Biological signaling pathways dynamically interact with one another to form complex information networks intracellularly, intercellularly, and eventually at the level of the organism. Biology and medicine have conventionally focused on identification and characterization of functional elements in biological signaling pathways. Recently, research in this field has pursued a new approach, systems biology, to understand the dynamics, complexity, and physiological functions of the biological signaling networks. Instead of reductionistic analyses or large-scale studies of biomolecules piece by...

This book reviews recent progress in cortical development research, focusing on the mechanisms of neural stem cell regulation, neuronal diversity and connectivity formation, and neocortical organization. Development of the cerebral cortex, the center for higher brain functions such as cognition, memory, and decision making, is one of the major targets of current research. The cerebral cortex is divided into many areas, including motor, sensory, and visual cortices, each of which consists of six layers containing a variety of neurons with different activities and connections. As this book...

This book reviews recent progress in cortical development research, focusing on the mechanisms of neural stem cell regulation, neuronal diversity and connectivity formation, and neocortical organization. Development of the cerebral cortex, the center for higher brain functions such as cognition, memory, and decision making, is one of the major targets of current research. The cerebral cortex is divided into many areas, including motor, sensory, and visual cortices, each of which consists of six layers containing a variety of neurons with different activities and connections. As this book...