Conceptual Advances in Brain Research – serie

The study of areas in the cerebral cortex has a long history, bringing empirical data into close relation with fundamental conceptual issues about the cortex. The subject is currently being revitalized with the advent of new experimental methods and this book brings a modern perspective to the study of these areas. Cortical Areas: Unity and Diversity explores the correspondence of different methods of mapping areas, the correlation between connectivity and areas, interspecies variations and the developmental origin of areal differences. Cortical areas are also discussed in relation to functional evidence, discussing for instance similarities in cybernetic function between different sensory areas. The book also considers morphological substrates for integration between areas before exploring fundamental questions often asked in neurobiology and brain theory.

Memory itself is inseparable from all other brain functions and involves distributed dynamic neural processes. A wealth of publications in neuroscience literature report that the concerted action of distributed multiple oscillatory processes (EEG oscillations) play a major role in brain functioning. The analysis of function-related brain oscillations is currently one of the most important areas of neuroscience research.Memory and Brain Dynamics: Oscillations Integrating Attention, Perception, Learning, and Memory bridges the disciplines of neurophysiology, cognitive psychology, and EEG brain dynamics to examine how the brain represents mental events that are interwoven with memory. The book presents a new study-framework that links oscillatory brain activity with the concept of dynamic memory. In the main portion of the text, the memory is treated as an alliance of attention, perception, learning, and memory. Empirical evidence is dealt with in separate sections from theory development, yet these two parts of the book are carefully combined to present a unique philosophical/scientific perspective on brain function. Professor Erol Basar, Ph.D., is one of the pioneers emphasizing the importance of oscillatory brain dynamics for integrative brain function and memory since the 1970s.

The first edition of The Female Brain laid the groundwork for gaining a better understanding of the female brain, examining the evidence for structural and functional differences between the brains of males and females. Addressing a wealth of new research, the second edition continues in this vein, leading readers through the basic principles of anatomy and physiology and on to the complex behavioral functions which constitute the workings of the normal and abnormal female brain.Examines Questions about Structural and Functional DifferencesThe book addresses the question of structural and functional differences between the female brain and the male brain. Are there differences? How good is the evidence? Where do the differences lie? Are there differences in the neuroanatomy of females, and if so, where? Do females and males process information differently, and if so, how? The author puts the relative lack of information on the female brain into historical perspective and reviews empirical evidence relevant to the different aspects of brain structure and function. She elucidates laterality, the functional asymmetry of the brain, the left brain-right brain distinctions, and how they differ between females and males.A Clear Presentation and Evaluation of Medical and Scientific EvidenceFilled with rigorous scientific analysis in an easily accessible format and detailed explanatory diagrams, the book systematically develops the topic from anatomy to behavior. It draws on current research to explain why men and women behave differently and why these differences should be exploited when designing research and clinical studies.

The Basal ganglia, to adopt a phrase of Churchill's, are "a riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." And although there is a wealth of information available on them, this research field remains controversial due in part to the diverse number of disciplines involved. A Theory of the Basal Ganglia and Their Disorders provides a clear, coherent view of basal ganglia that integrates evidence from the basic neurosciences, neurology, and psychiatry. The author explores the basal ganglia within a context of the function of the mammalian forebrain as a whole.Divided into two parts, the book explores the basic framework in which normal functions of the basal ganglia can be understood, and then moves on to discuss major disorders. It explains, as far as possible, symptoms and related clinical facts in terms of the underlying pathology and pathophysiology. With this goal in mind, the author includes only disorders of the basal ganglia for which there are already clear ideas about the underlying neuropathology or pathophysiology. He also conveys the human experience of these disorders as well as their scientific basis.While many books cover cutting-edge research, none have addressed large-scale questions about the role of the basal ganglia as a whole. Until now. This is arguably the only book published in the last 50 years that has attempted to provide an overall theory of the basal ganglia, as well as relevant areas of neurology and psychiatry. It concisely presents the theory, rather than comprehensively covering all the literature, and places the essential clinical facts within a framework formulated for normal operations of the basal ganglia. Presenting a unified view, the book takes several steps toward unraveling the riddle that is basal ganglia.

The first edition of The Female Brain laid the groundwork for gaining a better understanding of the female brain, examining the evidence for structural and functional differences between the brains of males and females. Addressing a wealth of new research, the second edition continues in this vein, leading readers through the basic principles of anatomy and physiology and on to the complex behavioral functions which constitute the workings of the normal and abnormal female brain.Examines Questions about Structural and Functional DifferencesThe book addresses the question of structural and functional differences between the female brain and the male brain. Are there differences? How good is the evidence? Where do the differences lie? Are there differences in the neuroanatomy of females, and if so, where? Do females and males process information differently, and if so, how? The author puts the relative lack of information on the female brain into historical perspective and reviews empirical evidence relevant to the different aspects of brain structure and function. She elucidates laterality, the functional asymmetry of the brain, the left brain-right brain distinctions, and how they differ between females and males.A Clear Presentation and Evaluation of Medical and Scientific EvidenceFilled with rigorous scientific analysis in an easily accessible format and detailed explanatory diagrams, the book systematically develops the topic from anatomy to behavior. It draws on current research to explain why men and women behave differently and why these differences should be exploited when designing research and clinical studies.

Brain Dynamics and the Striatal Complex, the first volume in the Conceptual Advances in Brain Research book series, relates dynamic function to cellular structure and synaptic organization in the basal ganglia. The striatum is the largest nucleus within the basal ganglia and therefore plays an important role in understanding structure/function relationships. Areas covered include dopaminergic input to the striatum, organization of the striatum, and the interaction between the striatum and the cerebral cortex.

Since the days of Galileo, time has been a fundamental variable in scientific attempts to understand the natural world. Once the first recordings of electrical activity in the brain had been made, it became clear that electrical signals from the brain consist of very complex temporal patterns. This can now be demonstrated by recordings at the single unit level and by electroencephalography (EEG). Time and the Brain explores modern approaches to these temporal aspects of electrical brain activity. The temporal structure as revealed from trains of impulses from single nerve cells and from EEG recordings are discussed in depth together with an exploration of correlations with behaviour and psychology. The single cell and EEG approaches often tend to be segregated as the research occurs in laboratories in different parts of the world. By bringing together modern information acquired using both methods it is hoped that they can become better integrated as complimentary windows on the information processing achieved by the brain.