Gap junctions between glial cells or neurons are ubiquitously expressed in the mammalian brain and play a role in brain development including cell differentiation, cell migration and survival, and tissue homeostasis, as well as in human diseases including hearing loss, neuropathies, epilepsy, brain trauma, and cardiovascular disease. This volume provides neuroscience researchers and students with a single source for information covering the physiological, behavioral and pathophysiological roles of gap junctions in the brain. In addition, the book also discusses human disease conditions associated with mutations in single gap junction connexion genes, making it applicable to clinicians doing translational research. Finally, it includes reviews of pharmacological studies with gap junction blockers and openers, summarizing information obtained from phenotyping gap junctions mouse mutants. - Serves as the most current and comprehensive reference available covering the physiological, behavioral and pathophysiological roles of gap junctions in the brain - Chapters summarize knowledge of the basic physiology of gap junctions in the brain, as well as of human disease conditions associated with mutations in single gap junction connexin genes - Includes reviews of pharmacological studies with gap junction blockers and openers, summarizing information obtained from phenotyping gap junctions mouse mutants

In addition to chemical links across synapses, neurons can also form direct connections via electrical gap junctions. These channels play a key role in brain development and intercellular communication. Dere (pathophysiology of cerebral aging, U. Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris; AP-HP Hôpital Charles Foix, Centre de Recherche et Développement, Ivry-sur-Seine, France) introduces types of gap junctions, their structural aspects, expression patterns of connexins (transmembrane proteins), and gap junction-related diseases due to mutations in connexin genes. International researchers working in this emerging field discuss specific connexin genes and their mechanisms of action and function in the developing neocortx, behavior, and neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. The text includes color and b&w illustrations including schematic representations and models. Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

This book deals with the types of gap junction proteins (connexins) and their distribution within the nervous system, the physiological properties of channels formed of each connexin, and the role of gap junction channels in functions of normal and pathological brain and peripheral nerve. Although glial tissue is emphasized, additional groups of chapters deal with neurons in the central nervous system and with the retina.

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

"PH and Brain Function offers thorough coverage of this increasingly important area of research, beginning with the fundamental concepts, which include methodological and theoretical issues such as the measurement of pH and the concept of pH in neurobiology. It explores aspects of regulation and modulation of intracellular pH in brain cells, surveys the changes in pH that occur with neural activity and how these changes affect neural activity, and discusses the role of pH in the pathophysiology of neurological diseases." "pH and Brain Function is an important resource for researchers in all areas of neuroscience as well as cell biology and physiology." --Book Jacket.

Evolving technologies starting with tracer studies, and more recently with genomics and proteomics, have provided novel information about the molecular properties of cerebral endothelium and astrocytes; however, further studies must be done in animal models of neurological diseases and in humans to get a clearer understanding of the pathogenesis of blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown in nervous system diseases. In The Blood-Brain and Other Neural Barriers: Reviews and Protocols, experts in the field present a series of cutting-edge protocols which can be used to study the barriers. Opening with detailed information on components of the neurovascular unit as well as the blood-cerebrospinal, blood-retinal, and blood-nerve barriers, the book continues with meticulous techniques to image the barriers in humans and experimental animals, followed by cutting-edge molecular techniques to study the BBB and novel models to study the barriers, and it concludes with techniques for the delivery of therapeutic agents across the BBB. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, protocol chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and up-to-date, The Blood-Brain and Other Neural Barriers: Reviews and Protocols will aid the research efforts of not only graduate students but also more experienced investigators and support future studies of these vital systems.