The Developing Brain

* This is an inexpensive yet important book on neural development. It should be in neurology, neurosurgery, and bioscience libraries.' - Doody's Electronic Journal, March 2003.

Description

* Up to date coverage at all levels, from molecules to structure and function: allows easy access and assimilation of the huge advances made over the last 10 years
* All major aspects of the field are covered, from neural induction to repair and regeneration
* Heavily illustrated with simple schematics and line drawings: students will be able to reproduce figures easily
* Summary (key points) at end of each chapter: rapid revision tool
* Recommendations for general further reading in addition to specific literature citations, including key recent reviews

An up to date and comprehensive overview of the developing nervous system, with particular emphasis on the vertebrate brain. The past two decades have witnessed dramatic advances in our understanding of neural development in both invertebrates and vertebrates. Recent advances in the molecular genetic basis of developmental mechanisms are integrated with a synthesis of the classical literature to provide coverage of the key events, from the first appearance of the nervous system in the early embryo through postnatal and later stages. The book is intended for final year undergraduates, graduate students and postdocs doing courses in developmental neurobiology. The extensive reference list will also make it a useful source book for teachers and researchers in the field.

Readership: Advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs doing courses in developmental neurobiology

Contents
1. Model systems and review of early morphogenesis
2. Origins of the nervous system: neural induction
3. Patterning the central nervous system
4. The emergence of neural fate
5. The neural crest
6. Glia and myelination
7. Development of cerebral cortex and cerebellar cortex
8. Development of sense organs
9. Growth and guidance of axons and dendrites
10. The formation of topographic maps
11. Synapse formation
12. Neurotrophic factors and their receptors
13. Nerve cell death
14. Rearrangement and stabilisation of synaptic connections
15. The synaptic basis of learning
16. Trophic interactions between neurons in the adult nervous system
17. Repair and plasticity in the adult vertebrate nervous system