Transcription Factors in the Nervous System: Development, Brain Function, and Diseases

This first book to cover neural development, neuronal survival and function on the genetic level outlines promising approaches for novel therapeutic strategies in fighting neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. Focusing on transcription factors, the text is clearly divided into three sections devoted to transcriptional control of neural development, brain function and transcriptional dysregulation induced neurological diseases.
With a chapter written by Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, this is essential reading for neurobiologists, geneticists, biochemists, cell biologists, neurochemists and molecular biologists.

This first book to cover neural development, neuronal survival and function on the genetic level outlines promising approaches for novel therapeutic strategies in fighting neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease.

Focusing on transcription factors, the text is clearly divided into three sections devoted to transcriptional control of neural development, brain function and transcriptional dysregulation induced neurological diseases.

With a chapter written by Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, this is essential reading for neurobiologists, geneticists, biochemists, cell biologists, neurochemists and molecular biologists.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Celso Agner, MD, MSc(University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)
Description:Since Watson and Crick deciphered the DNA structure, the mechanisms of control of genetic transcription and encoding have been explored. Transcription factors have been discovered and showed to regulate genetic transcription. Their presence or absence will determine directions in development as well as mechanisms of disease, including degenerative neurological conditions.
Purpose:The purpose of this book is to address multiple transcription factors involved in the processing of information in the brain.
Audience:Neuroscientists are the main audience for this book. Different areas of interest may subdivide the group further into those scientists interested the study of neurodegenerative and genetic disorders of the nervous system. The editor is one of the most prominent authorities in the field and the contributors are from research institutions around the world.
Features:Since this is more of an expert's book on transcription factors, it would be most accessible to those dealing with these problems everyday. This is a great buy for those who deal with this matter on a daily basis.
Assessment:This is an appropriate purchase for neuroscience libraries. However, areas of focus should include molecular biology and neurodevelopment, since that's a good proportion of the research applications of this material.

Since 1997 Gerald Thiel has been professor for Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of the Saarland, Germany. In 1987 he started his career as a post-doc at The Rockefeller University, New York, in the lab of the 2000 Nobel Prize Laureate Paul Greengard. At the same time he was visiting fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas. In 1991 and 1992 he worked as an assistant professor for Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience at The Rockefeller University, and from 1992 to 1997 he was head of lab at the Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Germany. His current research interests are the regulation of neuronal gene transcription, signal transduction in the nervous system and the regulation of proliferation and programmed cell death in the nervous system.