Donald W. Pfaff – författare

Neuroendocrinology, the discipline concerned with how the nervous system controls hormonal secretion and how hormones control the brain, is pivotal to physiology and medicine. Neuroendocrinology has disclosed and underpins fundamental physiological, molecular biological and genetic principles such as the regulation of gene transcription and translation, the mechanisms of chemical neurotransmission and intracellular and systemic feedback control systems. Reproduction, growth, stress, aggression, metabolism, birth, feeding and drinking and blood pressure are some of the bodily functions that are triggered and/or controlled by neuroendocrine systems. In turn, neuroendocrine dysfunction due to genetic or other deficits can lead, for example, to infertility, impotence, precocious or delayed puberty, defective or excessive growth, obesity and anorexia, Cushing's Syndrome, hypertension or thyroid disorders. These as well as neuroendocrine tumors are some of the themes covered in the 36 chapters of the Handbook. Drafted by internationally acknowledged experts in the field, the Handbook chapters feature detailed up-to-date bibliographies as well as "how do we know?" call out sections that highlight the experimental or technical foundations for major concepts, principles, or methodological advances in each area. Aimed at senior undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and faculty in neuroscience, medicine, endocrinology, psychiatry, psychology and cognate disciplines, the Handbook of Neuroendocrinology satisfies an unmet need that will prove useful at the laboratory bench as well as in the office.

Principles of Hormone/Behavior Relations, Second Edition, provides an introduction to the underlying principles of endocrine regulation of behavior, a newly emerging area of research within neurobiology and endocrinology. It addresses the properties of hormone/behavior relations, including the influence of family background, timing issues, neuroanatomical features, cellular mechanisms, and the importance of environmental context and evolution. This new edition incorporates critical advances in the field, also including increased coverage of hormonal influences on food intake, and on the cardiovascular system.

The addition of entirely new principles provides further coverage of epigenetics and appetite. Thoroughly revised and updated, this book is an ideal resource for neuroscientists and researchers engaging in this rapidly expanding field of study.

Origins of Human Socialization introduces a new concept on the origins of basic human instinct. The book combines the three disciplinary approaches, including neuroscience, paleoanthropology and developmental psychology as an intertwined foundation for prosocial behavior. It argues that humans have the basic brain mechanisms for prosocial activity, offering new insights into more sophisticated social behavior. It also examines both visual and auditory systems in both humans and animals to explain the evolution of social interactions. Written by world-renowned researcher Dr. Donald Pfaff, this book is the first to explore why we have basic social instinct and how it works.

For centuries, researchers have argued over the foundations of human behavior in society. Anthropologists point to transitions from hunter/gathers to urban dwellers leading to human domestication. Developmental psychologists highlight social competences in babies. Neuroscientists focus on specific genetic and neurochemical mechanisms that attribute to social behavior. This book brings all of these important areas together in an interdisciplinary approach that helps readers understand how they are linked.

Edited and authored by a wealth of international experts in neuroscience and related disciplines, the aim behind this key new resource is to offer medical students and graduate researchers around the world a comprehensive introduction and overview of modern neuroscience. 

Neuroscience research is certain to prove a vital element in combating mental illness in its various incarnations, a strategic battleground in the future of medicine,  as the prevalence of mental disorders is becoming better understood each year. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are affected by mental, behavioral, neurological and substance use disorders. The World Health Organization estimated in 2002 that 154 million people globally suffer from depression and 25 million people from schizophrenia; 91 million people are affected by alcohol use disorders and 15 million by drug use disorders. A more recent WHO report shows that 50 million people suffer from epilepsy and 24 million from Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Because neuroscience takes the etiology of disease—the complex interplay between biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors—as its object of inquiry, it is increasingly valuable in understanding an array of medical conditions. A recent report by the United States’ Surgeon General cites several such diseases: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, early-onset depression, autism, attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, anorexia nervosa, and panic disorder, among many others. Not only is this volume a boon to those wishing to understand the future of neuroscience, it also aims to encourage the initiation of neuroscience programs in developing countries, featuring as it does an appendix full of advice on how to develop such programs.  With broad coverage of both basic science and clinical issues, comprising 106 chapters from a diversity of international authors and including complementary video components, Neuroscience in the21st Century will serve as a comprehensive resource to students and researchers alike.

Edited and authored by a wealth of international experts in neuroscience and related disciplines, this key new resource aims to offer medical students and graduate researchers around the world a comprehensive introduction and overview of modern neuroscience.

Neuroscience research is certain to prove a vital element in combating mental illness in its various incarnations, a strategic battleground in the future of medicine, as the prevalence of mental disorders is becoming better understood each year. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are affected by mental, behavioral, neurological and substance use disorders. The World Health Organization estimated in 2002 that 154 million people globally suffer from depression and 25 million people from schizophrenia; 91 million people are affected by alcohol use disorders and 15 million by drug use disorders. A more recent WHO report shows that 50 million people suffer from epilepsy and 24 million from Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Edited and authored by a wealth of international experts in neuroscience and related disciplines, this key new resource aims to offer medical students and graduate researchers around the world a comprehensive introduction and overview of modern neuroscience.

Neuroscience research is certain to prove a vital element in combating mental illness in its various incarnations, a strategic battleground in the future of medicine, as the prevalence of mental disorders is becoming better understood each year. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are affected by mental, behavioral, neurological and substance use disorders. The World Health Organization estimated in 2002 that 154 million people globally suffer from depression and 25 million people from schizophrenia; 91 million people are affected by alcohol use disorders and 15 million by drug use disorders. A more recent WHO report shows that 50 million people suffer from epilepsy and 24 million from Alzheimer’s and other dementias.