Georg Striedter is Associate Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine. He received his undergraduate training at Cornell University and obtained a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego in 1990. Most of his early research focused on the evolution of various functionally interesting pathways in fish brains. He then went on to study avian brains as a postdoctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology. Specifically, he studied how and why parrot brains are specialized for imitating sounds. Dr. Striedter continued this work as a faculty member at UC Irvine and broadened it to include questions about how avian brains differ from those of other vertebrates in terms of structure, function and development. In 1998, he received the C. J. Herrick Award for his contributions to comparative neuroanatomy.

This text will surely supersede its stated goal, to pique the interest in brain evolution of advanced undergraduate and graduate students. From the very beginning, with the fascinating example of Bumpus' sparrows of 1898, we know this book will be more witty and lively than most on this topic. Throughout the remaining text, Striedter succeeds repeatedly by explicating the main principles of brain evolution without encyclopedic or dry detail. As a result of this new text, we can certainly anticipate that young students of evolutionary neuroscience will be enticed to address questions that currently lack much empirical data."

• PART 1: EVOLUTIONARY NEUROSCIENCE: THIS BOOK'S SCOPE AND AMBITIONThe Book's Scope and Major ThemesPART 2: A HISTORYOF COMPARATIVE NEUROBIOLOGYThe Birth of Comparative NeuroanatomyDarwin's Time: The Owen-Huxley DebateThe Era of Comparative CytoarchitectonicsComparative Hodology and HistochemistryThe Rise of NeurocladisticsThe Rejuvenation of Comparative NeuroembryologyConclusionsPART 3: CONSERVATION IN VERTEBRATE BRAINSA "Who's Who" of VertebratesComparing Adult BrainsAdult Brain RegionsAdult Cell TypesNeuron-typical MoleculesComparing Embryonic BrainsThe Neuromeric ModelCriticisms of the Neuromeric ModelMapping Embryos onto AdultsConclusionPART 4: EVOLUTIONARY CHANGES IN OVERALL BRAIN SIZEChanges in Relative Brain SizeMechanisms of Brain-body ScalingFunctional Correlates of Relative Brain SizeChanges in Absolute Brain SizeConstraints and CompromisesConclusionsPART 5: EVOLUTIONARY CHANGES IN BRAIN REGION SIZEConcerted versus Mosaic EvolutionConcerted EvolutionMosaic EvolutionToward a SynthesisFunctional Correlates of Brain Region SizeThe Principle of Proper MassAbsolute Size and Functional CapacityProportional Size and InfluenceRelative Size and AdaptationSynthesis: The Avian HippocampusConclusionsPART 6: EVOLUTIONARY CHANGES IN BRAIN REGION STRUCTUREHomology and NoveltyPhylogenetic Conversion: LaminationPhylogenetic Proliferation: SegregationPhylogenetic Proliferation: AdditionConclusionsPART 7: EVOLUTION OF NEURONAL CONNECTIVITYEpigenetic Population Matching and CascadesThe Parcellation HypothesisConnectional Invasion and Its ConsequencesGeneral Principles of Network DesignSynthesis and ConclusionsPART 8: WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT MAMMAL BRAINS?Early Mammals and their BrainsThe Phylogenetic History of NeocortexBeyond the NeocortexConclusionPART 9: WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT HUMAN BRAINS?Primate Behavior and Overall Brain SizeEvolutionary Changes in Primate Brain OrganizationHominin Behavior and Overall Brain SizeEvolutionary Changes in Hominin Brain OrganizationConclusionsPART 10: WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT HUMAN BRAINS?Explanatory Strategies in Evolutionary NeuroscienceSteps Toward SynthesisAbsolute and Relative Brain SizeConclusion

Georg Striedter is Associate Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine. He received his undergraduate training at Cornell University and obtained a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego in 1990. Most of his early research focused on the evolution of various functionally interesting pathways in fish brains. He then went on to study avian brains as a postdoctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology. Specifically, he studied how and why parrot brains are specialized for imitating sounds. Dr. Striedter continued this work as a faculty member at UC Irvine and broadened it to include questions about how avian brains differ from those of other vertebrates in terms of structure, function and development. In 1998, he received the C. J. Herrick Award for his contributions to comparative neuroanatomy.

This text will surely supersede its stated goal, to pique the interest in brain evolution of advanced undergraduate and graduate students. From the very beginning, with the fascinating example of Bumpus' sparrows of 1898, we know this book will be more witty and lively than most on this topic. Throughout the remaining text, Striedter succeeds repeatedly by explicating the main principles of brain evolution without encyclopedic or dry detail. As a result of this new text, we can certainly anticipate that young students of evolutionary neuroscience will be enticed to address questions that currently lack much empirical data."

• PART 1: EVOLUTIONARY NEUROSCIENCE: THIS BOOK'S SCOPE AND AMBITIONThe Book's Scope and Major ThemesPART 2: A HISTORYOF COMPARATIVE NEUROBIOLOGYThe Birth of Comparative NeuroanatomyDarwin's Time: The Owen-Huxley DebateThe Era of Comparative CytoarchitectonicsComparative Hodology and HistochemistryThe Rise of NeurocladisticsThe Rejuvenation of Comparative NeuroembryologyConclusionsPART 3: CONSERVATION IN VERTEBRATE BRAINSA "Who's Who" of VertebratesComparing Adult BrainsAdult Brain RegionsAdult Cell TypesNeuron-typical MoleculesComparing Embryonic BrainsThe Neuromeric ModelCriticisms of the Neuromeric ModelMapping Embryos onto AdultsConclusionPART 4: EVOLUTIONARY CHANGES IN OVERALL BRAIN SIZEChanges in Relative Brain SizeMechanisms of Brain-body ScalingFunctional Correlates of Relative Brain SizeChanges in Absolute Brain SizeConstraints and CompromisesConclusionsPART 5: EVOLUTIONARY CHANGES IN BRAIN REGION SIZEConcerted versus Mosaic EvolutionConcerted EvolutionMosaic EvolutionToward a SynthesisFunctional Correlates of Brain Region SizeThe Principle of Proper MassAbsolute Size and Functional CapacityProportional Size and InfluenceRelative Size and AdaptationSynthesis: The Avian HippocampusConclusionsPART 6: EVOLUTIONARY CHANGES IN BRAIN REGION STRUCTUREHomology and NoveltyPhylogenetic Conversion: LaminationPhylogenetic Proliferation: SegregationPhylogenetic Proliferation: AdditionConclusionsPART 7: EVOLUTION OF NEURONAL CONNECTIVITYEpigenetic Population Matching and CascadesThe Parcellation HypothesisConnectional Invasion and Its ConsequencesGeneral Principles of Network DesignSynthesis and ConclusionsPART 8: WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT MAMMAL BRAINS?Early Mammals and their BrainsThe Phylogenetic History of NeocortexBeyond the NeocortexConclusionPART 9: WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT HUMAN BRAINS?Primate Behavior and Overall Brain SizeEvolutionary Changes in Primate Brain OrganizationHominin Behavior and Overall Brain SizeEvolutionary Changes in Hominin Brain OrganizationConclusionsPART 10: WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT HUMAN BRAINS?Explanatory Strategies in Evolutionary NeuroscienceSteps Toward SynthesisAbsolute and Relative Brain SizeConclusion