Neuroscience

From The Critics

Reviewer: Kerry Gill DeLuca, MD(Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago)
Description: This book introduces the reader to the basics of neuroscience with specific focus on information that is clinically relevant to physical rehabilitation.
Purpose: The author met her objectives by writing an introductory text for entry-level clinicians which emphasizes clinically relevant neuroscience while avoiding excessive detail. The three chapters introducing basic neuroscience are the work of an eminently qualified contributor.
Audience: Although the intended audience seems to be physical therapists, this book would be useful to medical students, junior residents in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and other beginning members of the interdisciplinary rehabilitation team.
Features: It introduces neuroscience, starting at the cellular level, moving to system levels, and concluding with a description of pathophysiology related to specific anatomic locations. The focus is always on conditions which will be seen by physical therapists in practice. The strengths of the book rest in the clinical correlations, the highlighted summaries with the "take-home" points that conclude many sections, excellent pictures and diagrams, a comprehensive glossary, and the clinical case scenarios/questions at the end of each chapter. Shortcomings include a paucity of references in some chapters, and atlas pictures that are too small to be useful.
Assessment: This clearly written book accomplishes the author's objective of introducing the reader to neuroscience while keeping the focus on subjects relevant to "entry-level clinicians." It purposely lacks the depth of standard neuroscience texts, such as Kandel and Schwartz's Principles of Neural Science, 3rd edition (Appleton & Lange 1991), but as a result, the material is easier to read and comprehend.

Kerry Gill DeLuca

This book introduces the reader to the basics of neuroscience with specific focus on information that is clinically relevant to physical rehabilitation. The author met her objectives by writing an introductory text for entry-level clinicians which emphasizes clinically relevant neuroscience while avoiding excessive detail. The three chapters introducing basic neuroscience are the work of an eminently qualified contributor. Although the intended audience seems to be physical therapists, this book would be useful to medical students, junior residents in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and other beginning members of the interdisciplinary rehabilitation team. It introduces neuroscience, starting at the cellular level, moving to system levels, and concluding with a description of pathophysiology related to specific anatomic locations. The focus is always on conditions which will be seen by physical therapists in practice. The strengths of the book rest in the clinical correlations, the highlighted summaries with the ""take-home"" points that conclude many sections, excellent pictures and diagrams, a comprehensive glossary, and the clinical case scenarios/questions at the end of each chapter. Shortcomings include a paucity of references in some chapters, and atlas pictures that are too small to be useful. This clearly written book accomplishes the author's objective of introducing the reader to neuroscience while keeping the focus on subjects relevant to ""entry-level clinicians."" It purposely lacks the depth of standard neuroscience texts, such as Kandel and Schwartz's Principles of Neural Science, 3rd edition (Appleton & Lange 1991), but as a result, thematerial is easier to read and comprehend.

3 Stars from Doody