Prominent international researchers contributed to this volume of reports advancing the study of brain function and morphology. Comprising investigations in several areas of neuroscience, the book includes research in neurodegenerative diseases and in neuroregeneration in adults. Described here are the effects of neuropeptides and biogenic amines on feeding, respiration, and other autonomic functions as well as on behavior. One chapter focuses on regulation of the blood brain barrier function by various neuropeptides, proteins, receptors, and transporters. Another is concerned with the modulation of higher brain functions by neuropeptides and biogenic monoamines. Yet another chapter presents research on ischemic neuronal damage and hippocampal neurogenesis in the adult mouse. Morphological or physiological techniques to study neuropeptides and neuromodulators influencing higher-order or brain-stem functions are given particular attention. The use of bio-imaging tools such as brain navigation systems and fMRIs with patients in a clinical setting creates new possibilities for investigation of human brain function and specialization of treatment.

Breathing is performed by the rhythmic contraction of respiratory muscles. It ma- tains homeostasis of the organism by taking in the oxygen necessary to live and work and by controlling the level of CO within the organism. At first glance, breathing 2 seems simple; however, it is produced by a complex system in the brain with various afferents and efferents. The control of breathing is of the utmost importance in s- taining life, and although more than 150 years have passed since research on brea- ing control was first begun, many unsolved mysteries still remain. Breathing is like watching the tides at a beach that are created by the vast, complex open sea. The first Oxford Conference on Modeling and Control of Breathing was held 30 years ago in September of 1978 at the University Laboratory of Physiology in Oxford, England. During this first conference, the participants engaged in a hot d- cussion on the problem of whether breathing rhythm was produced by pacemaker cells or a neural network. This was before the discovery of the Boetinger complex in the medulla, and at the time, central chemoreceptive areas were still the focus of research. This conference was an especially unforgettable moment in the dawning of the new age of respiratory research. It has since been held every 3 years in various countries around the globe and is widely appreciated as the best respiratory meeting in the world.

Prominent international researchers contributed to this volume of reports advancing the study of brain function and morphology. Comprising investigations in several areas of neuroscience, the book includes research in neurodegenerative diseases and in neuroregeneration in adults. Described here are the effects of neuropeptides and biogenic amines on feeding, respiration, and other autonomic functions as well as on behavior. One chapter focuses on regulation of the blood brain barrier function by various neuropeptides, proteins, receptors, and transporters. Another is concerned with the modulation of higher brain functions by neuropeptides and biogenic monoamines. Yet another chapter presents research on ischemic neuronal damage and hippocampal neurogenesis in the adult mouse. Morphological or physiological techniques to study neuropeptides and neuromodulators influencing higher-order or brain-stem functions are given particular attention. The use of bio-imaging tools such as brain navigation systems and fMRIs with patients in a clinical setting creates new possibilities for investigation of human brain function and specialization of treatment.