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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Life sciences: general issues > Neurosciences
The physical world is infinitely complex, yet most of us are able to find our way around it. We can walk through unfamiliar streets while maintaining a sense of direction, take shortcuts along paths we have never used and remember for many years places we have visited only once. These are remarkable achievements. In Wayfinding, Michael Bond explores how we do it: how our brains make the ‘cognitive maps’ that keep us orientated, even in places that we don’t know. He considers how we relate to places, and asks how our understanding of the world around us affects our psychology and behaviour. The way we think about physical space has been crucial to our evolution: the ability to navigate over large distances in prehistoric times gave Homo sapiens an advantage over the rest of the human family. Children are instinctive explorers, developing a spatial understanding as they roam. And yet today few of us make use of the wayfaring skills that we inherited from our nomadic ancestors. Most of us have little idea what we may be losing. Bond seeks an answer to the question of why some of us are so much better at finding our way than others. He also tackles the controversial subject of sex differences in navigation, and finally tries to understand why being lost can be such a devastating psychological experience. For readers of writers as different as Robert Macfarlane and Oliver Sacks, Wayfinding is a book that can change our sense of ourselves.
This volume details the essential role of the spiral ganglion neurons. The volume elucidates and characterizes their development, their environment, their electrophysiological characteristics, their connectivity to their targets in the inner ear and the brain, and discusses the potential for their regeneration. A comprehensive review about the spiral ganglion neurons is important for researchers not only in the inner ear field but also in development, neuroscience, biophysics as well as neural networks researchers. The chapters are authored by leading researchers in the field.
Current theories about human memory have been shaped by clinical observations and animal experiments. This doctrine holds that the medial temporal lobe subserves one memory system for explicit or declarative memories, while the basal ganglia subserves a separate memory system for implicit or procedural memories, including habits. Cortical areas outside the medial temporal lobe are said to function in perception, motor control, attention, or other aspects of executive function, but not in memory. 'The Evolution of Memory Systems' advances dramatically different ideas on all counts. It proposes that several memory systems arose during evolution and that they did so for the same general reason: to transcend problems and exploit opportunities encountered by specific ancestors at particular times and places in the distant past. Instead of classifying cortical areas in terms of mutually exclusive perception, executive, or memory functions, the authors show that all cortical areas contribute to memory and that they do so in their own ways-using specialized neural representations. The book also presents a proposal on the evolution of explicit memory. According to this idea, explicit (declarative) memory depends on interactions between a phylogenetically ancient navigation system and a representational system that evolved in humans to represent one's self and others. As a result, people embed representations of themselves into the events they experience and the facts they learn, which leads to the perception of participating in events and knowing facts. 'The Evolution of Memory Systems' is an important new work for students and researchers in neuroscience, psychology, and biology.
This symposium entitled Calcium, Neuronal Function and Transmitter Re lease, was in the framework of the regional meeting of the International Union of Physiological Sciences, that took place in Jerusalem between August 26-31, 1984. The symposium dealt with the role of calcium ions in regulation of a large number of important processes in modern neurobiology, from molecular and cellular points of view. In this context, we consider heart and most cells as 'honorary neurons'. The meeting was comprised of lectures and quite intense discussions. We hope that the transcription of the discussions which follow the articles will give the reader a feeling of the intense, but pleasant atmosphere that per vaded during this symposium. It is our pleasure to thank Mrs. Miriam Silber, the assistant editor of this book, for her hard work in transcribing the discussions, retyping large portions of the book, and getting the approval of the authors. We express our thanks to Dr. Halina Meiri and Dr. Simona Ginsburg for their editorial assis tance. The unfailing help of Ms. Rachel Klein and Ms. Shoshana Wineberg is greatly appreciated. xxvii SECTION 1 CALCIUM CHANNELS, TRANSPORTERS & CALCIUM REGULATED CHANNELS EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON SINGLE CHANNEL AND WHOLE CELL Ca CURRENTS A. M. BROWN, D. L. KUNZE, H.D. LUX AND D. L. WILSON INTRODUCTION Calcium tall currents have a large, fast component which Is not detectable when the currents are turned on or acti vated from the completely rested state (Brown et aI, 1983)."
After 40 years of research, scientists have confirmed that persistent neurogenesis occurs in the adult mammalian brain. The obvious next question is: "Are the newly generated neurons functional?" If so, "What are the functions of these new neurons?" This volume intends to clarify both questions by providing the latest data available.
As stated in the preface to the first edition, the goal of this monograph is to provide an overview of current thought about the spinal cord mechanisms responsible for sensory processing. We hope that the book will be of value to both basic neuroscientists and clinicians. The organization of the monograph has followed the original plan in most respects, although the emphasis has changed with respect to many topics because of recent advances. In particular, a substantial increase in the number of investigations of the dorsal root ganglion has led us to devote a chapter to this topic. The treatment of chemical neuroanatomy in the dorsal horn, as well as the relevant neuropharmacology, has also been expanded considerably. Another major emphasis is on the results of experiments employing microneurography in human subjects. We thank Margie Watson and Lyn Schilling for their assistance with the typing and Griselda Gonzales for preparing the illustrations.
Modern theories of brain function are increasingly concerned with dynamics. The task of organizing perception and behaviour in a meaningful interaction with the external world prompts the brain to recruit its various resources in a properly coordinated manner. Vis-a-vis the complexity and multitude of the dynamics involved, a careful orchestration of the various processing components, distributed over space and time, is essential. Hence, it should come as no surprise that a number of recent developments in both experimental and theoretical brain science have emphasized the aspect of spatio-temporal coordination. This collection of papers intends to capture these various developments in the brain sciences. It brings together new insights and concepts from various branches of experimental and theoretical neuroscience, partly in the form of review chapters, partly in short, focussed contributions, or critical essays. Further it sets out to explore the problems of the processing of the temporal dimension of sensory input and of the generation of space-time patterns in the motor output, as well as the intervening storage and transformation of temporal patterns in nerve nets. The publication is divided into four major sections: the first considers spatio-temporal aspects of brain function in the context of processing of sensory input and perception and the third, spatio-temporal aspects of brain function at the output end: planning and control of movement. The second section is dedicated to the intervening level of neuronal activity in the working brain and the various dynamics observed at different levels of resolution in space and time. The fourth part combines contributions that transcend this scheme. It is hoped the book achieves its goal which is to raise an interest in theoretical models that actively seek confrontation with experimental data from the functioning brain, and by a didactic effort aimed at experimentalists to present their data in a format that makes them more amenable to theory.
In Measuring the Immeasurable Mind: Where Contemporary Neuroscience Meets the Aristotelian Tradition, Matthew Owen argues that despite its nonphysical character, it is possible to empirically detect and measure consciousness. Toward the end of the previous century, the neuroscience of consciousness set its roots and sprouted within a materialist milieu that reduced the mind to matter. Several decades later, dualism is being dusted off and reconsidered. Although some may see this revival as a threat to consciousness science aimed at measuring the conscious mind, Owen argues that measuring consciousness, along with the medical benefits of such measurements, is not ruled out by consciousness being nonphysical. Owen proposes the Mind-Body Powers model of neural correlates of consciousness, which is informed by Aristotelian causation and a substance dualist view of human nature inspired by Thomas Aquinas, who often followed Aristotle. In addition to explaining why there are neural correlates of consciousness, the model provides a philosophical foundation for empirically discerning and quantifying consciousness. En route to presenting and applying the Mind-Body Powers model to neurobiology, Owen rebuts longstanding objections to dualism related to the mind-body problem. With scholarly precision and readable clarity, Owen applies an oft forgotten yet richly developed historical vantage point to contemporary cognitive neuroscience.
This volume of Cerebral Cortex is dedicated to Sir John Eccles, who was an active member of the advisory board for the series until his death in May 1997. His input as to what topics should be covered in future volumes of this series will be sorely missed. The present volume is concerned with neurodegenerative disorders and age related changes in the structure and function of the cerebral cortex, a topic that has attracted increasing interest as longevity and the number of aged individuals in the population increase. Although much of the research on the neurodegenerative effects of aging has been centered on Alzheimer's disease, most of the aging popu lation will not be afflicted by this disease. They will, however, be affected by the consequences of normal aging, so the first few chapters of this volume are con cerned with that topic. Chapter 1, by Marilyn S. Albert and Mark B. Moss, gives an account of the cognitive changes that accompany normal human aging. Chapter 2, by Mark B."
Suicide Prevention: A Holistic Approach contains the selected and edited papers that were presented during the congress Suicide, Disease, Disadvantage, A Holistic Approach, organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention, which was held in June 1995, in Venice. Suicide prevention is still sadly neglected by governments and public health authorities, despite the fact that in several Western countries suicide has become the primary cause of death among younger age groups. The selected papers express the need for a holistic viewpoint in suicide management. The subjects range from parasuicide to the role of the media, from the special type of psychotherapeutic approach required to the most recent guidelines in pharmacological treatment, from a homage to the memory of Erwin Ringel to the presentation of specific national prevention schemes. The book will be of interest to public health workers, doctors, psychologists and social workers, as well as voluntary staff and their organizations, and to all those who make suicide prevention one of their primary interests.
AsanadditiontotheEuropeanpostgraduatetrainingsystemforyoung neurosurgeons, we began to publish in 1974 this series of Advancesand Technical Standards in Neurosurgery which was later sponsored by the EuropeanAssociationofNeurosurgicalSocieties. This series was ?rst discussed in 1972 at a combined meeting of the Italian and German Neurosurgical Societies in Taormina, the founding fathersoftheseriesbeingJeanBrihaye,BernardPertuiset,FritzLoewand HugoKrayenbuhl. ThuswereestablishedtheprinciplesofEuropean- operationwhich havebeenbornfromthe Europeanspirit,?ourishedin theEuropeanAssociation,andhavebeenassociatedthroughoutwiththis series. ThefactthattheEnglishlanguageisnowtheinternationalmediumfor communicationatEuropeanscienti?cconferencesisagreatassetinterms ofmutualunderstanding. Thereforewehavedecidedtopublishallcont- butionsinEnglish,regardlessofthenativelanguageoftheauthors. All contributions are submitted to the entire editorial board before publicationofanyvolumeforscrutinyandsuggestionsforrevision. Ourseriesisnotintendedtocompetewiththepublicationsoforiginal scienti?cpapersinotherneurosurgicaljournals. Ourintentionis,rather,to present?eldsofneurosurgeryandrelatedareasinwhichimportantrecent advanceshavebeenmade. Thecontributionsarewrittenbyspecialistsin thegiven?eldsandconstitutethe?rstpartofeachvolume. Inthesecondpartofeachvolume,wepublishdetaileddescriptionsof standardoperativeproceduresandindepthreviewsofestablishedkno- edge in all aspects of neurosurgery, furnished by experienced clinicians. This part is intended primarily to assist young neurosurgeons in their postgraduatetraining. However,weareconvincedthatitwillalsobeu- fultoexperienced,fullytrainedneurosurgeons. We hope therefore that surgeons not only in Europe, but also throughouttheworld,willpro?tbythisseriesofAdvancesandTechnical StandardsinNeurosurgery. TheEditors Contents ListofContributors...XIII Advances .. Gene Technology Based Therapies in the Brain. T. Wirth1,4 and S. Yla- Herttuala1,2,3, 1A. I. Virtanen Institute,University of Kuopio, Kuopio,F- land, 2DepartmentofMedicine,UniversityofKuopioandGeneTherapyUnit, Kuopio, Finland, 3Gene Therapy Unit, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland,4ArkTherapeuticsOy,Kuopio,Finland Abstract...3 IntroductiontoGeneTherapy:ThePast,PresentandFuture...4 PotentialAreasforGeneTherapyintheBrain...6 GeneTherapyforParkinson'sDisease...7 GeneTherapyforAlzheimer'sDisease...8 GeneTherapyforVascularBrainDiseases...9 GeneTherapyforBrainTumours...11 ChallengesofGeneTherapyintheBrain...12 GeneTransferVectors...15 ViralGeneTransferVectors...17 Retroviruses...17 HerpesSimplexVirus-1(HSV-1)...17 Adenoviruses...18 Adeno-AssociatedVirus(AAV's)...18 Non-ViralVectors...19 Ethics...20 ConcludingRemarks...21 Acknowledgement...21 References...21 VIII Contents TechnicalStandards AnatomyoftheOrbitanditsSurgicalApproach. G. Hayek,Ph. Mercier,and H. D. Fournier, Laboratory of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Angers,Angers,France Abstract...35 Introduction...36 AnatomyoftheOrbit...36 TheOrbitalCavity...36 TheOrbitalFasciaorPeriorbita...38 OrbitalContents...39 OrbitalMuscles...40 TheArteriesoftheOrbit...42 VeinsoftheOrbit...47 NervesoftheOrbit...48 LacrymalGland...55 ApproachRoutestotheOrbit...56 Incision...56 TheLateralApproachRoute...57 OsteoplasticTechniques...58 Non-OsteoplasticTechniques...58 TheSuperiorApproachRoute...60 TheHybridLateral/SuperiorRoute...63 Discussion...
Response times are a fascinating source of information on how the mind is organized - the time taken to carry out an action tells us something about the choice process involved. This is a critical but even-handed treatment of the major themes of how response times play a role in our thinking about the mind. Professor Luce provides a comprehensive, clear review of the experimental data, and puts forward the idea of the hazard function - a novel and important approach that he and his colleagues have developed. This function, based on the probability that an reaction is about to occur given that no reaction has occurred so far during a trial, exaggerates the differences that normal analysis methods often obscure. This enables the researcher to rule out more confidently known mechanisms of time delay in human performance. Since measurements of response times are widely used by experimental psychologists as one approach to distinguishing between theories of intellectual functioning, the conceptual arguments that Professor Luce brings to bear on mathematical models of response time are of great relevance to mathematical and experimental psychologists.
This detailed volume assembles comprehensive protocols to assist with the study of structural, molecular, cell biological, and in vivo facets of GPCRs, and to enable the development of experimental tools for screening novel GPCR drugs. Sections explore the tweaking of ligands, bioluminescence and FRET approaches, specific GPCR signaling properties, as well as visualization of subcellular compartmentalization. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, 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. Authoritative and practical, G Protein-Coupled Receptor Signaling: Methods and Protocols serves as an ideal reference for life scientists working in a variety of research fields including molecular pharmacology, cell and developmental biology, brain behavior and physiology, drug development and screening. Chapter 4 is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license via link.springer.com.
Vitamins and Minerals in Neurological Disorders offers readers a comprehensive reference addressing their relationship to brain health in a wide variety of neurological diseases. Examining various compounds, this broad coverage allows readers to learn about the role nutrient deficiency plays in the pathology of many conditions, as well as their potential in treatment. The book covers diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, and MS, along with severe neurological conditions like brain injury, stroke, headache and migraine. This volume provides a platform for research on vitamins, minerals and future investigations of these compounds.
The number of mouse models that are available for the study of human genetic neurological disorders is large and growing rapidly. Therefore, it was difficult to select the models that were reviewed in this volume. Clearly, there are important models that are not discussed, and perhaps a volume twice this size would have been more appropriate. Moreover, the pace at which new models are being developed and analyzed is rapid. As this volume goes to press, I am sure that additional mouse genes responsible for naturally occurring neurological disorders are being discovered and that many new transgenic and mutant mouse strains are being developed. Therefore, this volume should not be viewed as a comprehensive compendium, but rather as an update of work in progress. It is exhilarating to witness the fast pace at which these models are being established as important tools in the study of basic neuroscience and neurological disorders. It will be even more exciting to see their utilization in the development and testing of therapeutic interventions for these diseases. I would like to thank each of the authors who have contributed to this volume for their time and their expertise. I would also like to thank Drs. Timothy Coetzee and Joshua Corbin for their advice in the selection of the topics covered. I am deeply indebted to Dr. Kunihiko Suzuki, who first approached me with the idea for this volume, for his guidance throughout its preparation.
Offers a unique multidisciplinary overview of how humans interact with soft objects and how multiple sensory signals are used to perceive material properties, with an emphasis on object deformability. The authors describe a range of setups that have been employed to study and exploit sensory signals involved in interactions with compliant objects as well as techniques to simulate and modulate softness - including a psychophysical perspective of the field. Multisensory Softness focuses on the cognitive mechanisms underlying the use of multiple sources of information in softness perception. Divided into three sections, the first Perceptual Softness deals with the sensory components and computational requirements of softness perception, the second Sensorimotor Softness looks at the motor components of the interaction with soft objects and the final part Artificial Softness focuses on the identification of exploitable guidelines to help replicate softness in artificial environments.
Neuronal phase response curves (PRCs) summarize the relationship between the timing of inputs within a neuron's spike cycle and the consequent shifts in output spike timing. The form of a neuron's PRC reflects its mechanism of spike initiation or excitability as well as other influences of membrane conductances on synaptic integration. PRCs are efficient encapsulations of the input-output processing of individual neurons to single perturbations and are powerful devices for the prediction and interpretation of patterned neuronal network activity including synchronization phenomena in connected networks or populations receiving shared input. Thus, application of phase response analysis to neural systems targets the interface of neural computation at the cellular and network levels, one of the most critical and expansive gaps in our understanding of the brain. This volume surveys the diversity of applications of phase response analysis by many of the prominent theoreticians and experimentalists in the Computational Neurosciences. Readers will find a thorough introduction to the foundational concepts underlying phase response analysis, advanced techniques for accurate estimation of neuronal PRCs, and impactful illustrations of both the cellular underpinnings of the phase response properties of neurons and the power of phase response analysis to explain network behavior. Throughout the book, the authors use phase response analysis to elucidate a number of neural systems that are current foci of exciting research in the Computational Neurosciences and are at the forefront of our advancing grasp of the complex mechanisms of brain function and dysfunction.
We are at the midpoint in the "Decade of the Brain." Why do we know so much and yet understand so little about the brain? The field of neuroscience has exploded, and anyone who attends one of the large meetings has the impression of drinking from a fire hydran- as so aptly put by the late neuroanatomist Walle J. H. Nauta. Part of that feeling is a general-information problem, experienced in other fields of scienc as well. In brain research, however, the problem is accentuated by the rapid advances of molecular and cellular brain research. The dynamics created by these lines of research have multiplied published output, but have inevitably entailed a compartmentalization of scientific interests and research strategies. If the cost of gaining knowledge is a shrinking horizon of the individual scientist, neuroscience must develop strategies for organizing the acquisition of knowledge. Some of this guidance is given by the society -by medical and, perhaps, commercial needs. But who provides the backbone for establishing a generally accepted "schema" for basic brain research -a frame of reference onto which the millions of information fragments can be fitted, in a way acceptable to a multicultural and polymethodical neuroscience community? We believe that developmental and evolutionary biology has the potential to provide a commonly accepted frame of reference for that multilevel system approach needed to understand the workings of the brain.
A presentation of all aspects of neural crest cell origins (embryological and evolutionary) development and evolution; neural crest cell behavior (migration) and anomalies (neurocristopathies and birth defects) that arise from defective neural crest development. The treatment of development will include discussions of cellular, molecular and genetic aspects of the differentiation and morphogenesis of neural crest cells and structures derived from neural crest cells. The origins of the neural crest in embryology will be discussed using the recent information on the molecular basis of the specification of the neural crest. Also presented are the advances in our understanding of the evolution of jaws from studies on lampreys and of the neural crest from studies on ascidians and amphioxus.
This book focuses on recent advances and future trends in the methods and applications of technologies that are used in neuroscience for the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases and conditions or for the improvement of quality of life. The editors have assembled contributions from a range of international experts, to bring together key topics in neurotechnology, neuroengineering, and neurorehabilitation. The book explores biomedical signal processing, neuroimaging acquisition and analysis, computational intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, biometrics, machine learning and neurorobotics, human machine interaction, mobile apps and discusses ways in which these neural technologies can be used as diagnostic tools, research methods, treatment modalities, as well as in devices and apps in everyday life. This cross-disciplinary topic is of particular interest to researchers and professionals with a background in neuroscience-related disciplines and neurotechnology, but also touches on a wide range of other fields including biomedical engineering, AI, medicine, healthcare, security and industry, among others.
This book presents an emerging new vision of the brain, which is essentially expressed in computational terms, for non-experts. As such, it presents the fundamental concepts of neuroscience in simple language, without overwhelming non-biologists with excessive biological jargon. In addition, the book presents a novel computational perspective on the brain for biologists, without resorting to complex mathematical equations. It addresses a comprehensive range of topics, starting with the history of neuroscience, the function of the individual neuron, the various kinds of neural network models that can explain diverse neural phenomena, sensory-motor function, language, emotions, and concluding with the latest theories on consciousness. The book offers readers a panoramic introduction to the "new brain" and a valuable resource for interdisciplinary researchers looking to gatecrash the world of neuroscience.
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.
This book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date review of the distribution, pharmacology and physiology of central 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)4 receptors. The 5-HT receptor subtypes exhibit a unique pharmacology, distribution and function, of which the 5-HT4 receptor has been one of the most intensively studied in recent years, both from a basic research standpoint and as a target for novel therapeutics. |
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