Spinal Interneurons

The spinal cord is comprised of four types of neurons: motor neurons, pre-ganglionic neurons, ascending projection neurons, and spinal interneurons. Interneurons are neurons that process information within local circuits, and have an incredible ability for neuroplasticity, whether due to persistent activity, neural injury, or in response to disease. Although, by definition, their axons are restricted to the same structure as the soma (in this case the spinal cord), spinal interneurons are capable of sprouting and rewiring entire neural circuits, and contribute to some restoration of disrupted neural communication after injury to the spinal cord (i.e., “bypassing the lesion site). Spinal Interneurons provides a focused overview of how scientists classify interneurons in general, the techniques used to identify subsets of interneurons, their roles in specific neural circuits, and the scientific evidence for their neuroplasticity. Understanding the capacity for neuroplasticity and identity of specific spinal interneurons that are optimal for recovery, may help determine cellular candidates for developing therapies. Spinal Interneurons provides neuroscientists, clinicians, and trainees a reference book exclusively concentrating on spinal interneurons, the techniques and experiments employed to identify and study these cells as part of normal and compromised neural circuits, and highlights the therapeutic potential of these cells by presenting the relevant pre-clinical and clinical work to date. People in industry will also benefit from this book, which compiles the latest in therapeutic strategies for targeting spinal interneurons, what considerations there are for the development and use of treatments, and how such treatments can not only be translated to the clinic, but how existing treatments should be appropriately reverse-translated to the bench. Comprehensive overview of techniques used to identify, characterize, and classify spinal interneurons and their role in neural circuits Description of the role that spinal interneurons play in mediating plasticity after compromise to spinal neural networks In-depth discussion of therapeutic potential of spinal interneurons for spinal cord injury and/or disease

Movement is arguably the most fundamental and important function of the nervous system. Purposive movement requires the coordination of actions within many areas of the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, basal ganglia, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves and sensory receptors, which together must control a highly complex biomechanical apparatus made up of the skeleton and muscles. Beginning at the level of biomechanics and spinal reflexes and proceeding upward to brain structures in the cerebellum, brainstem and cerebral cortex, the chapters in this book highlight the important issues in movement control. Commentaries provide a balanced treatment of the articles that have been written by experts in a variety of areas concerned with movement, including behaviour, physiology, robotics, and mathematics.

Jasper's Basic Mechanisms, Fourth Edition, is the newest most ambitious and now clinically relevant publishing project to build on the four-decade legacy of the Jasper's series. In keeping with the original goal of searching for "a better understanding of the epilepsies and rational methods of prevention and treatment.", the book represents an encyclopedic compendium neurobiological mechanisms of seizures, epileptogenesis, epilepsy genetics and comordid conditions. Of practical importance to the clinician, and new to this edition are disease mechanisms of genetic epilepsies and therapeutic approaches, ranging from novel antiepileptic drug targets to cell and gene therapies.

In this, the post-genomic age, our knowledge of biological systems continues to expand and progress. As the research becomes more focused, so too does the data. Genomic research progresses to proteomics and brings us to a deeper understanding of the behavior and function of protein clusters. And now proteomics gives way to neuroproteomics as we begin to unravel the complex mysteries of neurological diseases that less than a generation ago seemed opaque to our inquiries, if not altogether intractable. Edited by Dr. Oscar Alzate, Neuroproteomics is the newest volume in the CRC Press Frontiers of Neuroscience Series. With an extensive background in mathematics and physics, Dr. Alzate exemplifies the newest generation of biological systems researchers. He organizes research and data contributed from all across the world to present an overview of neuroproteomics that is practical and progressive. Bolstered by each new discovery, researchers employing multiple methods of inquiry gain a deeper understanding of the key biological problems related to brain function, brain structure, and the complexity of the nervous system. This in turn is leading to new understanding about diseases of neurological deficit such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Approaches discussed in the book include mass spectrometry, electrophoresis, chromatography, surface plasmon resonance, protein arrays, immunoblotting, computational proteomics, and molecular imaging. Writing about their own work, leading researchers detail the principles, approaches, and difficulties of the various techniques, demonstrating the questions that neuroproteomics can answer and those it raises. New challenges wait, not the least of which is the identification of potential methods to regulate the structures and functions of key protein interaction networks. Ultimately, those building on the foundation presented here will advance our understanding of the brain and show us ways to abate the suffering caused by neurological and mental diseases.

Providing clear, well-illustrated descriptions of brain structures in light of their functions, this cohesive and well-established textbook fosters understanding of the intimate relationship between the structure and function of the nervous system. Its focus on the integration of basic sciences with their clinical applications makes the book particularly well-suited for medical students needing knowledge of neuroscience as a basis for clinical thinking. For the third edition, two new chapters have been added on the vestibular system and control of eye movements, and all other chapters have been thoroughly revised.

Edited and authored by a wealth of international experts in neuroscience and related disciplines, this key new resource aims to offer medical students and graduate researchers around the world a comprehensive introduction and overview of modern neuroscience. Neuroscience research is certain to prove a vital element in combating mental illness in its various incarnations, a strategic battleground in the future of medicine, as the prevalence of mental disorders is becoming better understood each year. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are affected by mental, behavioral, neurological and substance use disorders. The World Health Organization estimated in 2002 that 154 million people globally suffer from depression and 25 million people from schizophrenia; 91 million people are affected by alcohol use disorders and 15 million by drug use disorders. A more recent WHO report shows that 50 million people suffer from epilepsy and 24 million from Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Because neuroscience takes the etiology of disease—the complex interplay between biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors—as its object of inquiry, it is increasingly valuable in understanding an array of medical conditions. A recent report by the United States’ Surgeon General cites several such diseases: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, early-onset depression, autism, attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, anorexia nervosa, and panic disorder, among many others. Not only is this volume a boon to those wishing to understand the future of neuroscience, it also aims to encourage the initiation of neuroscience programs in developing countries, featuring as it does an appendix full of advice on how to develop such programs. With broad coverage of both basic science and clinical issues, comprising around 150 chapters from a diversity of international authors and including complementary video components, Neuroscience in the 21st Century in its second edition serves as a comprehensive resource to students and researchers alike.

Surveys the control of human spinal cord circuits, in normal movement and in disease states.