Major depressive disorders have recently been associated with impairments in signaling pathways that regulate neuroplasticity and cell survival. Agents designed to directly target molecules in these pathways hold promise as new therapeutics for depression. With the collaboration of the most prestigious international specialists in biochemistry, molecular biology, genomics, psychiatry, psychology, and pharmacology, Neurobiology of Depression discusses the nature of the central nervous system circuits responsible for the modifications of neuronal functioning that lead to...

Since the discovery of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), these non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques have been used to investigate the state of cortical excitability, and the excitability of the cortico-cortical and corticospinal pathways. In addition, these techniques have been found to induce neuroplasticity a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the brain at work.

Transcranial Brain Stimulation presents a wide range of possible brain stimulation applications and discusses what new information can be gained...

Neuronal communication forms the basis for all behavior, from the smallest movement to our grandest thought processes. Among the many mechanisms that support these functions, spike timing is among the most powerful and until recently perhaps the least studied. In the last two decades, however, the study of spike timing has exploded. The heightened interest is due to several factors. These include the development of physiological tools for measuring the activity of neural ensembles and analytical tools for assessing and characterizing spike timing. These advances are coupled with a growing...

A timely symposium entitled Body-Fluid Homeostasis: Transduction and Integration was held at Araraquara, Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2011. This meeting was convened as an official satellite of a joint gathering of the International Society for Autonomic Neuroscience (ISAN) and the American Autonomic Society (AAS) held in Buzios, Rio de Janeiro. Broad international participation at this event generated stimulating discussion among the invited speakers, leading to the publication of Neurobiology of Body Fluid Homeostasis: Transduction and Integration.

Advances in itch research have elucidated differences between itch and pain but have also blurred the distinction between them. There is a long debate about how somatic sensations including touch, pain, itch, and temperature sensitivity are encoded by the nervous system. Research suggests that each sensory modality is processed along a fixed, direct-line communication system from the skin to the brain.

Itch: Mechanisms and Treatment presents a timely update on all aspects of itch research and the clinical treatment of itch that accompanies many dermatological...

Intraspecific communication involves the activation of chemoreceptors and subsequent activation of different central areas that coordinate the responses of the entire organism ranging from behavioral modification to modulation of hormones release. Animals emit intraspecific chemical signals, often referred to as pheromones, to advertise their presence to members of the same species and to regulate interactions aimed at establishing and regulating social and reproductive bonds.

In the last two decades, scientists have developed a greater understanding of the neural processing of these...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a significant source of death and permanent disability, contributing to nearly one-third of all injury related deaths in the United States and exacting a profound personal and economic toll. Despite the increased resources that have recently been brought to bear to improve our understanding of TBI, the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches has been disappointingly slow.

Translational Research in Traumatic Brain Injury attempts to integrate expertise from across specialties to address knowledge gaps in the field...

Statistical Techniques for Neuroscientists introduces new and useful methods for data analysis involving simultaneous recording of neuron or large cluster (brain region) neuron activity. The statistical estimation and tests of hypotheses are based on the likelihood principle derived from stationary point processes and time series. Algorithms and software development are given in each chapter to reproduce the computer simulated results described therein.

The book examines current statistical methods for solving emerging problems in neuroscience. These methods have...

This is the first book to present the movement approach to autism in a comprehensive way, integrating scientific methods and results with the experience of affected people, ways to improve their experiences, and the societal integration of autism. It helps readers understand how people with autism think differently, based on how they move and are moved differently, and how, on the basis of this novel understanding, a better fit is possible between people with autism and their often non-autistic context.

During the last two decades, there has been an explosion of research pertaining to the molecular mechanisms that allow for organisms to detect different stimuli that is an essential feature for their survival. Among these mechanisms, living beings need to be able to respond to different temperatures as well as chemical and physical stimuli.

Thermally activated ion channels were proposed to be present in sensory neurons in the 1980s, but it was not until 1997 that a heat- and capsaicin- activated ion channel, TRPV1, was cloned and its function described in detail. This...