Levitan: The Neuron

Authors:

• IRWIN B. LEVITAN, Brandeis University, and
• LEONARD K. KACZMAREK, Yale University

Praise for the First Edition:

“Impressively modern, with up-to-date information on the trendiest areas of neurobiology. The book is highly visual, with figures on virtually every page…Frankly, although the recommendation is often abused, The Neuron is one of those book that really do belong on every shelf.” - Nature

“First-rate…Students appreciated the consistent clarity and the uniformity of style. The illustrations are highly conceptual and were easily understood…A handy primer for many, and a reference volume for others.”
– The Quarterly Review of Biology

Keeping abreast of the numerous recent advances in neuroscience, Levitan and Kaczmarek have revised every chapter in this new second edition. What was formerly the first chapter has been expanded substantially and divided into two separate chapters detailing the cell biology of neurons and glia, and their commonalities with other kinds of cells. The section on intracellular communication has been expanded and reorganized. The authors explain the function of ion channels as specialized membrane proteins early in the book, clarifying the concept of selective membrane permeability. They discuss the astonishing diversity of voltage-dependent ion channels and their implications for neuronal physiology. The chapter on neurotransmitter secretion now covers the recent identification of many molecules participating in vesicle fusion and exocytosis. New material on the cloning and characterization of glutamate receptors and novel elements of intracellular signaling pathways in neurons and other cells in incorporated throughout the text. The chapters in the last section disclose how phenomena that previously could be studied only at the descriptive level can now be explained in greater depth. The substantially updated and expanded second edition of this popular text will be an invaluable addition to the the libraries of researchers in every branch of the neurosciences, cell and molecular biology, and an important teaching tool for undergraduates, graduate and medical students.

Contents: I: Introduction 1. Signaling in the Brain 2. Form and Function in Cells of the Brain II: Electrical Properties in Neurons 3. Electrical Signaling in Neurons 4. Membrane Ion Channels 5. Ion Channels, Membrane Ion Current, and the Action Potential 6. Diversity, Structure and Function of Voltage-Dependent Ion Channels III: Intercellular Communication 7. How Neurons Communicate: Gap Junctions and Neurosecretion 8. Synaptic Release of Neurotransmitters 9. Neurotransmitters and Neurohormones 10. Receptors and Transduction Mechanisms I: Receptors Coupled Directly to Ion Channels 11. Receptors and Transduction Mechanisms II: Indirectly Coupled Receptor/ Ion Channel Systems 12. Neuromodulation: Mechanisms of Induced Changes in the Electrical Behavior of Nerve Cells 13. Sensory Receptor Neurons IV: Behavior and Plasticity 14. Growth, Survival, and Differentiation of Neurons 15. Adhesion Molecules and Axon Pathfinding 16. Formation, Maintenance, and Plasticity of Chemical Synapses 17. Neural Networks and Behavior 18. Learning and Memory Bibliography Index

November 1996
544 pp.; 26 halftones, 245 illus.

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Understanding Subtle Brain Injury

The concussions that disable, are almost always more symptomatic at 24 hours, than at the 2-4 hour time frame when injured persons are evaluated in the emergency room. Brain injury symptoms escalate over the first 24 hours, because brain injury involves a cascade of events. It is critical that if you are still symptomatic the day after your injury, go back to the same Emergency Room, don’t wait for a doctors appointment. It is critical that the Emergency Room personnel see that the symptoms still persist or have gotten worse.

View Our Video Series on Concussions