This book describes the specific surgical techniques currently employed in patients with intractable epilepsy; it also covers the relevant technical aspects of general neurosurgery. All of the approaches associated with the various foci of epilepsy within the cerebral hemispheres are considered, including temporal and frontal lobectomies and corticectomies, parietal and occipital lobe resections, corpus callosotomy, hemispherectomy, and multiple subpial incisions. In addition, an individual chapter is devoted to electrocortical stimulation and functional localization of the so-called eloquent cortex. The more general topics on which guidance is provided include bipolar coagulation (with coverage of the physical principles, strength of the coagulating current, use of coagulation forceps, the advantages of correct irrigation, and use of cottonoid patties) and all of the measures required during the performance of operations under local anesthesia. The book is designed to meet the need for a practically oriented source of precise information on the operative procedures employed in epilepsy patients and will be of special value for neurosurgical residents and fellows.

The International Brain Hypothermia Symposium 2004was the second time I have had the honor of opening such a gathering on brain hypothermia treatment. It was a great pleasure to greet the participants in the hope that their valuablecontributions would make the Tokyo meeting memorable. Brainhypothermia has long been seen as a promising method that may overcome current limitations on brain resuscitation in patients with severe brain damage. However, although excellentresults have been obtained in experimental animal models, for some reason brain hypothermia has not alwaysbeen successful clinically, and resolving this problem has been a major challenge facing physicians specializing in brain therapies. The ICUmanagement of recent research has uncovered newmechanisms ofbrain damage not seen in animal models, including brain thermo-pooling at temperatures above 40 C in severe brain damage, masking neuronal hypoxia even with normal cerebral blood flow. Stress-related hyper glycemia with brain hypothermia was expected to generate useful results in patients with external injuries, cerebral occlusive stroke, and cardiac arrest. In recent clinical studies of brain hypothermia treatment, many excellent results began being reported on the manage ment of severe brain injury, ischemic stroke, and post-resuscitation after cardiac arrest. However, in clinical brain hypothermia treatment many questions remained about appro priate treatment targets, leu management technique, prevention of complications, control of brain tissue temperature, management of hypothermia insult, and mechanisms underly ing the onset of vegetative states."

The long-awaited Second Edition of Kempe's Operative Neurosurgery is being prepared by Dr. Michael Salcman with the assistance of Edward R. Laws, MD (pituitary surgery, epilepsy surgery, peripheral nerve surgery); Roberto Heros, MD (brain surgery, carotid endarterectomy); and Volker Sonntag, MD (spinal surgery). The book will be thoroughly updated and revised, but will preserve the user-friendly aspects of the original book: brevity and ease of practical application in the operating room environment.

Schmidek and Sweet has been an indispensable reference for neurosurgery training and practice for nearly 50 years, and the 7th Edition of Operative Neurosurgical Techniques continues this tradition of excellence. A new editorial board led by editor-in-chief Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, along with more than 330 internationally acclaimed contributors, ensures that readers stay fully up to date with rapid changes in the field. New chapters, surgical videos, and quick-reference features throughout make this edition a must-have resource for expert procedural guidance for today's practitioners. Discusses indications, operative techniques, complications, and results for nearly every routine and specialized procedure for brain, spinal, and peripheral nerve problems in adult patients. Covers the latest techniques and knowledge in deep brain stimulation for epilepsy, movement disorders, dystonia, and psychiatric disorders; surgical management of blast injuries; invasive electrophysiology in functional neurosurgery; and interventional management of cerebral aneurysms and arterio-venous malformations. Includes new chapters on bypass techniques in vascular disease, previously coiled aneurysms, CSF diversion procedures, surgical management of posterior fossa cystic and membranous obstruction, laser-ablation techniques, and brain stem tumors. Explores hot topics such as wide-awake surgery and ventriculo-peritoneal, ventriculoatrial and ventriculo-pleural shunts. Provides detailed visual guidance with more than 1,600 full-color illustrations and 50 procedural videos. Contains quick-reference boxes with surgical pearls and complications. Enhanced eBook version included with purchase. Your enhanced eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

An authoritative panel of researchers and clinicians critically reviews the entire field to provide a comprehensive guide to modern brain tumor immunotherapy and thereby enhance future research in this area. The contributors detail many of the key laboratory experiments and clinical protocols that are currently being investigated, integrate the available information from previous and ongoing research, and help define the current status of the field. Topics range from adoptive cellular and antibody-mediated immunotherapy of brain tumors to tumor vaccines and related strategies, and include many vanguard experimental strategies and immunological techniques for studying brain tumor immunotherapy. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Brain Tumor Immunotherapy brings together all the important recent advances in our understanding of central nervous system tumor immunology and illustrates in powerful detail the many new applications now harnessing the immune response for brain tumor therapeutics.

Over the last 18 years, there have been many advances in the field of intraoperative monitoring. This new edition of Neurophysiology in Neurosurgery: A Modern Approach provides updates on the original techniques, as well as other more recent methodologies that may either prove beneficial or are commonly used in neuromonitoring. The purpose of this book is to describe the integration of neuromonitoring with surgical procedures. Each methodology is discussed in detail as well as chapters describing how those methodologies are applied to multiple surgical procedures and the evidence used to support those uses. The second edition features a surgical procedure section, which focuses on specific surgical procedures and the type of monitoring used during these procedures. The original chapters have been updated, expanded, and the structure modified to ensure the book is beneficial to both physiologists and surgeons. This book is written for neurosurgeons, neurophysiologists, neurologists, anesthesiologists, interventional neuroradiologists, orthopedic surgeons, and plastic surgeons.

Written and edited by world-renowned experts in the field, Benzel's Spine Surgery: Techniques, Complication Avoidance and Management, 5th Edition, provides expert, step-by-step guidance on the evaluation and management of disorders of the spine. This definitive, two-volume work explores the full spectrum of techniques used in spine surgery, giving you the tools you need to hone your skills and increase your knowledge in this challenging area. Clearly organized and extensively revised throughout, it features contributions from both neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons to present a truly comprehensive approach to spine disease. Offers a thorough overview of the effective management of patients with spinal disorders, including fundamental principles, biomechanics, applied anatomy, instrumentation, pathophysiology of spinal disorders, surgical techniques, motion preservation strategies, non-surgical management, and complication avoidance and management, as well as controversies. Focuses on both pathophysiology and surgical treatment of spine disease, with an increased emphasis on minimally invasive surgery. Contains new features such as key points boxes at the beginning of chapters and algorithms to help streamline the decision making process. Covers today's hot topics in spine surgery, such as health economics, artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, new less invasive techniques including endoscopic spine surgery, and the future of spine surgery. Provides expert coverage of key topics including biomechanics of motion preservation techniques, spinal injuries in sports, biologics in spine fusion surgery, anterior sub-axial cervical fixation and fusion techniques, complex lumbosacropelvic fixation techniques, and many more. Features more than 1,500 high-quality illustrations, as well as new procedural videos on en bloc spondylectomy, minimally invasive endoscopic posterior cervical foraminotomy, cervical total disc replacement, minimally invasive lumbar decompression of stenosis, and more. Enhanced eBook version included with purchase. Your enhanced eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

G. Blasius ftrSt described the anatomic aspects of spinal cord injury (SCI) in 1666. Until thattime, society had totally ignored the physically disabled, let alone allowed them to mingle socially and sexually. ThemilitaIymortalityratebetween 1814-1914wasestimatedto be50-80%, although sexualandsocioculturalimplicationswere not addressed. Ina1928novel, Lady Chatterley's Lover, D.H.Lawrence stronglyreflected the sexual concernsofa paraplegic who had been labeled impotent The modern managementofSCI was initiated by Monroe and Guttman in 1943, but with heavy emphasis on physical and urological rehabilitation and only supetficial attention to sexual dysfunctions. H. W. Home et al. started the investigation of SCI infertilityproblems in1950. Itwasnotuntil1960thatBorsandComarr collaboratedonastudythatclassifiedthetypesofsexualdysfunctions inrelation toneurologicallevelsoflesionsfollowing spinalcooltrauma. Nonnal (nondisabled)sexualitycameofageduring thepasttwo decades.Thiswashighlightedbythe 1966publicationofW.Masters', HumanSexualResponse. However, thetopicofsexualityinphysically challenged(handicapped)personsremainslargelytabooinourpresent society. Thereareanestimated10-12millionSCIpersonsworldwide. InAmerica, thereareapproximately1.2-1.5millionSCIvictims, with an annual incidenceof12,000-15,000, oroneevery 35minutes. The visibility of SCI persons was enhanced when the United Nations declared 1980-1990as thedecadeofdisabledpersons. Furthennore, theenactmentintolaw, inJuly, 1990, ofthe AmericanDisabilities Act, pointed out the handicapped person's right to the fullest pursuit of happiness. Since the release in 1974of K. Heslinga's Not Made of v vi Preface Stone, only a handful ofbooks on medical sexuality for the disabled have been published. This book has three majorobjectives: 1. toprovidethoroughandcomprehensivecoverageofdisabled persons' sexuality in all sexual orientations; 2. to introduce new tenninologies and theories, to redefine certainsexualdysfunctions, and todescribeupdatedtreatment formats; and 3. topresentresearchandinnovationsthatmaystimulatefurther investigationsintodisabled sexualityduring the nextdecade. The first partofthis bookdefines new sexual terminology and describes the full spectrumofsa sexual challenges. Thesecondhalfofthebookdealswithavarietyofdiagnosticand therapeutic sexual innovations, AIDS implications, and cosmic sex ology. Finally, the Appendix lists international sexual referral centers and informationorganizations."

The current concept of dystonic movement connects the abnormal function of somatosensory pathways and somatosensory analyzers with the dystonic performance of motor action, which is based on the abnormality of sensorimotor integration. This concept is reflected not only in idiopathic dystonia, but also in secondary and symptomatic dystonias. This bookwill give a comprehensive account ofthe history of the terms dystonia and dystonic, the physiology of dystonic movement, and the genetics and clinical appearance of primary and secondary dystonias. Taking into considerationlatest research findings, Dystonia and Dystonic Syndromes offers an in-depth discussion of current treatment options available for dystonia, including pharmacotherapy, surgery, and neurorehabilitation. Therefore, it serves as a valuable reference for practitioners in the fields of neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, and neuroradiology as well as for neuroscientists.

Having been originally introduced as a term to facilitate discussion of a specific group of patients regarded as entering a state of unawareness following coma, the 'Persistent Vegetative State' (PVS) has established itself as an apparently discrete medical condition with clear-cut implications for ethicists and lawyers that exceed any scientifically based understanding. As a consequence of this upgrading, conclusions drawn about the status and hence the management of this uncommon condition have been increasingly extended to other patients with much more common forms of disability. This book traces the origins of prevailing perceptions about PVS and submits these to critical examination. In doing this it comes to the conclusion that inadequate attention has been paid to acknowledging what is not known about affected individuals and that assumptions have consistently come to be traded as facts. Re-examination of the basis of the PVS and the adoption of a more scientific approach is long overdue and is owed to the community at large which has generally been provided by many medical practitioners with a 'dumbed-down' account of the condition. The book will be of interest to philosophers, medical graduates and neuroscientists but is also intended to remain accessible to the general reader with an interest in the wider implications of trends in medical thinking for attitudes towards many classes of patient. It has an extensive bibliography and will be of specific interest to bioethicists and lawyers with professional interests in PVS.

Discover effective, outcome-oriented ways to help CFS patients who have endured useless or inappropriate treatments! From the author: For many years I have viewed brain function as a system of electrochemical impulses continually flashing through the brain. These neural networks can often be modulated fairly simply by 'tuning' them. The point I have been trying to make for many years is that this process may be pharmacologically regulated extremely rapidly in a manner which does not yet seem to be recognized by the medical profession. In this remarkable volume, Dr. Jay A. Goldstein clearly presents both the theoretical and the practical aspects of his revolutionary approach to treating CFS and other conditions that have often been termed psychosomatic. Dr. Goldstein (author of Chronic Fatigue Syndromes: The Limbic Hypothesis and Betrayal by the Brain: The Neurologic Basis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia Syndrome, and Related Neural Network Disorders) shows how he achieves results for patients with CFS and a variety of other syndromes in days, rather than months or years. This well-referenced book answers questions, from the most basic to the most complex, including: What is neurosomatic medicine? How did Dr. Goldstein come to pioneer and practice this specialty? What abnormalities in brain function produce neurosomatic disorders? How can an understanding of these abnormalities help you provide effective treatment? Why do these treatments sometimes work so rapidly? What is receptor profiling, and how does it indicate the type of receptor dysregulation in an individual patient? In Part I: Inventing Neurosomatic Medicine, Dr. Goldstein describes the remarkable how and why of his life and his development of this new field of medicine, including his clashes with the medical/psychoanalytic establishment. One of the greatest medical innovators of the modern era, Dr. Goldstein has seen over 20,000 CFS patients and has experienced most of the pitfalls that having such a large number of patients entails. He shares his insight on legal issues, such as how to deal with the law and court systems, how to best provide expert testimony, and how to defend against spurious legal actions. In addition, Dr. Goldstein describes how he learned to work effectively outside of the managed care system. In Part II: Society for Neuroscience Conference Proceedings, the author shares his expertise to bring you experimental results and pearls of wisdom relating to neurosomatic medicine from the 28th and 29th Annual Meetings of the Society for Neurosciencethe largest and most important neuroscience conference in the world. Dr. Goldstein sorted through thousands of experiments presented at the conferences to bring you the most relevant findings. Part III: Pathophysiology and Treatment is essential reading for anyone planning to practice neurosomatic medicine. In this section, richly illustrated with over 70 pages of color figures and diagrams that make complicated concepts clear, Dr. Goldstein shares his knowledge about dozens of the agents he uses to help CFS sufferers and others manage their pain, fatigue, and other symptoms. This is information that simply cannot be found anywhere else, and will prove invaluable to all fledgling neurosomatic practitioners. This one-of-a-kind volume is thoughtfully put togetherfrom the extensive list of abbreviations near the beginning to the exhaustive references and an appendix with diagnostic criteria, a treatment algorithm, a medication list of treatment options available now or in the near future, and a checklist of CFS symptoms.

Epilepsy surgery is defined as any neurosurgical intervention whose pri- mary objective is to relieve medically intractable epilepsy (European Fed- eration of Neurological Societies Task Force 2000). The aim of epilepsy surgery is to reduce the number and intensity of seizures, minimise neuro- logical morbidity and antiepileptic drug (AED) toxicity, and improve quality of life. By definition, epilepsy surgery does not include normal surgical treatment of intracranial lesions where the primary goal is to di- agnose and possibly remove the pathological target, often an advancing tumour. In these patients, epileptic seizures are only one symptom of the lesion and will be treated concomitantly as part of the procedure. Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is recognised as the most common type of refractory, focal epilepsy. In one third of all cases the neuronal systems responsible for the seizures that characterise this form of epilepsy fail to respond to currently available AEDs (Andermann F 2002). New imaging methods, especially magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), identify localising abnormalities in an increasing proportion of patients with intractable focal epilepsy. Consequently, the accuracy of the preoperative diagnostic pro- cedures has been significantly improved during the last decade; and suit- able candidates for surgery can be selected more reliably. Currently the main resources in most epilepsy surgery centres have been used to evaluate candidates for TLE surgery.

THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

‘A vital book about dying. Awe-inspiring and exquisite. Obligatory reading for the living’ Nigella Lawson

At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, the next he was a patient struggling to live.

When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a medical student asking what makes a virtuous and meaningful life into a neurosurgeon working in the core of human identity – the brain – and finally into a patient and a new father.

What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when when life is catastrophically interrupted? What does it mean to have a child as your own life fades away?

Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book, yet his words live on as a guide to us all. When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a gifted writer who became both.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE 2017

Despite the significant decline in heart disease mortaht>' rates over the last 25 years, heart failure has remained a significant problem. We are now confronted with large numbers of terminally ill patients for whom conventional therapies for heart failure have been exhausted and for whom repeated hospital visits are necessary. There now is a major thrust towards a management strategy which embraces a comprehensive approach including vigorous preventive measures and earlier surgical interventions. This book outlines the major surgical options for the treatment of heart failure and brings together a very broad base of opinions with contributions from several outstanding individuals. With the improved knowledge and techniques to control rejection, transplantation has become the central pillar in the surgical management of this group of patients. Unfortunately, because of limited donor supply the teclmique cannot be applied to large numbers of patients. A great deal of excitement, however, exists in the potential for xenotransplantation as a supplement to homotransplantation. The use of cardiac assist devices has become a reality with several hundred LVADS and BiVADS implanted throughout the world and cardiac replacement with total artificial hearts continues to be used successfully as a bridge to transplantation. We are on the thieshold of the broad application of assist devices to provide prolonged relief of heart failure and restore patients to an ambulatoiy home environment and hopefully return to the work force in significant numbers.

Endoscopic orbital procedures are at the forefront of today's multidisciplinary patient care and team approach to problem-solving. Endoscopic Surgery of the Orbit offers state-of-the-art, expert guidance on minimally invasive orbit techniques that promise a more streamlined approach to comprehensive patient care, improved patient satisfaction, and superior outcomes. This unique resource reflects the contemporary, unparalleled partnership between otolaryngology, neurosurgery, and ophthalmology that often also includes a cohesive team of clinicians from many other specialties. Provides expert perspectives from thought leaders in various specialties, including otolaryngologists, ophthalmologists, neurosurgeons, endocrinologists, medical and radiation oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists. Details the two-surgeon, multi-handed surgical techniques that have revolutionized the management of complex pathologies involving the orbit and skull base. Covers the full breadth of endoscopic orbital procedures-from advanced intraconal tumor removal and intracranial techniques involving the optic nerve and optic chiasm to more routine endoscopic procedures such as orbital decompressions, E-DCR, fracture repair, and subperiosteal abscess drainage. Reviews key topics such as neuromonitoring in orbital and skull base surgery, endoscopic surgery of the intraconal space for tumor resection, Transorbital NeuroEnodscopic Surgery (TONES), and reconstruction of the orbit. Includes tips and pearls on safe and effective procedures as well as novel approaches and innovations in the equipment used to perform these popular procedures. Provides superb visual reinforcement with more than 400 high-definition images of anatomy, imaging, and surgical techniques, as well as procedural videos. Enhanced eBook version included with purchase. Your enhanced eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

Moving beyond the debate over whether and to what degree mild head injury has lasting neuropsychological sequelae, this book is predicated on the assumption that it does cause some problems in some circumstances for some people. It focuses on the practical questions of who is injured, how injuries manifest themselves, and what evaluation and treatment strategies are optimal, for families as well as patients. The distinguished authors bring to their task not only scientific expertise but extensive day-to-day clinical experience. This book will be widely welcomed as the first comprehensive overview of what we have learned from research and clinical experience about these difficult cases.

The permanent effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are not limited to the person who suffers the injury. People who care for the individual, particularly family members, suffer in various ways. Family members are often confused as to the behavioral and neuropsychological changes that they see in a brain-injured rela tive. They can become frustrated and angry when the individual does not return to premorbid levels of functioning. They can become tired and worn down from repeated problems in trying to manage the individual's difficulties while having only fragmented information regarding them. Drs. Smith and Godfrey have provided a useful service for family members by summarizing important neuropsychological changes associated with TBI and providing practical guidelines for coping with these problems. While the neuropsychological problems they describe are not completely understood, the authors provide a useful description of many of the neuro behavioral problems seen following TBI in young adults. They attempt to provide guidelines for family members that have practical utility in understanding and managing these patients. Theirs is a cognitive-behavioral approach that can have utility for this group of individuals. I applaud their efforts to provide something systematic and practical for family members."

This issue of Neurosurgery Clinics, guest edited by Dr. John Hurlbert, is devoted to Current State of the Art in Spinal Cord Injury. This is one of four issues selected each year by the series Consulting Editors, Russell R. Lonser and Daniel K. Resnick. Articles in this issue are dedicated to basics of spinal cord injury and emerging therapy and include topics such as: Pathophysiology of spinal cord injury, Natural history of spinal cord injury, Diagnostic imaging in spinal cord injury, Spinal cord injury clinical assessment tools, Spinal cord injury management on the front line, Central Cord Syndrome redefined, Compartment Syndrome, Hypothermia, Pharmaceutical, Regeneration, and Neural interfacing and modulation.

Spinal surgery is a unique area in the process of continuous development. New skills are applied daily in this delicate field by the spinal surgeon: this professional can be either an orthopaedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon dedicated to the treatment of spinal diseases. This book offers a comprehensive approach and reviews all of the possible errors encountered by spinal surgeons in the clinical practice. It is mainly directed towards young surgeons approaching spinal surgery and also to experienced surgeons with regards to complications related to the latest technologies in the spinal field. This approach of treating and understanding problems in cervical spine surgery is unique and will guide the reader towards an improved level of attention regarding pitfalls in cervical spine surgery, therefore fostering the ability of preventing major complications and medicolegal consequences.

The term "minimally invasive spinal surgery" was coined in early 1990 following pub- cation of the first edition of this text entitled Arthroscopic Microdiscectomy: Minimal Intervention in Spinal Surgery, and subsequent establishment of the International Society for Minimal Intervention in Spinal Surgery (ISMISS) under the auspices of the International Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (SICOT) in April l990. The orthopedic and neurological surgeons who participated in lectures and hands-on wo- shops both in Philadelphia and abroad have witnessed the evolution of minimally invasive spinal surgery from blind nucleotomy to endoscopic fragmentectomy, decompression of l- eral recess stenosis, foraminoplasty, and spinal stabilization. In Arthroscopic and Endoscopic Spinal Surgery: Text and Atlas, Second Edition, experts describe and illustrate various techniques and approaches that are currently used in this field. In addition, the ongoing research for the betterment of spine care via minimally invasive approaches is briefly reviewed. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to so many of my colleagues who s- ported my efforts in the field of minimally invasive spinal surgery throughout the years. Many of them participated in our teaching symposiums and have provided valuable cont- butions to this text.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011 1 2 3 4111 This book provides coverage of a broad range of topics in the ?eld of neurosurgery, 5 for residents and registrars in training and for recent graduates of training programs. 6 As neurosurgical training incorporates expertise from centers worldwide, there is a 7 need to have input from specialists in neurosurgery from various countries. This text 8 is a compilation by expert authors in the USA and the UK to provide information on 9 the basic knowledge and clinical management required for optimal care of neuro- 2011 surgical patients. 1 The text is an up-to-date synopsis of the ?eld of neurosurgery from American and 2 British perspectives, which covers the most common clinical conditions encountered 3 by neurosurgeons. The chapters are organized under broad topics, including inves- 4 tigative studies, perioperative care, the role of newer techniques and the management 5 of tumors, vascular and traumatic lesions. Additional topics are then covered, includ- 6 ing pediatrics, spine and peripheral nerve lesions, as well as functional neurosurgery 7 and infections. We anticipate that trainees will ?nd this information useful for certi?- 8 cation examinations and recent graduates of neurosurgical training programs can 9 utilize this text as an update of the most important neurosurgical topics.

As an addition to the European postgraduate training system for young neurosurgeons we began to publish in 1974 this series of Advances and Technical Standards in Neurosurgery which was later sponsored by the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies. This series was first discussed in 1972 at a combined meeting of the Italian and German Neurosurgical Societies in Taormina, the founding fathers of the series being Jean Brihaye, Bernard Pertuiset, Fritz Loew and Hugo Krayenbiihl. Thus were established the principles of European co operation which have been born from the European spirit, flourished in the European Association, and have throughout been associated with this series. The fact that the English language is well on the way to becoming the international medium at European scientific conferences is a great asset in terms of mutual understanding. Therefore we have decided to publish all contributions in English, regardless of the native language of the authors. All contributions are submitted to the entire editorial board before publi cation of any volume. Our series is not intended to compete with the publications of original scientific papers in other neurosurgical journals. Our intention is, rather, to present fields of neurosurgery and related areas in which important recent advances have been made. The contributions are written by specialists in the given fields and constitute the first part of each volume.

A panel of highly experienced neurosurgeons, neurophysiologists, neuropsychologists, and neuroanatomists join forces to create an integrated, cutting-edge survey all of the methodologies necessary for successful surgical treatment. On the surgical side they review a variety of techniques for Parkinson's disease, including thalamotomy, pallidotomy and bilateral pallidotomy, subthalamotomy, pallidal and thalamic deep brain stimulation, and subthalmic deep brain stimulation. Surgical therapy for tremor and dystonia is also covered. On the patient side, the authors systematically examine the key issues involved in any surgical procedure: Patient selection, patient assessment before and after surgery, brain target localization, and postoperative programming of brain stimulators.

"Research" and "Publishing" are phrases familiar to all neurosurgeons and neuroscientists. Many young neurosurgeons struggle with them on a trial-and-error basis at first, and there are not structured education programs providing information on standard methods. The European Association of Neurosurgical Societies Research Committee has developed a course on research and publication methods for residents in neurosurgery who have not yet completed training. This supplement includes selected contributions from this course and will serve as an essential handbook providing basic tools to guide research and publication work, presenting time-saving advice, and resulting in the most beneficial contributions in experimental and clinical research.

During the last decades, research on spinal cord has attracted a great deal of attention because of problems such as sensory-motor and autonomic dysfunctions associated with traumatic and other injuries. Recording of spinal cord evoked potentials is one of the most promising approaches to understand the spinal cord function. However, the details of the evoked potentials and their significance in various pathological conditions are not yet fully characterized. This book summarizes new findings in the field of electrophysiology and relates this knowledge to pathology and regeneration research. It is the first one which deals in great detail with various ways to monitor spinal cord function in experimental and clinical situations. It provides an up-to-date knowledge regarding spinal cord bioelectrical activity and its modification with pharmacological agents and covers new aspects of regeneration studies, particularly the role of myelin associated inhibitory molecules. A section is devoted to clinical studies dealing with electrical activity, pathology, and current therapeutic measures. This volume will be useful both to basic and clinical neuroscientists engaged in the field of neurology, neurophysiology, neurochemistry, neurosurgery, neuropathology, and related disciplines in order to understand basic functions of the spinal cord and to stimulate further research in this rapidly advancing field.