Synaptic Organization of the Brain

It is widely recognized that the neural basis of brain function can be fully understood only by integrating many disciplines at many levels. Studies of synaptic organization are bringing about a quiet revolution in achieving this goal, as documented by this unique book over the past 30 years. In this fifth edition, the results of the mouse and human genome projects are incorporated for the first time. Molecular biologists interested in functional genomics and proteomics of the brain will find answers here to the critical questions: what are the cell and circuit functions of gene products? Also for the first time, the reader is oriented to supporting neuroscience databases. Among the new advances covered are 2-photon confocal laser microscopy of dendrites and dendritic spines, biochemical analyses, and dual patch and multielectrode recordings, applied together with an increasing range of behavioral and gene-targeting methods. Leading experts in the best understood brain regions bring together the molecular, anatomical, functional, and behavioral data in authoritative integrated accounts. The chapters are organized in the same format, covering the neural elements, synaptic connections, basic circuits, physiology, neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, membrane properties, dendritic properties, and with a final section on how the circuits mediate specific behaviors. The uniform framework for each chapter enables the authors to higlight the principles that are common to all regions, as well as the adaptations unique to each, thus serving as a model for understanding the neural basis of behavior.

The book contains black-and-white illustrations.

The third edition of The Synaptic Organization of the Brain continues the tradition of earlier editions in focusing on the principles underlying the organization of neurons and synapses into functional circuits within the best-studied regions of the brain: autonomic ganglia, spinal cord, olfactory bulb, retina, cerebellum, thalamus, basal ganglia, olfactory cortex, hippocampus, and neocortex. To ensure authoritative coverage, the chapters have been written by leading researchers in each region. As in past editions, each chapter follows the same format: neural elements, synaptic connections, basic circuits, physiological properties, neurotransmitters, and dendritic properties. Each chapter now has a concluding section which discusses functional implications. This organization gives a logical structure to the description of each region, and greatly facilitates comparisons between regions and identification of common principles. Highlights include the first comprehensive attempt to incorporate intrinsic excitable membrane properties into neural circuits throughout the brain, the latest experimental results from patch recordings, brain slices, and intracellular labelling, and 3-D reconstructions of neurons and connections. The book also provides up-to-date summaries of neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, second-messengers and ligand-and voltage-gated membrane channels for each brain region. Information on possible mechanisms underlying learning and memory in brain circuits is emphasized. A special focus is on methods for modeling neurons and circuits, as a first step toward a "biophysics of neural computation" and the construction of more realistic neural networks.

Thomas H. Jobe

This fourth edition continues the ""classical"" tradition for excellence in gathering together the most authoritative sources of the best scientific work on synaptic structures and combining it in a concise, clear, and integrated manner for a broad spectrum of readership. This book includes results on the latest scientific techniques including calcium imaging of neuronal activity, knockouts, knockins, site-directed mutagenesis, caged compounds, etc., in slices, cultured cells, and expression systems. All twelve chapters are written by outstanding authorities in their respective fields, covering synaptic circuits, membrane properties, ventral horn circuits, the cochlea nucleus, the olfactory bulb, the retina, the cerebellum, the thalamus, the olfactory cortex, the hippocampus, and the neocortex. The editor has skillfully worked to integrate a wide array of contributors' styles, leaving the impression of single authorship. This greatly simplifies complex subjects and expands the readership of this volume to include beginning students in neuroscience to active researchers themselves. Experimental techniques and methodological assumptions are explained and spelled out with great clarity. This fourth edition mirrors its predecessors; it contains outstanding illustrations that portray concepts, structures, and experimental designs. Readers will be delighted with this volume, especially as it focuses upon the active dendrite issues and how synaptic integration has been more closely linked to dendritic spiking and back propagation pointing in the direction of recursive rather than uni-direction processing.

Gordon M. Shepherd is Professor of Neuroscience, Yale University.