The study of drug action has benefitted greatly from the development and use of in vivo model systems. In model systems, manipulations and observations can be more rigorously controlled and screens of novel therapeutic agents can be more safely conducted.No single model system provides all of the possible advantages. At one end, mammalian models al

"The First Brain is a discussion of how planarians have been used in neuropharmacology, and what role they have played in scientific developments that have a high impact on our culture. Planarians have been the animal models for research in drug addiction, antidepressant development, and various other topics in biology, neurobiology, and even zoology. Pagán uses these flatworms as a framework to explore the history of biological research. The book provides accessible background information on how biomedical research is impacted by evolution, and defines neurobiology and neuropharmacology in ways that are easy to understand. At the same time, Pagán provides enough detail for the book to useful for scientists working in various subsections of biology.

Presented in full color for the first time, Invertebrate Medicine is the definitive resource on husbandry and veterinary medicine in invertebrate species. Presenting authoritative information applicable to both in-human care and wild invertebrates, this comprehensive volume addresses the medical care and clinical condition of most important invertebrate species—providing biological data for sponges, jellyfish, anemones, snails, sea hares, corals, cuttlefish, squid, octopuses, clams, oysters, crabs, crayfish, lobsters, shrimp, hermit crabs, spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, honey bees, butterflies, beetles, sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, various worms, and many other invertebrate groups. The extensively revised third edition contains new information and knowledge throughout, offering timely coverage of significant advances in invertebrate anesthesia, analgesia, diagnostic imaging, surgery, and welfare. New and updated chapters incorporate recent publications on species including crustaceans, jellyfishes, corals, honeybees, and a state-of-the-science formulary. In this edition, the authors also discuss a range of topics relevant to invertebrate caretaking including conservation, laws and regulations, euthanasia, diagnostic techniques, and sample handling. Edited by a leading veterinarian and expert in the field, Invertebrate Medicine, Third Edition: Provides a comprehensive reference to all aspects of invertebrate medicine Offers approximately 200 new pages of expanded content Features more than 400 full color images and new contributions from leading veterinarians and specialists for each taxon Includes updated chapters of reportable diseases, neoplasia, sources of invertebrates and supplies, and a comprehensive formulary The standard reference text in the field, Invertebrate Medicine, Third Edition is essential reading for practicing veterinarians, veterinary students, advanced hobbyists, aquarists and aquaculturists, and professional animal caretakers in zoo animal, exotic animal, and laboratory animal medicine.

This book is a collective work of international experts in the neural stem cell field. The book incorporates the characterization of embryonic and adult neural stem cells in both invertebrates and vertebrates. It highlights the history and the most advanced discoveries in neural stem cells, and summarizes the mechanisms of neural stem cell development. In particular, this book provides strategies and discusses the challenges of utilizing neural stem cells for therapy of neurological disorders and brain and spinal cord injuries. It is suitable for general readers, students, doctors and researchers who are interested in understanding the principles of and new discoveries in neural stem cells and therapy.

Epigenetic Mechanisms of the Cambrian Explosion provides readers with a basic biological knowledge and epigenetic explanation of the biological puzzle of the Cambrian explosion, the unprecedented rapid diversification of animals that began 542 million years ago. During an evolutionarily instant of ~10 million years, which represents only 0.3% of the time of existence of life on Earth, or less than 2% of the time of existence of metazoans, all of the 30 extant body plans, major animal groups (phyla) and several extinct groups appeared. The work helps address this phenomena and tries to answer remaining questions for evolutionary biology, epigenetics, and scientific researchers. The book recognizes and presents objective representations of alternative theories for epigenetic evolution in this period, with the author drawing on his epigenetic theory of evolution to explain the causal basis of the Cambrian explosion. Both empirical evidence and theoretical arguments are presented in support of this thought-provoking epigenetic theory. - Explains the Cambrian explosion from an entirely epigenetic view - Takes a causal rather than descriptive approach to the phenomenon - Allows for a broad readership, including those with only a basic biological knowledge, while maintaining scientific rigor

Advances in Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment, Volume 178 in the International Review in Neurobiology series, presents a comprehensive exploration of emerging therapies and approaches in the field. Topics in this new release include Introduction: Current Treatments, Oxytocin and Vasopressin, Neuroactive steroids, Pharmacological activators of ALDH2, Anti inflammatories and mesenchymal stem cells, Sodium oxybate, Psychedelic compounds, Cannabinoids, Environmental Enrichment, Animal models and translational challenges, GABAergic compounds, and Ghrelin system and GLP-1. - Explores neurobiological, pharmacological, and unconventional modalities for treating AUD - Integrates insights from leading experts, bridging pre-clinical and clinical viewpoints - Investigates new compounds and cutting-edge research in AUD treatment

A new theory about the origins of consciousness that finds learning to be the driving force in the evolutionary transition to basic consciousness. What marked the evolutionary transition from organisms that lacked consciousness to those with consciousness—to minimal subjective experiencing, or, as Aristotle described it, “the sensitive soul”? In this book, Simona Ginsburg and Eva Jablonka propose a new theory about the origin of consciousness that finds learning to be the driving force in the transition to basic consciousness. Using a methodology similar to that used by scientists when they identified the transition from non-life to life, Ginsburg and Jablonka suggest a set of criteria, identify a marker for the transition to minimal consciousness, and explore the far-reaching biological, psychological, and philosophical implications. After presenting the historical, neurobiological, and philosophical foundations of their analysis, Ginsburg and Jablonka propose that the evolutionary marker of basic or minimal consciousness is a complex form of associative learning, which they term unlimited associative learning (UAL). UAL enables an organism to ascribe motivational value to a novel, compound, non-reflex-inducing stimulus or action, and use it as the basis for future learning. Associative learning, Ginsburg and Jablonka argue, drove the Cambrian explosion and its massive diversification of organisms. Finally, Ginsburg and Jablonka propose symbolic language as a similar type of marker for the evolutionary transition to human rationality—to Aristotle's “rational soul.”