In mammals the glial (or glue) cells contribute some fifty percent of the volume of the brain. In contrast to the traditional view that they have a purely physically supportive role, research in the past three decades has shown that glia interact morphologically, biochemically, and physiologically with neurons during changes in behavior. The evidence suggests that glia may modulate neuronal activity and thereby influence behavior. This is the first book that describes and discusses these neuronal-glial interactions in relation to behavior. A distinguished set of authors addresses these...

Stability of the internal environment in which neuronal elements are situated is unquestionably an important prerequisite for the effective transmission of information in the nervous system. During the past decade our knowledge on the microenvironment of nerve cells has expanded. The conception that the microenvironment of neurones comprises a fluid with a relatively simple and stable composition is no longer accepted; the microenvironment is now envisaged as a dynamic structure whose composition, shape, and volume changes, thereby significantly influencing neuronal function and the trans...

The Symposium on "Ion Selective Microelectrodes and Their Use in Excitable Tissues" was held in Prague from July 8-11, 1980. It was organized by the Institute of Physiology of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences as a satellite symposium of the XXVIII Interna tional Congress of Physiological Sciences in Budapest. Sixty parti cipants met for three days in the historical setting of the Strahov Monastery. The informal and relaxed atmosphere of the scientific sessions, together with the social programme made the meeting a success and helped to cement old friendships and to form new ones. The...