Evolution of Nervous Systems
- 3rd Edition - February 1, 2026
- Latest edition
- Editors: Jon H. Kaas, Suzana Herculano-Houzel
- Language: English
Evolution of Nervous Systems, Third edition Four-volume set includes wholly new content, all chapters from the previous edition have been thoroughly updated, and 50 brand new… Read more
Evolution of Nervous Systems, Third edition Four-volume set includes wholly new content, all chapters from the previous edition have been thoroughly updated, and 50 brand new contributions by leading experts have been added. Each of the volumes has been carefully restructured to offer expanded coverage of non-mammalian taxa, mammals, primates and the human nervous system. The basic principles of brain evolution are discussed, as well as mechanisms of change, which involve gene expression and altered courses of embryonic development. The reader can select from chapters on highly specific topics as well as those providing an overview of current thinking and approaches. This timely new edition of Evolution of Nervous Systems is a unique major reference work, offering the gold standard for those interested in evolution and in nervous systems.
- Presents a broad range of topics, ranging from genetic control of development in invertebrates, to human cognition, offering a one-stop resource for the evolution of nervous systems throughout the animal kingdom
- Incorporates the expertise of over 100 outstanding investigators who provide their conclusions in the context of the latest experimental results
- Presents areas of disagreement and consensus views that provide a holistic view of the subjects under discussion
- Use of MRW chapter template ensure consistency across entire manuscript and uniformity for the Neuroscience reference collection
- Fifty brand new chapters planned for this edition
The chapters are designed to be accessible to non-experts, providing comprehensive overviews of each topic that aim to be free of the highly technical detail of most research papers. The work is therefore valuable to undergraduates and graduate student courses in neuroscience, psychology and anthropology. The Editor-in-Chief and Volume Editors will aim to reduce the amount of professional jargon so that arguments and conclusions can be understood by non-experts, while experts in any field can use the volumes to place their work in the broad framework of the subject. The work is also very useful as a teaching aid for those working within the field of neuroscience, comparative biology or psychology. Many professional neuroscientists find they need to step outside of their core areas of research in order to place their work into a broader context. Evolution of Nervous Systems allows researchers to do so through providing reputable, foundational information, enabling researchers to get to grips quickly with the wider subject area and unfamiliar topics, to check facts and to explore further reading and references
Volume 1: The Evolution of The Nervous Systems in Nonmammalian Vertebrates
Volume 2: The Nervous Systems of Early Mammals and Their Evolution
Volume 3: The Nervous Systems of Non-Human Primates
Volume 4: The Evolution of The Human Brain: Apes and Other Ancestors
Approx. 150 to 170 chapters (~40 per volume)
Volume 2: The Nervous Systems of Early Mammals and Their Evolution
Volume 3: The Nervous Systems of Non-Human Primates
Volume 4: The Evolution of The Human Brain: Apes and Other Ancestors
Approx. 150 to 170 chapters (~40 per volume)
- Edition: 3
- Latest edition
- Published: February 1, 2026
- Language: English
JK
Jon H. Kaas
Kaas's major research interests are in the evolution and functional organization of sensory-perceptual, cognitive, and motor systems, especially in primates, in the development of these systems, and in how these systems are plastic in response to injury and use in developing and adult brains. Special research emphasis is placed on studying visual, auditory and somatosensory systems, but current studies are also concerned with multimodal and sensorimotor integration in parietal and frontal cortex. Research questions are addressed with a range of electrophysiological, neuroanatomical, biochemical, and behavioral techniques. Teaching interests are in neuroscience, biological psychology, and animal behavior.
Current Research:
• Single and multielectrode recordings of neurons in primary somatosensory cortex of monkeys.
• Optical imaging of functional subdivisions of visual cortex in monkeys.
• Studies of anatomical connections of neural networks in brain systems devoted to somatosensory, visual, auditory, motor, and gustatory functions in monkeys.
• Studies of brain architecture.
Affiliations and expertise
Centennial Professor, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USASH
Suzana Herculano-Houzel
Interested in comparative neuroanatomy, cellular composition of brains, brain morphology, brain evolution, metabolic cost of body and brain, sleep requirement across species, feeding time, and really interested in how all of these are tied together. Writes about neuroscience and science in general for the public; recently published The Human Advantage: A New Understanding of How Our Brain Became Remarkable (MIT Press, 2016).
Affiliations and expertise
Associate Professor of Psychology, Associate Director for Communications, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, Tennessee, USA