Scientific investigations of a descriptive nature involve in- creasingly refined definitions of a problem. An idea is trans- formed after initial experiments into a working hypothesis that has a number of testable consequences. Rarely in the neurosci- ences do such tests completely falsify the hypothesis; more commonly they lead to a modified, more general hypothesis. One could argue that in order to define a scientific problem, one must first understand it. This monograph is an attempt to draw together knowledge and understanding from various disciplines, collected from studies carried out...

Even before the time of organized scientific investigation, hu- mans had begun pondering and attempting to explain the work- ing of the brain and the mental and behavioral states it produces. In the last twenty years there has been an almost explosive in- crease in brain research. Beginning perhaps with the pioneering efforts of Francis O. Schmitt to establish the Neuroscience Re- search Program and the later development of the Society for Neuroscience, there has emerged a large and powerful multi- disciplinary research force devoted to understanding even the ru- dimentary aspects of brain...

In this thoroughly updated and revised edition of his much praised book, Paul L. Wood and a panel of leading researchers capture these new developments in a masterful synthesis of what is known today about the inflammatory mediators and cells involved in neurodegenerative diseases. This second edition contains extensive updates on the mediators produced by microglia and their role in neuroinflammatory-induced neuronal lysis. There is also increased coverage of the animal models used in the study of neuroinflammatory mechanisms, of the new imaging methods that allow the noninvasive evaluation...

Neuroscience's inherent complexity and rapid growth mean that no one can keep abreast of all the changes across the field. We each bring a necessarily narrow perspective. Neurotherapeutics: Emerg ing Strategies is an attempt to provide some diverse perspectives within the hunt for new drugs to treat central nervous system diseases. The book's premise is that the search for new drugs is based on an understanding ofboth clinical and basic sciences. Neurotherapeu tics: Emerging Strategies begins with psychiatry and concludes with neurological disorders. Each chapter examines a disease, including...

Leading gene therapy researchers and clinicians illuminate the field-from basic vector technology to current and future clinical applications in neurology. The authoritative contributors provide cutting-edge reviews of the vectors available for gene transfer to the central nervous system, the strategies against CNS tumors, the potential strategies against neurologic disorder, and the limitations of today's gene therapy approaches. Also discussed are significant applications of gene therapy to brain tumors, Parkinson's disease, ischemia, and Huntington's chorea. Readers will learn the current...

The past decade has witnessed a revolution in the attempts of scientists to under- stand the molecular basis of dementia. Although dementia, as defined by global cogni- tive decline involving gradual loss of memory, reasoning, judgment, and orientation, presents most commonly in the form of Alzheimer's disease (AD), an assortment of other less common disorders, such as prion and Pick's disease, can also lead to symp- toms that are similar to those observed in patients with AD. The primary goal of Molecular Mechanisms of Dementia is to address the various mechanisms and multi- faceted...

The human brain represents about 2% of the body weight, yet it accounts for approximately 20% of aerobic metabolism. This high dependency on energy-consuming processes is mainly caused by the active transport of ions, which is necessary to compensate for the transmembrane ion currents that are part ofthe complex signaling processes in the brain. Ninety-five percent ofthe brain's ATP is derived from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Since that organ' s storage capacity for oxygen is minimal, any interruption of oxygen delivery to brain cells willlead to changes in membrane excitability...

Prominent researchers and clinicians dissect the signaling pathways of an array of neuroprotective factors, ranging from neurotrophins (NGF, BDNF, NT-3, and NT-4/5) to growth factors (bFGF, IGF-1, GDNF), to cytokines (TNF, IL-1b, and TGFb), to secreted amyloid precursor proteins, to protease nexin-1. Also treated are cytoprotective signaling events that occur with injured neurons independently of intercellular signals. In elucidating the molecular cascades evolved by the nervous system to protect itself, the contributors lay the basis for powerful new drug discovery and gene therapy...

In Motor Activity and Movement Disorders thirteen state-of-the-art articles explicate forefront research methodologies for measuring and interpreting motor activity in animals, as well as their applications to preclinical and clinical research involving motor disorders. The contributors emphasize motor asymmetries, turning behavior, and dyskinetic movements. They also present a variety of quantitative approaches designed to assess specific aspects of motor activity and illustrate numerous computerized measuring techniques that permit detailed and objective approaches to quantifying motor...