Topics in Integrative Neuroscience: From Cells to Cognition

Cambridge University Press, 2/21/2008
EAN 9780521869133, ISBN10: 0521869137

Hardcover, 448 pages, 25.3 x 17.2 x 2.5 cm
Language: English

Neuroscience is progressing so rapidly that even expressions such as 'by leaps and bounds' fail to capture the pace of its growth. Questions that once were thought to be unanswerable - perhaps even unaskable - have been both asked and answered, and questions once unthinkable, are routine. Topics in Integrative Neuroscience has singled out four of the most important problems in neuroscience: higher order perception; language; memory systems; and sensory processes. The volume presents original contributions by many of the leading researchers in those fields, and with an initial chapter covering neuroethics. It is impossible to capture fully the sweep of discoveries that emerged from the 'Decade of the Brain' within the covers of a single volume. It is possible, however, to provide a sample, both in recognition of what has been accomplished and as a harbinger of what is surely to come.

List of contributors
Preface
Overview of neuroscience, choice and responsibility James R. Pomerantz
1. Neuroscience, choice and responsibility Patricia S. Churchland
Part I. Higher Order Perception
Section 1. Overview of Higher Order Visual Perception Michael I. Posner
2. Attention as an organ system Michael I. Posner and Jin Fan
3. Cortical dynamics and visual perception Charles Gilbert
4. Cortical mechanisms of visuospatial attention in humans and monkeys Sabine Kastner, Peter De Weerd, and Leslie Ungerleider
Part II. Language
Section 2. Introduction to Language Section Helen J. Neville
5. Varying degrees of plasticity in different subsystems within language Lisa D. Sanders, Christine M. Weber-Fox and Helen J. Neville
6. The functional architecture of speech perception David Poeppel, Martin Hackl
7. Varieties of silence
the impact of neuro-degenerative diseases on language systems in the brain Karalyn Patterson, Naida L. Graham, Matthew A. Lamdon Ralph and John R. Hodges
8. Why is language unique to humans? Jacques Mehler, Marina Nespor and Marcela Peña
Part III. Memory Systems
Section 3. Introduction to Memory Section Larry R. Squire
9. Memory systems Larry R. Squire and Craig E. L. Stark
10. A brain system for declarative memory Seth J. Ramus and Howard B. Eichenbaum
11. The role of the lateral nucleus of the amygdala in auditory fear conditioning Hugh T. Blair, Karim Nader, Gleen E. Schafe, Elizabeth P. Bauer, Sarina M. Rodrigues and Joseph E. LeDoux
12. On crucial roles of hippocampal NMDA receptors in acquisition and recall of associative memory Kazu Nakazawa, Matthew A. Wilson, and Susumu Tonegawa
Part IV. Sensory Processes
Section 4. Overview of Sensory Processes James R. Pomerantz
13. Song selectivity, singing, and synaptic plasticity in songbirds Michele M. Solis, Neal A. Hessler, Charlotte A. Boettiger, and Allison J. Doupe
14. Voltage-dependent sodium currents in hair cells of the inner ear Julian R. A. Wooltorton, Karen M. Hurley, Hong Bao, and Ruth Anne Eatock
Index.

'There are very interesting, and at times complex, reviews of studies of the neural underpinnings of behaviour. The several chapters that integrate behavioural and neuroimaging studies are also a strong component of this volume.' Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society