It should come as no surprise to those interested in sensory processes that its research history is among the longest and richest of the many systematic efforts to understand how our bodies function. The continuing obsession with sensory systems is as much a re?ection of the fundamental need to understand how we experience the physical world as it is to understand how we become who we are based on those very experiences. The senses function as both portal and teacher, and their individual ...

Daily rhythms are a ubiquitous feature of living systems. Generally, these rhythms are not just passive consequences of cyclic fluctuations in the environment, but instead originate within the organism. In mammals, including humans, the master pacemaker controlling 24-hour rhythms is localized in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus (SCN). This circadian clock is responsible for the temporal organization of a wide variety of functions, ranging from sleep and food intake, to physi...

This book highlights the state of the field in the new, provocative line of research into the cognition and behavior of the domestic dog. Eleven chapters from leading researchers describe innovative methods from comparative psychology, ethology and behavioral biology, which are combined to create a more comprehensive picture of the behavior of Canis familiaris than ever before. Each of the book’s three parts highlights one of the perspectives relevant to providing a full understanding of t...

This book is dedicated to Dr. Philip A. Schwartzkroin. The book has a novel format because it is not intended to be a set of reviews. Instead, it is an effort to explore important topics in the epilepsy research field. Because articles are written by leaders in the field who have years of experience and individuals with diverse expertise, articles are likely to have a long-lasting impact and be relevant for both epileptologists and neuroscientists. Authors address topics that are important...

Cultural neuroscience combines brain imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related brain potentials with methods of social and cultural psychology to investigate whether and how cultures influence the neural mechanisms of perception, attention, emotion, social cognition, and other human cognitive processes. The findings of cultural neuroscience studies improve our understanding of the relation between human brain function and sociocultural contexts and ...

This compelling volume provides a broad and accessible overview on the rapidly developing field of social neuroscience. A major goal of the volume is to integrate research findings on the neural basis of social behavior across different levels of analysis from rodent studies on molecular neurobiology to behavioral neuroscience to fMRI imaging data on human social behavior.

This work explores the power of visual and vocal channels, in conveying emotional cues exploiting realistic, dynamic and mutually related emotional vocal and facial stimuli, and aims to report on a cross cultural comparison on how people from different Western Countries perceive emotional dynamic stimuli.The authors attempt to give an answer to the following questions evaluating the subjective perception of emotional states in the single (either visual or auditory channel) and the ...

This issue of Current Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience focuses on the neuropeptide orexin (hypocretin) and brings together scientists from around the world who will provide a timely discussion of how this peptide regulates behavior. This is a fast-moving field, and with the incorporation of novel technologies, new breakthroughs are likely to continue. For example, the use of optogenetic approaches has enabled the identification of the role of orexin-containing neurons in arousal ...

A thorough introduction is provided to the variety and complexity of the roles that glycoconjugates play in the cells of the nervous system. Basic information as well as the latest developments in neural glycobiology are discussed. Topics covered range from the structure and metabolism of the saccharide chains and current approaches used in their study, to changes glycoconjugates undergo during development and aging of the nervous system and the roles they have in neurological disease. The...

The auditory system is a complex neural system composed of many types of neurons connected into networks. One feature that sets the auditory system apart from other sensory systems, such as somatosensory or visual systems, is the many stages of neural processing that occur between the ear in the periphery and the cerebral cortex. Each stage is composed of specialized types of neurons connected in specific microcircuits that perform computations on the information about sound. To understand...

Müller cells may be used in the future for novel therapeutic strategies to protect neurons against apoptosis (for example, somatic gene therapy), or to differentiate retinal neurons from Müller/stem cells. Meanwhile, a proper understanding of the gliotic responses of Müller cells in the diseased retina, and of their protective vs. detrimental effects, is essential for the development of efficient therapeutic strategies that use and stimulate the neuron-supportive/-protective - and prevent ...

"Nitric Oxide and Free Radicals in Peripheral Neurotransmission" is a welcome addition to the literature and describes current research into the role of nitric oxide in the peripheral nervous system and its associated organs. Topics covered range from general consideration of nitrergic transmission, in its broadest sense, to elaboration of our current understanding of the role of nitric oxide in transmission in individual peripheral organs, including its role as a backup, or alternate as w...