed and was treated, she experienced behavioral and cognitive symptoms connected to a range of mental disorders, including dementia and her professional specialty, schizophrenia. Lipska's family and associates were alarmed by the changes in her behavior, which she failed to acknowledge herself. Gradually, after a course of immunotherapy, Lipska returned to normal functioning, amazingly recalled her experience, and through her knowledge of neuroscience identified the ways in which her brain changed during treatment. Lipska admits her condition was unusual; after recovery she was able to return to her research and resume her athletic training and compete in a triathalon. Most patients with similar brain cancers rarely survive to describe their ordeal. Lipska's memoir, coauthored with journalist Elaine McArdle, shows that strength and courage but also an encouraging support network are vital to recovery.

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 looks at how three kinds of strongly electric fishes literally became "electrical," and how they helped to change the sciences and medicine. These fishes are the flat torpedo rays common to the Mediterranean, the electric catfishes of Africa, and an "eel" from South America. The discovery of the electrical nature of these fishes in the second half of the 18th century was the starting point of the two fundamental advances in the sciences: on the physiological side, the demonstration that nerve conduction and muscle excitation are electrical phenomena, and on the physical side, the invention of the electric battery. Starting with catfish tomb drawings from Ancient Egypt and colorful descriptions of torpedoes from the Classical Era, the authors show how these fishes were both fascinating and mysterious to the ancients. After all, not only could they produce torpor and temporary numbness when touched, they could stun through intermediaries, such as wet nets and spears.
Various explanations were given for these remarkable actions in ancient times, including the idea that they might release some sort of cold venom. Through the Renaissance, they also tended to be associated with occult and magical qualities. During the 1600s, natural philosophers speculated that rapid movements of specialized muscles could account for their actions. This idea was widely accepted until the 1750s, when the possibility that their shocks might be electrical began to be discussed.
Showing how researchers set forth to provide support for fish electricity is a major focus of this book. Here the authors transport us into the jungles of South America and later show how some live eels were transported to London, where John Walsh demonstrated in1776 that they can actually spark.
Subsequent chapters deal with further evidence for specialized fish electricity and how electric fishes helped to change ideas about even our own physiology. The authors also show how these fish remained a part of medicine, and how Volta modeled his revolutionary "pile" or electric battery on their anatomy.
From beginning to end, this drama is firmly anchored in the philosophy and science of the day. Moreover, with biographical information about the key players, readers can fully appreciate what they were thinking as they tried to understand one of Nature's greatest puzzles - a mystery that would transform nerve and muscle physiology in ways that earlier generations could not have anticipated. Although a scholarly volume, the book's style is generally narrative and, with its hundreds of magnificent illustrations, it should appeal to a large audience.

Comprehensive expose, by leading neuroscientists, of current knowledge on the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the cerebral cortex. All aspects of the subject are covered, from its most elementary, at the molecular and cellular levels, to its systemic and holistic implications, including its role in cognition and involvement in human diseases and therapeutics.

The twenty-two chapters are grouped under four main headings: I. Functional Morphology of the Acetylcholine Innervation in Cerebral Cortex (Including Hippocampus); II. Modes of Action of Acetylcholine in the Cerebral Cortex; III. Cortical Properties and Functions Modulated by Acetylcholine, and IV. Clinical, Pathological and Therapeutic Implications. This broad perspective updates the reader on recent advances and future trends in the study of a major neuromodulatory system in brain.

This book focuses on advances in our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of brain iron uptake, iron homeostasis and iron metabolism in the pathophysiology and pharmacology of CNS disease models. Dysregulation of brain iron homeostasis can lead to severe pathological changes in the neural system. Iron deficiency can slow down the development of the neural system and cause language and motion disorders, while iron overload is closely related to neurodegenerative diseases. Although some current books include chapters on iron metabolism and certain neurodegenerative diseases, this is the first systematic summary of the latest discoveries regarding brain iron metabolism and CNS diseases. By providing novel and thought-provoking insights into the mechanisms and physiological significance of brain iron metabolism and related diseases, the book stimulates further new research directions. It helps graduate students and researchers gain an overall picture of brain iron metabolism and the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, and also offers pharmaceutical companies inspiration for new treatment strategies for CNS diseases.

Imaging in Movement Disorders: Imaging in Other Movement Disorders and Dementia, Volume 143 provides an up-to-date textbook on the use of imaging modalities across the spectrum of movement disorders and dementias. The book brings together lessons learned from neuroimaging tools in the content of movement disorders, including idiopathic and sporadic forms of Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Atypical Parkinsonism, Dystonia, Essential Tremor, and more. Specific chapters cover Neuroimaging Applications in Dystonia, Neuroimaging Applications in Essential Tremor, Neuroimaging applications in Restless Leg Syndrome, Neuroimaging Application in Tourette's Syndrome and TIC Disorders, Neuroimaging Applications in Functional Movement Disorders, and Neuroimaging Applications in Cerebellar Disorders. Addition sections cover Molecular Imaging of Parkinson's Disease Cognitive Impairment, Structural MRI in Parkinson's Disease Cognitive Impairment, Functional MRI in Parkinson's Disease Cognitive Impairment, Molecular Imaging of Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Structural and Functional MRI of Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Transcranial Sonography in Movement Disorders, Imaging transplantation in Movement Disorders, Hybrid PET-MRI Applications in Movement Disorders, amongst other topics.

Most people find colorful brain scans highly compelling-and yet, many experts don't. This discrepancy begs the question: What can we learn from neuroimaging? Is brain information useful in fields such as psychiatry, law, or education? How do neuroscientists create brain activation maps and why do we admire them? Casting Light on The Dark Side of Brain Imaging tackles these questions through a critical and constructive lens-separating fruitful science from misleading neuro-babble. In a breezy writing style accessible to a wide readership, experts from across the brain sciences offer their uncensored thoughts to help advance brain research and debunk the craze for reductionist, headline-grabbing neuroscience. This collection of short, enlightening essays is suitable for anyone interested in brain science, from students to professionals. Together, we take a hard look at the science behind brain imaging and outline why this technique remains promising despite its seldom-discussed shortcomings.

Dynamic Thinking: A Primer on Dynamic Field Theory introduces the reader to a new approach to understanding cognitive and neural dynamics using the concepts of Dynamic Field Theory (DFT). Dynamic Neural Fields are formalizations of how neural populations represent the continuous dimensions of perceptual features, movements, and cognitive decisions. The concepts of DFT establish links between brain and behavior, revealing ways in which models of brain function can be tested with both neural and behavioral measures. Thus, DFT bridges the gap between brain and behavior, between neuroscience and the behavioral sciences. The book provides systematic tutorials on the central concepts of DFT and their grounding in both dynamical systems theory and neurophysiology. The concrete mathematical implementation of these concepts is laid out, supported by hands-on exercises that make use of interactive simulators in MATLAB. The book also contains a large set of exemplary case studies in which the concepts and associated models are used to understand how elementary forms of embodied cognition emerge and develop.

The articles comprising this volume were first presented at the World Congress on Neurohypophysial Hormones held in Bordeaux, France on September 8-12, 2001. This conference brought together more than 170 scientists from 18 countries who belong to the different fields of interest representing research in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system.

Two neurohypophysial neurohormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, exert a variety of central and peripheral actions and thus involve different scientific domains, which too often, even today, do not always find the appropriate occasion to interact. This volume is composed of chapters dealing with topics varying from basic and clinical neurosciences and neuroendocrinology, to reproductive, renal, cardiovascular physiology and pathology. It encompasses all areas of current neurohypophysial research and should be of vital interest as an integrative reference volume to specialized investigators and as an excellent introductory text to students, scientists and clinicians not yet closely familiar with the field. To ensure novelty and to make sure that all topics of current importance were covered, plenary and symposium speakers as well as poster presentations concentrated on recent advances made in the last few years.

Investigation of the functional architecture of the human brain using modern noninvasive imaging techniques is a rapidly expanding area of research. A proper knowledge of methodology is needed to appreciate the burgeoning literature in the field. This timely publication provides an excellent catalogue of the main techniques.
The authors offer an invaluable analysis of mapping strategies and techniques, providing everything from the foundations to the major pitfalls and practical applications of the modern techniques used in neuroimaging. Contains over 1000 full color pages with more than 200 color figures.
Spanning the methodological gamut from the molecular level to the whole brain while discussing anatomy, physiology, and pathology, as well as their integration, Brain Mapping: The Methods, 2e, brings the reader a comprehensive, well-illustrated and entirely readable description of the methods for brain mapping. Drs. Toga and Mazziotta provide everything from the foundations to the major pitfalls and practical applications of the technique by assembling an impressive group of experts, all widely known in their field, who contribute an outstanding set of chapters.

The aim of this book is not only to introduce readers with a broad spectrum of biological actions of the NOP receptor, but also to feature a detailed look at the N/OFQ-NOP receptor system, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and clinical data of NOP-targeted ligands. This special volume book - for the first time focusing on the NOP receptor - is designed to serve as a useful reference, stimulate more research on the N/OFQ-NOP receptor system, and lead to more development of NOP-related ligands for several therapeutic applications.

Thermoregulation, Part II: From Basic Neuroscience to Clinical Neurology, Volume 155, not only reviews how body temperature regulation changes in neurological diseases, but also how this aspect affects the course and outcomes of each disease. Other sections of the volume review three therapeutic approaches that are aimed at manipulating body temperature, including induced hypothermia, induced hyperthermia and antipyretic therapy. The book is comprised of nine sections across two volumes, five dealing with the basic aspects of body temperature regulation and four dealing with the clinical aspects. Basic sections cover the Thermoregulation system, Thermoreceptors, Thermoeffectors, Neural pathways, and Thermoregulation as a homeostatic function. In addition, the book covers the physiology and neuroanatomy of the thermoregulation system and provides descriptions of how the regulation of body temperature intervenes with other physiological functions (such as sleep, osmoregulation, and immunity), stress, exercise and aging. Basic sections serve as an introduction to the four clinical sections: Body Temperature, Clinical Significance, Abnormal Body Temperature, Thermoregulation in Neurological Disease and Therapeutic Interventions.

What difference is there between the visual experience of watching the moon in the sky and the visual experience of seeing a snake slither by your foot? It is easy to believe our interpretation of the world is split into a binary mode, between the bodily self and everything outside it. There is, however, a buffer zone in the immediate surrounding of the body, known as peripersonal space, in which boundaries are blurred. The notion of peripersonal space calls into question not only our entrenched theories of perception, but also has major implications on the way we perceive personal and social awareness. Research has yielded a vast array of exciting discoveries on peripersonal space, across a variety of disciplines: ethology, social psychology, anthropology, neurology, psychiatry, and cognitive neuroscience. The World at Our Fingertips: A Multidisciplinary Exploration of Peripersonal Space brings these perspectives together for the first time, as well as introducing a philosophical dialogue to the questions. Edited by a team of leading psychologists and philosophers in the fields of peripersonal space and bodily awareness, this comprehensive volume presents the reader with a fresh, accessible dialogue between authorities from vastly different areas of thought.

Neurosurgical Neuropsychology: The Practical Application of Neuropsychology in the Neurosurgical Practice comprehensively explains the use of neuropsychology in neurosurgical settings. The book covers various preoperative techniques that may benefit neurosurgeons, such as functional neuroimaging (fMRI, SPECT, MEG) for presurgical cognitive mapping, as well as more traditional methods to predict outcomes after surgery, including neurocognitive testing and the Wada procedure. The book's editors discuss why neuropsychologists add considerable value to the neurosurgical team. A wide range of patient populations are covered, ranging from Deep Brain Stimulation candidates for Parkinson's disease, to adult and pediatric epilepsy candidates and neuro-oncology cases. This book is ideal for neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, neuro-oncologists, epileptologists, general neurologists, and others who want to know more about the use of neuropsychology as a tool in the presurgical and postoperative phases of neurosurgery.

Neuroinflammation, Second Edition, discusses the role inflammation plays in neuro-inflammatory diseases. As research in neuroinflammation has dramatically increased in recent years, this new edition covers all of the new developments and findings since the first publication nearly a decade ago. Comprehensive coverage of topics includes chapters on multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis and Susac syndrome. New chapters cover the latest research in Epilepsy and Neuroinflammation, Pediatric MS, Pediatric Lupus and Traumatic Brain Injury, amongst other topics. Inflammation is a central mechanism in many neurological diseases, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, brain trauma and meningitis, and it contributes to the generation of pain. Researchers are now beginning to understand the impact of the immune system on different nervous system functions and diseases, ranging from damage, through tolerance, and to modulation and repair.

Myasthenia Gravis and Myasthenic Disorders, Second Edition is a thoroughly re-written and updated version of the highly successful first edition published in 1999. The current edition begins with an overview of the anatomy and molecular architecture of the neuromuscular junction and the electrophysiologic diagnosis of its disorders. The introductory chapters are followed by a detailed exposition of the pathogenesis, natural history, diagnosis and therapy of the autoimmune myasthenias, the Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, and the increasingly complex and fascinating diseases collectively referred to as congenital myasthenic syndromes. The acetylcholine receptor is a major target of both autoimmune and inherited myasthenias and a separate chapter reviews its structural and functional properties. The book also describes disorders that often target terminal nerve segment near the neuromuscular junction-- the syndrome of peripheral nerve hyperexcitability and the Guillain-Barr syndrome.
Comprehensively written by leaders at the forefront of research, not to mention thoroughly referenced throughout and gorgeously illustrated, this new edition of the classic 1999 text will cement its place as the text on Myasthenia Gravis and related disorders for years to come.

Written by experts on the forefront of investigations of brain function, vision, and perception, the material presented is of an unparalleled scientific quality, and shows that analyses of enormous breadth and sophistication are required to probe the structure and function of brain regions. The articles are highly persuasive in showing what can be achieved by carrying out careful and imaginative experiments. The Cat Primary Visual Cortex should emerge as essential reading for all those interested in cerebral cortical processing of visual signals or researching or working in any field of vision.
Key Features
* Comprehensive account of cat primary visual cortex
* Generous use of illustrations including color
* Covers research from structure to connections to functions
* Chapters by leaders in the field
* Topics presneted on multiple, compatible levels