This book is a sequel on the topics of photoreception and phototransduction covered by Volume I of the series (Biophysics of Photoreception: Molecular and Phototransductive Events), adding the analysis of two other modalities of sensory reception and transduction — the chemical and mechanical ones, which are phylogenetically older. This characterization results not in a succession of three different and uncorrelated moments, but in a fruitful confrontation between experts which usually act separately and in an integration between various particular knowledges. This approach highlights the basic strategies common to different sensory modalities and specializations, as well as the ecological adaptations of each of them.
Textbook in neuroscience used in teaching undergraduate as well as graduate students for eduction in specialized fields of medicine. A source of information for researchers in neuroscience, psychology, audiology etc.
Many advances have been made in the last decade in the understanding of the computational principles underlying olfactory system functioning. Neuromorphic Olfaction is a collaboration among European researchers who, through NEUROCHEM (Fp7-Grant Agreement Number 216916)-a challenging and innovative European-funded project-introduce novel computing p
The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."
While the brain is ruled to a large extent by chemical neurotransmitters, it is also a bioelectric organ. The collective study of Quantitative ElectroEncephaloGraphs (QEEG-the conversion of brainwaves to digital form to allow for comparison between neurologically normative and dysfunctional individuals), Event Related Potentials (ERPs - electrophysiological response to stimulus) and Neurotherapy (the process of actually retraining brain processes to) offers a window into brain physiology and function via computer and statistical analyses of traditional EEG patterns, suggesting innovative approaches to the improvement of attention, anxiety, mood and behavior.The volume provides detailed description of the various EEG rhythms and ERPs, the conventional analytic methods such as spectral analysis, and the emerging method utilizing QEEG and ERPs. This research is then related back to practice and all existing approaches in the field of Neurotherapy - conventional EEG-based neurofeedback, brain-computer interface, transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation - are covered in full. While it does not offer the breadth provided by an edited work, this volume does provide a level of depth and detail that a single author can deliver, as well as giving readers insight into the personl theories of one of the preeminent leaders in the field. - Provide a holistic picture of quantitative EEG and event related potentials as a unified scientific field - Present a unified description of the methods of quantitative EEG and event related potentials - Give a scientifically based overview of existing approaches in the field of neurotherapy - Provide practical information for the better understanding and treatment of disorders, such as ADHD, Schizophrenia, Addiction, OCD, Depression, and Alzheimer's Disease
Synthesizing coverage of sensation and reward into a comprehensive systems overview, Neurobiology of Sensation and Reward presents a cutting-edge and multidisciplinary approach to the interplay of sensory and reward processing in the brain. While over the past 70 years these areas have drifted apart, this book makes a case for reuniting sensation a
Comprehensive Overview of Advances in OlfactionThe common belief is that human smell perception is much reduced compared with other mammals, so that whatever abilities are uncovered and investigated in animal research would have little significance for humans. However, new evidence from a variety of sources indicates this traditional view is likely
This preface is addressed to the reader who wishes to inquire into the prevailing concepts, hypotheses and theories about development of sensory systems and wants to know how they are exemplified in the following chapters. I believe that science is hypothesis and theory and that the growth and evolution of any branch of science can be measured by the degree to which its theories have been reified. By that standard, one must conc1ude that developmental neuro biologie is in its infancy. The rapid accumulation of observations which has occurred in this branch of science in the past century leads to progress only to the extent that the facts validate or falsify hypotheses. The following chapters show that we have a plethora of facts but a dearth of hypotheses. Another index of the maturity of any branch of science is its level of historical self-awareness. Because the history of any branch of science is essentially the history of ideas and of the rise and fall of theories, the level of historical awareness is related to the extent to which reification of its hypothetical constructs has advanced. It is largely because few theories of development of sensory systems, or indeed, of developmental neurobiology, have progressed far in the process of reification that the his tory of developmental neurobiology remains unwritten. The subject of this volume is hardly mentioned in the many books devoted to the history of related disciplines.
