Molecular Biology Of The Neuron

Nerve cells - neurons - are arguably the most complex of all cells. From the action of these cells comes movement, thought and consciousness. This book provides information on the molecules that control information flow in the brain or the progress of brain disease. It also provides an overview of the molecular structure and function of neurons. Nerve cells - neurons - are arguably the most complex of all cells. From the action of these cells comes movement, thought and consciousness. It is a challenging task to understand what molecules direct the various diverse aspects of their function. This has produced an ever-increasing amount of molecular information about neurons, and only in Molecular Biology of the Neuron can a large part of this information be found in one source. In this book, a non-specialist can learn about the molecules that control information flow in the brain or the progress of brain disease in an approachable format, while the expert has access to a wealth of detailed information from a wide range of topics impacting on his or her field of endeavour. The text is designed to achieve a balance of accessibility and broad coverage with up-to-date molecular detail. In the six years since the first edition of Molecular Biology of the Neuron there has been an explosion in the molecular information about neurons that has been discovered, and this information is incorporated into this second edition. Entirely new chapters have been introduced where recent advances have made a new aspect of neuronal function more comprehensible at the molecular level. Written by leading researchers in the field, the book provides an essential overview of the molecular structure and function of neurons, and will be an invaluable tool to students and researchers alike.

Neurons are central to all neuroscience and the molecular biological investigation of the properties of neurons is now progressing rapidly on many fronts. This title provides an up-to-date review of what is known about the molecules that make neurons special.;Coverage includes basic molecular processes, molecules involved in special functions of neurons and molecules involved in development, maintenance, disease or death of neurons.;The book should update clinical and systems neuroscientists on a wide range of molecular advances and molecular neuroscientists on areas peripheral to their own research. It should also be useful for advanced undergraduates in neuroscience programmes through to professional researchers in the field.