Hinrich Rahmann - Böcker

Of all the areas of biological science, there is, perhaps, none that has experienced in recent decades so great an increase in findings as neurobiology, the discipline that concerns memory in all of its myriad aspects. The notion of exploring memory, that capacity to store and recall individual experience, has received attention increasingly in our society. Of course, animals can exhibit astounding powers of memory, but memory is of paramount importance to human beings due to the significant role it plays in the transmission of our cultural traditions. It is tradition, after all, that ensures the passing on of qualities established by lineage, a continuous link from generation to generation, between past and present. And it is tradition that inspires bodies of thought (knowledge and customs, for example) to be handed down by a multiplicity of information bearing devices (i. e. , word, writing, picture, electronic data carriers). The objective of this book is to inform the reader in one clear volume of the groundwork which has been established in memory research from the diverse disciplines of neurobiology. It is intended, primarily, for students of medicine, zoology, biology, psychology and psychiatry, but will certainly prove to be a valuable resource to others with a healthy interest in the area.

The NATO Advanced Research Workshop on "Gangliosides and Modu­ lation of Neuronal Functions" was held at the University of Stutt­ gart-Hohenheim, Federal Republic of Germany, on October 20 - 24, 1986. About 70 participants from 10 countries presented papers on a wide range of topics all concerning the ganglioside theme. The content of the workshop consisted of the following chap­ ters: (1) Fundamentals for research on function of gangliosides; (2) Brain ganglioside metabolism; (3) Cell specific distribution and differentiation-related ex­ pression of brain gangliosides; (4) Gangliosides and neuronal plasticity; (5) Bio-medical potential of exogenous ganglioside application on neuronal function; and (6) Critical assessments on aspects of ganglioside therapy. The aim of the workshop was to sum up and discuss the present knowledge in the respective fields. Despite intensive research on gangliosides ever since Ernst Klenk discovered them in 1936, the biological function of. these amphiphilic, "sphinx-like" glycosphingo­ lipids remains elusive. Over the past few years, several thousands of articles on gangliosides have been published demonstrating very special properties of these glycolipids and their possible in­ volvement in diverse biological phenomena. As far as we know up to the present time, these properties may be due to particular physico-chemical attributes of these compounds, especially in com­ bination with calcium. The results obtained so far have shed light not only on pos­ sible functional roles of gangliosides with regard to cellular induction and organization, but have also unexpectedly opened up VI a whole new field of therapeutic applications for these compounds.