neuroscience and neurobiology books

	Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (Fundamentals of Cognitive Neuroscience)
	By: Mark H. Johnson ISBN: 1405126299 Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Release Date: 04 January, 2005 Bioscience book rank: 885417	nice book with clear introdution about the theories and reseach findings on the development of neurological systems and it relation with the development of other aspects. Johnson writes at a technical level probably well suited for an undergraduate reader in biology. It is at a higher level than a popular-type book aimed at a mass audience. There is a good discussion of the development of the neural networks and the internal structures of the brain. <br /> <br />Vision is given an entire chapter because of its importance to the organism. Also, the visual structures of the eyes are usefully understood as a direct pipeline into the brain, or, equivalently, as a simple extension of the brain. Higher level processing is described in the case of social interactions and speech processing. <br /> <br />No mention of mirror neurons. Perhaps these are not seen as significant for the infant's development? In a few places throughout the second edition of his landmark book, Mark Johnson suggests that the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience has matured from infancy to toddlerhood. This book, then, is a sort of biography, from the field's theoretical ancestry in 17th century debates between "vitalists" and "preformationalists" to current (and in some ways similar) debates between nativists and empiricists. In between, Johnson expertly covers everything from prenatal cortical differentiation to developmental change in the distributions of various neuromodulators, to the development of simple oculomotor function, to prefrontal processes supporting object permanence. Johnson draws from genetic, neuroimaging and behavioral research, postmortem analysis of developing human brains, various neural network models, and even in vitro experiments with a variety of brain tissues. <br /> <br />Along the way, Johnson analyzes how each aspect of functional brain development can be accounted for by three basic views. One, which he terms the "maturational" view, supposes that brain development is largely pre-determined by genes, and further that these neural changes can be directly related to cognitive change. A second contrasting view, which Johnson terms the "skill learning" view, supposes that the mechanisms guiding cognitive development are similar or identical to those guiding skill acquisition in adults. Finally, a third view - which Johnson calls "interactive specialization" - represents a fusion of the previous two perspectives. According to this perspective, broad patterns of connectivity are innately specified, but the ultimate computations supported by brain regions rely on an interaction between maturational processes and neural activity resulting from experience throughout a variety of neural networks. <br /> <br />Although this tripartite framework necessarily simplifies the theoretical debates surrounding each topic, it has many advantages as a rhetorical device. For example, the tone of the book is noticeably more conversational than the didactic quality of other textbooks which avoid controversial issues altogether (or perhaps worse, present just a single interpretation as fact). Secondly, this framework gives the book a strong coherence, despite the wide variety of methodologies, levels of analysis, and topics reviewed throughout. This leads to a polished work equally suited to the graduate classroom as to the libraries of interested laypeople. <br /> <br />In general, the book is skewed towards infancy; accordingly, the visual system is covered in detail while much less space is allocated to the development of higher-level cognition and explicit memory. On the other hand, Johnson's treatment of early social cognition is particularly impressive and wide-ranging, covering topics from parental "imprinting" in chicks to the development of face recognition, gaze-tracking, and ultimately theory of mind. Johnson notes that an introductory text such as this is necessarily selective, but the analytical depth of what is covered more compensates for this in my view. Furthermore, Johnson recommends additional readings for nearly every major point, which provides a great starting point for readers interested in learning more about a specific topic. <br /> <br />This book is likely to be enjoyed by dedicated laypeople, new graduate students, and research professionals alike, thanks to Johnson's knack for explaining even complex topics at an easily-understood level of detail. Unlike many popular science books, this more academic text steers clear of over-generalization, instead carefully explaining the evidence used to support each argument. Johnson's Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience comes highly recommended as an introductory textbook to this exciting new field.
	Neurobiology of the Immune System (International Review of Neurobiology (Volume 52)) (International Review of Neurobiology)
	By: Angela Clow, Frank Hucklebridge ISBN: 0123668530 Publisher: Academic Press Release Date: December, 2002 Bioscience book rank: 541060
	Neurodegeneration and Neuroprotection in Parkinson's Disease (Neuroscience Perspectives)
	By: C. W. Olanow, Peter Jenner, Moussa Youdim ISBN: 0125254458 Publisher: Academic Press Release Date: 26 April, 1996 Bioscience book rank: 1364633
	Short Protocols in Neuroscience: Systems and Behavioral Methods
	By: Charles R. Gerfen, Michael A. Rogawski, David R. Sibley, Phil Skolnick, Susan Wray ISBN: 0471783978 Publisher: Current Protocols Release Date: 27 October, 2006 Bioscience book rank: 1121122
	Touch and Blindness: Psychology and Neuroscience
	By: Morton A. Heller, Soledad Ballesteros ISBN: 080584726X Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Release Date: 30 November, 2005 Bioscience book rank: 1254451
	Integrating the Neurobiology of Schizophrenia, Volume 78 (International Review of Neurobiology) (International Review of Neurobiology)
	By: Anissa Abi-Dargham, Olivier Guillin ISBN: 0123737370 Publisher: Academic Press Release Date: 27 February, 2007 Bioscience book rank: 1341678
	Dementia: Presentations, Differential Diagnosis, and Nosology (The Johns Hopkins Series in Psychiatry and Neuroscience)
	By: V. Olga B. Emery, Thomas E. Oxman ISBN: 0801871565 Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press Release Date: 13 May, 2003 Bioscience book rank: 1238896	This a very good book for people interested in getting more medical and clinical information on the different types of dementias. Very thorough and informative. It is not a layperson's book. I am a graduate psychology student who was doing research into the dementias and it was extremely helpful.
	The Self in Neuroscience and Psychiatry
	By: Tilo Kircher, Anthony David ISBN: 0521533503 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Release Date: 22 September, 2003 Bioscience book rank: 1108662	Traditionally, consciousness and self-consciousness have been studied by philosophers (from Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Husserl, and Sartre to Ryle, Armstrong, Dennett, and Chalmers). Nevertheless, the recent advance in the neurosciences and cognitive sciences has permitted a scientific progress in the understanding of self and self-consciousness, both in the normal and pathology. "The Self in Neuroscience and Psychatry," edited by Kircher and David, is a clear and outstanding example of such a progress. It is a well-balanced and well-written (although not addressed to the general reader) text which contains contributions and up-to-date papers from some of the leaders in the study of self-consciousness and its disorders (psychiatrists, neuroscientists, philosophers, psychologists, and cognitive scientists). The first of the three parts, contains introductory chapters describing the philosophical, psychiatric, and psychological background to the study of the self. The second part contains contributions from cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience in consciousnes and self-consciousness research. The last and biggest part contains chapters focusing on the psychological, psychiatric and neurobiological study of the pathology of self and self-consciousness, particularly in schizophrenia.<p>There are many texts which deal with the problem of consciousness and self-consciousness from various philosophical and psychological views, but very few which deal with the problem with clinical, empirical and experimental evidence; that is why I highly recommend "The Self in Neuroscience and Psychatry" as a major contribution, and superb achievement, to the scientific study of self and consciousness.
	Attention, Space and Action: Studies in Cognitive Neuroscience
	By: Glyn W. Humphreys, John Duncan, Anne Treisman ISBN: 0198524684 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Release Date: 15 November, 1999 Bioscience book rank: 1340385
	In Situ Hybridization Protocols for the Brain, Second Edition (International Review of Neurobiology, Volume 47) (International Review of Neurobiology)
	By: W. Wisden, B. J. Morris ISBN: 0123668476 Publisher: Academic Press Release Date: 05 August, 2002 Bioscience book rank: 1387465