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Elsevier

Books in Neurophysiology

This collection covers electrical activity, neural signaling, and functional mapping of the nervous system. Supporting researchers, clinicians, and students, it features techniques like electrophysiology and neuroimaging that deepen understanding of brain and nerve function.

  • The Neuromodulators

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 64
    • Ronald J. Bradley + 2 more
    • English
    Glutamate and GABA are the main information carrying neurotransmitters in the brain. Their action is modulated by a further series of small molecules called neuromodulators. The major neuromodulators in the brain are acetylcholine (both muscarinic and nicotinic), dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine and serotonin. These have an enormous range of functions in a wide variety of brain mechanisms. This book attempts to give a general overview of this field with a section devoted to each of these. Each section starts with anatomy, both structural and functional. The various types of receptors for these agents are described and then the effects of stimulating these receptors. These receptors trigger a variety of electrical reactions that generally involve potassium, sodium or calcium channels. Also reviewed are other receptors that trigger a wide variety of post-synaptic signaling cascades that influence a large number of neuronal functions including receptor sensitivity, synaptic plasticity and gene manipulation. Finally the relevance of these systems to disease states is detailed. There are many reviews of individual neuromodulators but this is the only book where one author attempts to cover the whole field.

  • Non-Neuronal Cells of the Nervous System: Function and Dysfunction

    Part I: Structure, Organization, Development and Regeneration: Part II: Biochemistry, Physiology and Pharmacology: Part III: Pathological Conditions
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 31
    • L. Hertz
    • English
    The brain, and the rest of the nervous system, consists of nerve cells (neurons) and non-neuronal cells (glial cells), which by far outnumber the neurons, but in the past have received much less attention. This began to change about 30 years ago with the realization that glial cells carry out very important functions, generally in collaboration with the nerve cells. Evidence is now starting to accumulate that glial cells, especially astrocytes and microglia, may be major (in some cases the main) players in a multitude of neurological and mental diseases, and that different types of glial cells interact not only with nerve cells but also with each other and with cells lining brain tissue and controlling exchange of nutrients and other compounds between the brain and the rest of the body. Understanding of these interactions during normal function and in disease states is hampered by the fact that general knowledge of cellular interactions during brain function is limited. These books present an attempt to remedy this situation. In the first two volumes, basic information about cell types and biochemical and physiological interactions between these cells is provided by leading experts in the field, and in the last part emerging evidence of the importance of such cellular interactions in several of the most important neurological and mental diseases is presented by leading researchers working actively in the field in question.

  • Brain Mapping: The Methods

    • 2nd Edition
    • Arthur W. Toga + 1 more
    • English
    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.

  • Immediate Early Genes and Inducible Transcription Factors in Mapping of the Central Nervous System Function and Dysfunction

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 19
    • L. Kaczmarek + 1 more
    • English
    That molecular neurobiology has become a dominant part of neuroscience research can be credited to the discovery of inducible gene expression in the brain and spinal cord. This volume deals with genes, whose expression patterns in the vertebrate central nervous system were the first to be revealed and then the most extensively investigated over the last 15 years. Immediate early genes (IEG) and their protein products, especially those acting as regulators of transcription (inducible transcription factors, ITF) have proven to be very valuable tools in functional neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, as they are rapidly and transiently induced in specific neurons in response to various modes of stimulation. Thus, they have been used to map neuronal populations selectively responsive to a variety of conditions, such as sensory and learning experience, electrical stimulation of specific circuits, seizures, and neurodegeneration.Th... single volume, written by the most prominent authors in the field, brings together for the first time information about the most widely studied IEG/ITF in a whole variety of phenomena of neuronal activation. It starts with a critical appraisal of the technologies employed for the studies on gene, protein, and transcription factor activity in the nervous system. Several chapters present exhaustive examples of expression patterns of the ITF in "vocal" avian brain, mammalian brain sensory regions, areas involved in regulation of circadian rhythms, and the spinal cord. The next parts cover functional and regular aspects of individual IEG/ITF expression: c-fos in learning and memory, c-jun and others in neuropathology and neuronal stress responses, Elk-1, egr family, and CREB in neuronal plasticity and learning. This volume will be useful as a major reference on this topic. Furthermore, it attempts to unravel the seemingly overwhelming complexity of the phenomena of gene expression in the central nervous system.

  • The Cat Primary Visual Cortex

    • 1st Edition
    • Bertram Payne + 1 more
    • English
    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.

  • Neurosteroids and Brain Function

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 46
    • English
    International Review of Neurobiology, Volume 46 presents in-depth reviews on such ground-breaking topics as assembly and intracellular trafficking of GABA A receptors, D-1 dopamine receptors, and Alzheimer's disease. This series offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date information available and is a must for anyone in the field.

  • Exploring the Thalamus

    • 1st Edition
    • S. Murray Sherman + 1 more
    • English
    The thalamus is a group of cells placed centrally in the brain that serve a critical role in controlling how both sensory and motor signals are passed from one part of the cerebral cortex to another. Essentially, all information reaching the cerebral cortex and thus consciousness is relayed through the thalamus. The role of the thalamus in controlling the flow of information (such as visual, auditory, and motor) to the cortex has only recently begun to be understood. This book provides an in-depth look at the function of the thalamus and its role as relayer of information to the cerebral cortex. The authors explore how the thalamus controls messages that are passed to the cortex and they introduce the novel suggestion that the thalamus serves a critical role in controlling how messages pass from one part of the cortex to another. Exploring the Thalamus is a comprehensive, up-to-date reference for researchers. It discusses problems concerning the function and structure of the thalamus and concludes each chapter with thought-provoking questions regarding future research.

  • Brain Mapping: The Systems

    The Systems
    • 1st Edition
    • Arthur W. Toga + 1 more
    • English
    Brain mapping has forever altered and extended our understanding of the systems of the brain. The integrative capacity of brain maps enables the inclusion of a diverse array of observations and experimental results. Maps are used to describe brain structure, function, and connectivity, to catalog the ever-expanding knowledge base of human and animal nervous systems, to compare healthy tissue with diseased tissue, and to show detailed subsystems and circuits.Brain Mapping: The Systems is a compilation of the current research and developments in brain mapping. This book, the second in a series, provides an encyclopedic survey of brain maps characterizing the specific systems of the brain. It is a natural companion to Brain Mapping: The Methods because it describes the use of these techniques to create maps of the normal brain. It is an essential resource for all scientists, clinicians, and students interested in brain mapping.

  • Nucleotides and their Receptors in the Nervous System

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 120
    • P. Illes + 1 more
    • English
    The study of purinergic mechanisms has for long been focused on the actions of the nucleoside adenosine, whereby the contribution of nucleotides to the signaling systems has been underestimated.Based on the proceedings of a IUPHAR Satellite Conference held in Leipzig, Germany, this book offers a comprehensive update and overview of nucleotide release, the structure and function of nucleotide receptors, nucleotide-metaboliz... ecto-enzymes as well as the physiological functions of nucleotides in the nervous system. The physiology and molecular biology of receptors for ATP and other nucleotides are examined, as are the physiology and molecular biology of enzymes that hydrolyze extracellular nucleotides.At present, a pharmacology of the nucleotide signaling system is being developed. Of particular interest is the production of receptor subtype-specific antagonists and of drugs that selectively affect the extracellular lifetime of the nucleotide.An excellent source of reference for institutes of pharmacology, biochemistry, neurology, zoology, and physiology, and for the pharmaceutical industry.

  • The Primate Nervous System, Part II

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 14
    • T. Hokfelt + 2 more
    • English
    This volume is the second in the planned coverage of the neurochemical circuitry of the primate central nervous system. While this volume contains only two chapters, their topics and the extraordinarily comprehensive coverage with which the authors have dealt with their topics, will nevertheless contribute equal amounts of knowledge, wisdom, and opportunities for future research extensions as have every volume in this unique series. As such, these chapters extend the goals of this primate series to develop a broad coverage of human and non-human primate chemical neuroanatomic details in a volume which makes clear the known and desirable appreciation for differences between and among subsets of primate brains.The first chapter covers the primate thalamus with equal emphases on new world, old world, pro-simian and human anatomic details and their differences. The second undertakes a comparably comprehensive examination of one of the most intensively studied regions of the primate brain, namely the primate visual cortex. While much has been studied, both chapters also reveal how much remains for future efforts in these enormously important regions which are the archetypes of primate sub-cortical and cortical function.

  • Brain Function in Hot Environment

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 115
    • H.S. Sharma + 1 more
    • English
    Although problems relating to hyperthermia and heat stroke are well known since biblical times, until now the influence of heat or hyperthermia on the central nervous system has not been well documented. This book is the first to describe in detail the influences of hyperthermia on the CNS using the modern technology which has developed in the last 50 years in neuroscience. Hyperthermia is a common feature during fever, radiotherapy of tumours and exercise in hot environment. Statistically, hyperthermia and/or heat stroke is currently recognised as the third largest killer in America after head and spinal trauma and heart failure. However, studies on the mechanisms of heat-induced death or damage to the CNS are still lacking. This book aims to define the probable mechanisms of brain damage in hyperthermia which could be responsible for death of victims. Rational therapeutic measures based on the experimental findings are also described.The most important new aspect of the CNS function in hyperthermia suggests that the basic mechanisms of cell injury appears to be quite similar in nature. The severity of cell injury depends chiefly on the magnitude of the primary insult. Thus, it appears that hyperthermic brain injury is similar to the situation of trauma, ischemia and infarction. Baring this in mind, this book describes suitable models for hyperthermic injury which could be highly relevant to the study of mechanisms of cell injury in the CNS and to test various neuroprotective agents which may be found useful in the treatment of various traumatic, ischemic or degenerative diseases.In general the book will increase our basic understanding of brain function in hot environment and increase our awareness regarding heat as an important factor influencing our brain function at a time when global warming is described as a potential hazard to the biological system.This book is a refereed collection of 24 chapters written by several eminent scientists from different disciplines involved in basic and applied research in the CNS from various parts of the globe. It is hoped that the new aspects of brain function in hot environment compiled in this volume will provide an up-to-date ready reference which may serve as a strong scientific stimulus to many workers in this emerging field of neuroscience. Stimulating the exploration of the subject with novel ideas and/or experimental and clinical approaches in the future.

  • Tasting and Smelling

    • 1st Edition
    • Gary K. Beauchamp + 1 more
    • English
    Tasting and Smelling presents a comprehensive overview to research on these two important modes of perception. The book offers a review of research findings on the biophysics, neurophysiology, and psychophysicsof both senses, as well as discussing the emotional component associated with taste and smell, and clinical disorders affecting each of these two senses. Tasting and Smelling answers how odors and flavors are perceived, why we have favorites, and what happens when our senses go awry. This book is of interest to the researcher in perception, cognition, or neurophysiology.

  • Developing Brain Behaviour

    The Role of Lipids in Infant Formula
    • 1st Edition
    • John Dobbing
    • English
    Certain long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) are thought to be essential components of the nutrition of infants, including those prematurely born, in the sense that they cannot be synthesises by the immature organism and must therefore be supplied in the diet. Breast milk contains these substances, but many manufactured infant formulae do not.An absence of dietary LCPUFAs has been thought to affect the development of the brain and retina, possibly leading to abnormalties in cognitive and visual function. Considerable multidisciplinary research has been carried out to investigate this proposition. Diets free from LCPUFAs have been compared with supplemented formulae, or with breast milk.The conclusions from this research were critically examined by a group of leading paediatricians, nutritionists, experts in visual science and developmental behavioural scientists at a 'Dobbing Workshop' held in the United States in late February, 1997. Each of the Chapters was precirculated to the whole group, commented on before the Workshop, and then exhaustively discussed. The Chapters and Commentaries which are published here have therefore undergone a more extensive peer-review process than is usually the case.

  • Hypothalamic Integration of Circadian Rhythms

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 111
    • R.M. Buijs + 4 more
    • English
    The International Summer School of Brain Research, on which this book is based, was organized by the Netherlands Institute for Brain research (NIBR), which has a rich history dating back to the beginning of the century.The focus of interest in this present volume of Progress in Brain Research are the few thousand neurons at the base of the hypothalamus that form the biological clock. Attention is focused on the mechanisms underlying the generation of circadian rhythmicity within our biological clock, which is still far from understood. Contributions originating from many disciplines give updates on the latest theories on the molecular and electrophysiological basis of the pacemaker mechanism, and the various approaches used in different species. Attention is also paid to the way the signal of the biological clock is transferred to the rest of the central nervous system. New data on the role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus and its impact on the functioning of the human being is presented. Altogether an excellent volume which will further the understanding of this elusive material.

  • Neuropeptide Y and Drug Development

    • 1st Edition
    • Lars Grundemar + 1 more
    • English
    Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a ubiquitous and important messenger in the nervous system, with a wide range of physiological roles. It is involved in the body energy balance and is one of the most potent stimuli of food intake known. NPY also acts to regulate central and peripheral autonomic functions. This book, written by academic and industrial experts in the field, links the most recent basic experimental knowledge about NPY and its receptors with areas of clinical importance. This book will be of interest to those working in all areas of research affected by NPY, such as food intake and energy homeostasis, cardiovascular regulation and G-protein-coupled receptors, as well as those interested in the development of drugs as NPY targets.

  • Insights into the Reach to Grasp Movement

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 105
    • K.M.B. Bennett + 1 more
    • English
    This volume presents a variety of studies relating to the reach to grasp movement and provides a necessary and valuable contribution to the field of motor control. The professions covered in this book range from those interested in the basic sciences to those more interested in practical application. Neurophysiologists and biomechanists join with therapists and neural modelers to present an extensive overview of current developments. Evolutionary and developmental aspects are included together with descriptions of how this movement is affected by central nervous system damage. Purely theoretical aspects of the motor control of this movement are interspersed with treatment applications and robotics.

  • The Grasping Hand

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 104
    • C.L. MacKenzie + 1 more
    • English
    The simple task of grasping objects has been studied for centuries by scientists, therapists and engineers who have tried to understand and duplicate the versatility of the human hand. Using an interdisciplinary approach and new framework for looking at prehension, the authors uncover the subleties of the amazing interaction between the hand and the brain. They draw from such diverse fields as experimental psychology, kinesiology, robotics, neural networks, artificial intelligence, neuropsychology and rehabilitation. A triangle strategy is presented, starting from conceptual models that suggest both experimental and computational models. Chapters describe the multiple postures established by the hand, phases in the dynamic process of reaching for, grasping and manipulating various objects, and the constraints acting on such activity.Appendices provide the complete anatomy of the upper limb, the basics of computational modelling, and the fundamentals of prosthetic and dextrous robot hands. The ultimate goal of this book is to develop a common vocabularly for multidisciplinary researchers who strive to understand a system as complex as the hand under the control of the human brain.

  • Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptors

    • 1st Edition
    • Eva Giesen-Crouse
    • English
    Neuroscience Perspectives provides multidisciplinary reviews of topics in one of the most diverse and rapidly advancing fields in the life sciences.Whether you are a new recruit to neuroscience, or an established expert, look to this series for 'one-stop' sources of the historical, physiological, pharmacological, biochemical, molecular biological and therapeutic aspects of chosen research areas.Although peripheral type benzodiazepne recognition sites have been demonstrated in the brain and peripheral organs of various species for more than 10 years, the exact physiological function or pharmacological effects have not yet been established. Peripheral benzodiazepine literature is so overwhelming that the novice may find it virtually impossible to form a clear idea about the diverse findings.This volume, dedicated exclusively to pBR and their natural and synthetic ligands, puts the available data into perspective.A truly interdisciplinary approach has brought neuroscientists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, and immunologists together to work on the description of pBR-mediated effects. The chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology of the pBR receptor and its ligands are reviewed, their pharmacological usefulness is conjectured, and thus a true overview of the field is provided.

  • The Central Neural Organization of Cardiovascular Control

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 81
    • J. Ciriello + 2 more
    • English
    The Satellite Symposium of the 18th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, "Function of the Ventrolateral Medulla in the Control of the Circulation", held in Ontario, Canada, focussed on the newest research developments into the central neural organisation of cardiovascular control. The central nervous system is vital in the controlling of arterial pressure via the regulation of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous discharge to blood vessels and the heart. The central nervous system also controls the release of hormones that regulate the circulation and couple the circulatory system to different behaviours. This volume concentrates on the most recent experimental advances in the neurosciences. Current research disproves the concept of a vasomotor medullary centre, suggesting instead that the control of sympathetic preganglionic activity occurs via neural pathways. The pathways of greatest significance are proposed to originate from neurons located on, or close to, the ventral surface of the medulla oblongata. The proceedings of this symposium represent an important breakthrough in neuroscientific research. An indispensable resource book.