From Neuron to Brain

PART I. INTRODUCTION - Principles of Signaling and Organization - PART II. SIGNALING IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM - Ion Channels and Signaling - Structure of Ion Channels - Transport across Cell Membranes - Ionic Basis of the Resting Potential - Ionic Basis of the Action Potential - Neurons as Conductors of Electricity - Properties and Functions of Neuroglial Cells - Principles of Direct Synaptic Transmission - Indirect Mechanisms of Synaptic Transmission - Transmitter Release - Synaptic Plasticity - Cellular and Molecular Biochemistry of Synaptic Transmission - Neurotransmitters in the Central Nervous System - PART III. INTEGRATIVE MECHANISMS - Cellular Mechanisms of Integration and Behavior in Leeches, Ants, and Bees - Autonomic Nervous System - Transduction of Mechanical and Chemical Stimuli - Processing of Somatosensory and Auditory Signals - Transduction and Signaling in the Retina - Analysis of Form in Primary Visual Cortex - Functional Architecture of the Visual Cortex - Cellular Mechanisms of Motor Control - PART IV. DEVELOPMENT OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM - Development of the Nervous System - Denervation and Regeneration of Synaptic Connections - Critical Periods in Visual and Auditory Systems - PART V. CONCLUSION - Open Questions

John G. Nicholls is Professor of Neuroscience at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste (known as SISSA), Italy.A. R. Martin is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, USA.