The original premise of the Editors in initiating this series was that there existed a readership ofneurochemists with considerable biochemical back ground who would make use of a series dedicated to both new develop ments and specialized reviews in neurochemistry. Having selected our authors, we have offered them virtually complete freedom to reflect and speculate in a field in which they have achieved prominence. The response to the first two volumes has been rewarding. The present one continues in this tradition. While we have not attempted to publish specialized volumes, the present...

The emergence of a new scientific book series requires some explanation regarding how it hopes to compensate the reader for the discomforts it undoubtedly produces both in the realms of informational input-overload and in the financial strain on personal and institutional budgets. This series recognizes that investigators who have entered neurochemistry from the biochemical tradition have a rather specialized view of the brain. Too often, interdisciplinary offerings are initially attractive but turn out to recite basic biochemical considerations. We have come to believe that there are now...